When it comes to chronic illness, I think that changing how you eat to manage symptoms is possibly one of the topics that creates the most judgment, controversy, fear and criticism.
Everyone seems to have an opinion and usually, it’s a very strong one. In fact, changing how you eat, even to simply eliminate one potential trigger can be a huge source of conflict with families, friends and even, strangers on the internet.
I know that every time I talk about how I choose to eat on my Facebook page, there will always be someone judging me or accusing me of promoting either an eating disorder (Orthorexia) or warning me that I will further damage myself.
Like everything else with living with chronic illness, we are out in the wilderness, trying to find our own way and work out what helps us heal, what makes us worse and what makes a positive difference to our quality of life.
And when it comes to how you choose to eat to try to feel better, not only can you not feel supported, you can also face outright fear, disbelief and opposition.
Changing how and what we eat can also be one of the most difficult changes to make which is why the diet industry is built on repeat customers and makes billions of dollars a year because most diets are doomed to fail.
And making such a big change can also feel like too much of a loss, too much of a sacrifice and way too much of an effort when you are feeling physically and emotionally at your very worst.
Especially when there is no guarantee that it will even make a difference and that it’s yet another thing that won’t work for you or that you fail at.
In Episode 5 of Season 3, I walk you through all of the complex, emotional pro’s and con’s of changing how you eat to manage chronic illness, share my experiences, insights and the tools that helped me decide what works for me and what doesn’t.
It’s a big topic so grab yourself a cuppa, sit back and have a listen to this episode by searching and subscribing on your favorite podcast player or listening here on the blog.
If you enjoy this episode, I would love it if you share it with your friends and your chronic illness community and leave me a review.
All about how people pleasing affects chronic illness and what you can do about it