Healthy Comfort Food

As a recovered anorexic now struggling with food allergies, I am very aware of my relationship with food. I am keenly attuned to how food makes me feel, both physically and emotionally. I read what science tells me is good and then look inside myself (sometimes almost literally,) to see if such “health” is a universal truth. For example, my balanced diet doesn’t exactly include all the food groups.



It can feel isolating to swim through the online world of healthy living with my baggage of
“skinny problems”:

While most people are counting calories to avoid excess, I find myself tracking whether I got enough calories to maintain or even gain weight. (Being a stay at home mom, one can burn a lot of calories just doing housework!)

If I drink 64 oz of water daily, I often feel bloated and unable to eat enough.

Because I already have a laundry list of forbidden foods, I fear that completely eliminating sugar would leave me with nothing left to eat.

When I find a cardio exercise program I enjoy, I usually have to restrain myself from participating fully; otherwise, I probably won’t be able to increase my caloric intake enough to keep up with the calories I am burning.

I don’t say these things out of pity. I am being vulnerable here because:

1. Contrary to what most people tell me, being skinny is NOT easy and doesn’t automatically mean I am healthy!
2. Every time I open up about my skinny problems I find a new resource or friend who has similar struggles.

Come on over to Kitchen Stewardship to take a peek into my world to see what hypoallergenic, healthy food looks like and if there’s room for comfort food! Hint: healthy comfort food is NOT an oxymoron. Go read about the secret to healthy (tailored to your specific needs) comfort (feels good) food for any type of diet!