I’ve struggled with food for the greater majority of my life. I had a sweet tooth growing up, and as an athlete, I had a pretty big issue with feeling unreasonably guilty about eating pretty much everything as a kid and teen. I had a very distorted view of what ‘too much’ or ‘too little food’ really meant, and it shaped up a spectrum of eating issues from age 8 on. I tried eating almost no calories, I tried eating and throwing up, and I just never was able to find a normal or healthy balance.
A few years ago, things got so bad that I stayed at a residential treatment center in Arizona for just over a month. There, we had to eat a wide variety of food, and eat 6 times a day. It felt strange and confusing to me, that even with how much I was eating, I was feeling so physically and mentally unhealthy; I was sluggish and tired, far surpassing my maintenance weight, and I was still obsessing about food day in and day out. Towards the end of my stay, I started making my meal plans more centered around plant-based foods (trading my carb exchange for a sweet potato versus a muffin, and things like that).
Now, I feel the need to strongly state that I am no advocate for restriction in the least bit, and my mental switch to slightly limiting my variety of food intake to mainly plant-based foods was due to a genuine desire to nourish my body, and not punish it. The more I ate like this, the less I worried about my body and calorie intake. It was like my brain was finally getting the nutrients that it needed to not try to obsess over and feel like I needed to hoard or constantly control food.
I will also point out that my recovery is as perfect as anyone else’s– it’s not. I still have days where I struggle with body image, and the urge to try to control my food to control my weight. What a plant-based diet has brought to the table is the ability to nourish my brain and my body enough to fight the mental battle of obsession and self loathing that is the Eating Disorder, and a live a relatively healthy, normal, and productive life.
A plant-based (mostly vegan) diet has switched my focus to health, self-love, happiness, adventures, and making memories in life versus shying away from them because of a preoccupation with calories and body weight. It has truly changed my lifestyle from one of fear to love.
“Food brings people together on many different levels. It’s nourishment of the soul and the body; it’s truly love.”
__ Giada De Laurentiis
I realize that my approach to Recovery may be a little controversial and unorthodox for the ED community, but it’s brought me a sense of hope, health, peace, and vibrancy in my life that I think is worth sharing.
So thank you guys for reading, and if anyone wants an example of a vegan, plant-based recovery meal plan (with adequate calories, and nourishing, simple, and great tasting recipes), be sure to let me know via email or comments!
Vim & Vigor 