Our relationship with food — the good, the bad and the ugly

Fortunately for many of us in the United States, we aren’t worried about eating enough to survive. We are in a unique position, historically, in that were have access to many, many more calories than we need to survive — hence the obesity epidemic.

So at the start of every year, we’ve developed a new food ritual — people searching out new diets to drop some pounds after their massive end-of-year holiday eating binges.

Why do we, as a relatively affluent society, have such a love-hate relationship with food? I’ve recently heard from three experts delving into this question in their own ways.

Why Am I Eating This: Is This the Nourishment I Need? In this book, Sandy Robertson walks readers through a simple, seven-step process designed to help transform their relationship with food.

“What’s the right amount of food that satisfies our nutrition and fuel needs but satisfies us psychologically, too?” Robertson asks in a recent interview. “When we’re eating, we’re feeding our soul; we’re feeding our emotions; but it’s really all about balance and finding that right balance for us.”

Robertson’s public relations person has sent me a review copy of her book, so expect to read more about it here shortly.

In a second book, Nurture: How to Raise Kids Who Love Food, Their Bodies, and Themselves — Heidi Schauster, a nutrition therapist, provides a guide for parents and caregivers about feeding, eating, and discussing bodies with children and teens.

Schauster writes from her nearly 30 years of experience treating clients with disordered eating, her own experience as a recovered person, and as a parent of two young adults.

“In a culture that has such narrow parameters for what makes a ‘good’ or ‘attractive’ body, it is important that we don’t put too much importance on what the body looks like,” says Shauster. “Accepting and feeling neutral about the inevitable body changes of aging is something that we can teach our kids at a young age and through our example.”