Often we are presented with food. We go into work and there are donuts for being such good employees. We go to a birthday party and there is a huge spread of food. We go out with friends and find ourselves face to face with poor quality bar food. There’s food every which way you turn and it’s not always good for you.

Here’s a phrase I’ve been keeping in mind to combat these situation:

Say No To Food That Isn’t Worth It

Sounds smart, right?

As a recovering binge eater I find myself doing well when I focus on the quality of food I’m eating. Focusing on high quality food that both tastes great and is nourishing for your body is smart. Part of this means saying no to food that isn’t worth it – food that isn’t healthy or doesn’t taste very good.

In the past I’ve eaten some truly disgusting food combinations and plenty of food that was of questionable quality. With a binge it was rarely about what I was eating, it was only a matter of how much I could eat and how quickly I could get that painful overly stuffed feeling of punishment to soothe me. Twisted, I know. Binge eating is a really confusing form of disordered eating.

Focus on QUALITY FOOD

In addition to helping my self out with self-care and preventing the emotional need for binges, I now try to focus on the quality of food whenever I eat.

Focusing on eating quality food helps me say no to things of a lower quality.

I would NEVER eat some of the things I scarfed down in binges past. In fact, I’m at a point now where I am starting to pass on things simply because I know they won’t make me feel good. I’ll skip things like cereal with milk or a very sugary dessert because I know it won’t make me feel good after eating it.

This isn’t easy all the time but it’s something I know will improve my life. Focusing on quality food and saying no to food that isn’t worth it will make me feel better.

Sometimes food isn’t worth it.

Here’s an example of how this works in my every day life:  I love cereal but milk makes me feel gross and offers very little nutritional value. Sometimes I think I want to eat bowls of sugary cereal like I used to do as a kid and binge eater, but I am content with not doing this because I don’t want to feel gross after eating cereal. I’m learning it’s better to pass on things that won’t benefit my body. Instead of eating that bowl of cereal I will say no and then make sure my next meal is a high-quality and well-balanced meal.

If it makes me feel sick, or has no nutritional value, or doesn’t help me in any way, then I definitely consider passing.

Food isn’t always worth it.

In fact, food can hurt you.

Saying no to food that isn’t good for you and hurts you is a form of self-love that takes a while for recovering binge eaters to grasp. However, it is an important lesson to learn! It’s all about being mindful and thoughtful in the food choices made every day.

This mental conversation about the value of food and whether or not it’s worth eating is one that runs through my head now rather than “food! must eat all! now!” any time I’m around something delicious. (Oh, compulsive eating, you jerk!)

Progress people, progress.