The concept of food freedom can be increasingly powerful in menopause.

Food freedom is also REALLY confusing,

After years of stressing about what to eat, and how you look, you might be ready for something new.

Food freedom, is not exactly new.

Combined with mindful eating, it can transform your outlook on food and health.

It’s gained traction, as an antidote to dieting, over the years.

It also looks like a french fry and diet coke party.

Food freedom is more than an antidote to dieting. It doesn’t have to be a french fry party, unless you want it to.

The key word in food freedom, is … FREEDOM. The empowerment and autonomy to choose what feels good FOR you.

That might be not eating meat, or gluten, or embracing white flour again.

Food freedom can be a path to feeling more at home in your body.

Why?

When you find your own version of food freedom, you’ll feel more at home in the skin you’re in.

As a nutritionist, I have seen many people struggle with their relationship with food.

I became a nutritionist because OF my struggle with food!

I never recognized it as a struggle, because the way I acted around food seemed “normal”. If I were to sit down with a fair amount of my midlife friends, and ask them if they heard of food freedom, I am guessing the response would be …

WHAT (TF) IS THIS?

That’s because worrying about healthy foods, and unhealthy foods, or eating too much, and gaining weight, feels like the norm to many of us in our 50’s.

We’ve been like this for so long.

It is not uncommon to see clients who feel guilty after eating certain foods, or who have a rigid set of rules around what they can and cannot eat. This can be a common type of relationship with food.

There are MANY types of food relationships.

This type of relationship MAY the stage for binge eating, but it is not the only reason binge eating happens.

Yes, restriction can impact digestive health, energy, and even the amount of available nutrients needed for menopause.

HOWEVER: some of us can “need” those rules though.

Meaning, we know we need more veggies, or water, or an occasional glass of wine.

We might even need a french fry meal

In this blog post, we’ll define the term food freedom, and talk about why it may be the most important thing for living a fulfilled and unconfined life in menopause.

What is Food Freedom, exactly?

This is where I love Google. The definitions of food freedom are varied.

The general consensus seems to be that food freedom is getting rid of rules and diets, and not stressing over the types of food you eat. It’s supposed to help you ditch the diet, and create a better relationship with food.

Agreed:)

It’s about being more free with your food and having the ability to make choices around food without guilt or shame.

Let’s face it, guilt and shame go hand in hand with dieting.We try to spend nights out with our friends, who constantly talk about weight, diets, and praise each other for their looks, and come home feeling bad about what we eat.

Being more free with food also means that you trust your body to tell you what it needs and that you are able to listen to those signals. Of course, you have to be able to discern what is coming from your body, and what is coming from your mind.

These can seem like the same thing.

It takes some practice to tell the difference.

Food freedom is about having a flexible and trusting relationship with food, and yourself, where you can enjoy a variety of foods without that feeling of, “Crap I shouldn’t be eating this because … insert negative comment here.

The Importance of Food Freedom in Menopause.

Where do I START!!!

Having food freedom in midlife, is so important, in my opinion. And it's not because the Googles say that you can loose weight with food freedom.

“First, it can help you maintain a healthy weight.” was one of the “pros” of food freedom that came up in my google search.

And in the same paragraph, “When you have a healthy relationship with food, you are more likely to eat a balanced diet and make choices that support your health.”

What does this say? That a healthy relationship with food, and food freedom will help you loose weight and also have you eating more “balanced” because you made the “right” choices?

Food freedom recognizes that the only right choices are the ones that fit YOU

True food freedom is non judgemental. Once you throw in the terms of healthy weight, we are entering subjective territory, and this can be problematic.

What actually is a “healthy” weight? One that says you’re ok on the BMI?

Read this post for my views on the BMI

Letting go of judgement around food, and changing your guilty language around your choices, will positively improve your mental health.

When you are not constantly focusing on what you are eating or feeling guilty about your food choices, you have more energy to focus on other aspects of your life.

In menopause, and at 57, I want to spend my remaining years focusing on things I enjoy, improving my outlook and my life experience, not worrying about how my salad choice will affect the scale later that evening.

One of the beautiful things of bettering your relationship to food, with a non diet, food freedom lens, is that it can ENHANCE your enjoyment of food. When you are not restricted by rules or guilt, you can truly savor and appreciate the flavors and textures of the food you are eating.

You are not creating more anxiety, you are lessening anxiety. We all know how much anxiety we can have through perimenopause and menopause, why add MORE?

And, you may just feel more satisfied in your food life.

This can decrease binging.

Start the road to food freedom.

Try my Mindless to Mindful Course.

10 audio lessons will help you dig into your cravings, triggers, and give you tools to navigate food in a positive way!

If You Aren’t Ready For Food Freedom

Many of us in menopause are not ready for food freedom.

It can feel really scary to just ‘give it all up” and “eat whatever I want”

This can bring on fear of weight gain, and fear of loss of control. Yet, when you are constantly restricting or depriving yourself, it can lead to this “loss of control” or binge eating or other disordered eating behaviours.

And then you are right back at square one, feeling guilty and ashamed for your food choices, or how you eat in secret.

I think midlife the perfect time to change how you approach food, so you can bring more joy and less self blame to your life.

You may not feel like this is the case. So even though you are curious about this term food freedom

How to Achieve Food Freedom

Achieving food freedom, and practicing mindful eating, is a process, and it takes time and practice. Here are some steps you can take to start the journey towards food freedom:

1. Pull from mindfulness: Pay attention to your body's hunger and fullness signals. “Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full”, is a general guide. Hunger can be ignored, and there are times when you need to eat without hunger. What if you know lunch time is a long way off, and that you will be hungry before that?

   Eating without hunger will nourish you and prevent ravenous hunger and over eating.

2. ALWAYS give yourself permission to eat without hunger. Allow yourself to eat the foods you enjoy without guilt or shame. Remember that all foods can fit into a healthy diet.

   One cookie does not make you unhealthy. Nor does five.

3. Notice your judgey thoughts: When you find yourself thinking negative thoughts about food or your body, get curious instead of critical.

   Ask yourself why you think this way? Can you trace back to a time where someone taught you to think this way?

Maintaining food freedom is an ongoing process.

Understand that any time you try to change a habit, you will take two steps forward, and one step back.

I talk about this in this podcast episode about changing habits!

A Final Note About Food Freedom and Body Positivity

Food freedom is said to be closely linked to body positivity. When you have a healthy relationship with food, you are more likely to accept and love your body, with all its changes.

Body positivity is also is a journey, and telling you to “just accept yourself”, isn’t always helpful.

Body positivity is more than affirmations and positive talk. It is rooted in fat activism, racism, and discrimination.

Working on feeling neutral about food, not good, not bad, can trickle into the feelings about your body.

You may feel more neutral about your body as time goes on.

This can go a long way in feeling satisfied with who you are in midlife.

Achieving and maintaining food freedom is an ongoing journey.

By practicing mindfulness, self-compassion, and self-care, you can develop a healthy relationship with food that supports your physical and mental health.

Remember that all foods can fit into a healthy diet, and that it is okay to make choices that may be less nutritious or more nutritious.

There are no food mistakes.

With time and practice, you can unleash the power of food freedom and enjoy a more balanced and fulfilling relationship with food.

And with yourself.

THAT’S the most important thing in middle age.