Bust a Myth Around Food: “Healthy Eating Looks the Same for Everyone”
Healthy eating is often presented as though there is one ideal plate and one set of rules that everybody should follow. Real life is much more individual.
Our nutritional needs and our ability to eat are influenced by our bodies, brains, health, culture, finances, access to food, sensory processing, allergies and intolerances, appetite, mental health and everyday circumstances.
For somebody with ARFID or sensory eating difficulties, a plate that looks 'healthy' to somebody else may be completely unmanageable. Safe foods can be essential nourishment. Convenience, frozen, tinned and packaged foods can also play a valuable role, particularly when cooking, planning, sensory demands or executive functioning make eating harder.
Rather than judging food by whether it matches an ideal image, it can be more useful to consider whether the person is eating enough, whether their nutritional needs are being supported, whether eating feels manageable and whether any changes are realistic and safe.
Message from Maggie
I want people to feel supported around food, not measured against somebody else's plate. Different does not mean wrong. Sometimes nourishment begins with what is manageable today, and we build from there with kindness, curiosity and the right support.
Space to Breathe Therapy
