How to Improve Your Mental Flexibility Around Food

Diets often start with good intentions, but they can often turn into a list of food rules.

And as we add more food rules to our list over time, we naturally start to restrict the foods we are “allowed” to eat and ultimately end up with a strict set of rules without any flexibility.

Many of us don’t even realize all the food rules we’ve built up until we take the time to carefully examine why we eat the way we do.

Movements like Intuitive Eating, mindful eating, and Health at Every Size (HAES) encourage focusing on a well-balanced diet that allows for a variety of foods based on individual preferences.

What’s more, studies show that being flexible while working towards weight loss, rather than having rigid rules, actually leads to greater immediate results as well as helps sustain your progress over time.

Plus, increased flexibility while dieting can also reduce the stress that’s often triggered by dieting.

Still, if you’re used to having strict rules around eating, it can be hard to break the habit. I’m sharing my top tips for improving your mental flexibility around eating.

How do I know if I have rigid food rules?

Do you ever find yourself saying the following?

• I cannot stop eating once I start eating something I love.
• I avoid certain foods or food groups.
• I have forbidden foods that I am not allowed to eat.
• I do not allow myself to eat foods I enjoy because they are not “healthy.”
• I get mad at myself for eating something unhealthy.
• I feel shame or guilt when I do not eat a certain way.
• My food preferences and rules make social events difficult/stressful.
• I have a hard time trying new foods or restaurants if I do not know what is in the foods.
• Once I eat forbidden food, I convince myself this will be the last time and go all out
• I don’t trust my body to tell me what and how much to eat.

If your answer is yes to any of the above, you may have rigid diet rules and be inflexible around food.

Why is increasing your food flexibility important?

Food inflexibility is restrictive and restrictive eating behaviors can lead to dangerous eating disorders.

For example, orthorexia is a form of disordered eating in which an individual strives to only eat foods that are considered healthy.

And as a result, orthorexia can lead to compulsive behaviors, the removal of entire food groups or severely limiting options, a preoccupation with food and eating, and intense anxiety when surrounded by “unhealthy” foods.

However, when you increase your mental flexibility around food and eating behaviors, your “all or nothing” mindset (black or white thinking) will diminish.

Overall, mental flexibility is helpful for long-term weight loss and maintenance as you won’t have the extreme highs and lows of falling off a diet, feeling a sense of failure, and having to start all over.

So How Do You Improve Mental Flexibility With Food?

1. Identify your food rules.

The first step is recognizing that your food preferences are starting to interfere with, or even dictate, more aspects of your life.

2. Allow a wide array of foods to fit within the parameters of your diet.  

Select foods that nourish both your body and soul when making choices.

We all need a treat from time to time and permitting some leniency helps ensure that the occasional treat doesn’t turn into a binge.

3. Keep a food diary.

Journaling foods into the Lose It! app, using our premium feature, can help to increase mindfulness and illustrate that a variety of foods, including treats eaten in moderation, can absolutely fit within the construct of a healthy diet.

4. Practice intuitive eating. 

This means eating when you are hungry, eating foods that you enjoy, and stopping when you are satisfied. For more detail on this, I would recommend reading the Intuitive Eating book.

5. Think about your caloric intake goal as a rough target.

When practicing intuitive eating, some days you will go over by a bit, and other days you will be under.

This is why it’s important to keep the bigger picture in mind and know that your intake will even out over the long term.

6. Practice mindful eating

Be mindful when you eat and take time to savor your meals. For more tips, check out our blog post on mindful eating.

7. Be forgiving towards yourself when you do overeat.

Instead of feeling upset and judgemental, practice being more forgiving to yourself when you do overeat. This will help prevent one meal of overeating from turning into a whole day or week of overeating.

8. Work with a professional

If you are struggling to establish a healthy and balanced diet on your own, the guidance of an experienced professional can be a game-changer. 

I would recommend working with a skilled Intuitive Eating, Mindful Eating, or HAES dietitian for one-on-one support.

The Bottom Line

Mental flexibility surrounding food is helpful for long-term weight loss and maintenance.

Plus, increasing mental flexibility can help reduce dieting stress and can prevent your relationship with food from becoming disordered.

For more tips, be sure to check out our post on 8 Tips for Fostering a Healthier Relationship with Eating!

Last Reviewed: 08/2022