Building a Healthy Relationship with Food
Sydney Holofcener
Eating Disorder Director
Food is never just about food. It’s about culture, connection, comfort, memory, nourishment, and identity. And for many people, it’s also a source of stress, shame, or confusion. Diet culture, disordered eating, chronic illness, body image struggles, and trauma can all impact how we relate to food over time. Even if you know what’s “healthy” in theory, your relationship with food may still feel complicated in practice.
Building a healthy relationship with food is not about eating perfectly. It’s about moving toward trust, flexibility, and care. It’s about learning to listen to your body instead of overriding it. It’s about letting food be a source of nourishment without becoming a source of punishment or control.
At Nashville Therapy Group, our clinicians support clients in exploring and healing their relationship with food in a way that honors the full person. Whether you’re in recovery from an eating disorder, navigating chronic health conditions, or simply trying to unlearn years of diet messaging, therapy can be a place to reconnect with your body and your needs.
What an Unhealthy Relationship with Food Can Look Like
You don’t need a formal diagnosis to struggle with food. Many people live with stress or rigidity around eating that interferes with daily life. Some common signs include:
Obsessive thoughts about calories, macros, or food rules
Shame or guilt after eating
Avoiding social situations because of food concerns
Fluctuating between restriction and bingeing
Feeling out of control around food
Equating self-worth with weight or eating habits
These patterns often emerge slowly and feel “normal” because they’re so widely reinforced. Therapy offers a space to notice them, challenge them, and begin to shift them.
Shifting the Focus from Control to Connection
Many food struggles are rooted in a desire for control. When life feels overwhelming or uncertain, food may become the one thing you try to manage tightly. But healing often asks the opposite. It asks for gentleness, flexibility, and curiosity.
In therapy, we work with you to:
Identify the emotional or historical roots of food-related stress
Explore how body image and identity intersect with food
Learn intuitive eating or mindful eating practices
Develop self-compassion and reduce shame
Navigate recovery from disordered eating or chronic dieting
Rebuild trust in your body’s cues
The goal isn’t to become a perfect eater. The goal is to feel more at peace in your body and more at home in your life.
Everyone’s Relationship with Food Is Different
Your background, culture, trauma history, health needs, and lived experience all shape your relationship with food. There is no one-size-fits-all path to healing. What matters is creating space to understand your story and make choices that align with your values and needs.
Therapy can help you separate your voice from the noise. It can help you move from judgment to awareness, from fear to trust, and from punishment to care.
We Are Here For You
At Nashville Therapy Group, our team of clinicians is here to help you work through what’s hard and move toward meaningful change. Connect with us today to get started. We’d be honored to help you heal.
