high percentage of men also suffer. In fact, according to Marc David’s Institute for the Psychology of Eating, 40 percent of binge eaters are male. “Women’s food issues spring from the


cultural pressure to prioritize their appear- ance over their wisdom, while men may turn to food to deal with career pressure,” says Harriet Morris, who hosts Te Eating Coach podcast in Shropshire, England. “I’ve found, too, that both men and women use food as a way to avoid dealing with issues around sexuality, but their needs are very distinct.” Because a man’s sense of self is much


more linked to his sexuality, food can be used to avoid dealing with aspects of male sexuality he is uncomfortable with, says Morris. “Work with my male clients is about avoiding perfectionism and opting instead for a powerful kind of ‘imperfectionism’ where strength allows for pleasure. Tis— not a Marvel superhero—is a real man.” Regardless of gender, changing perspec-


tive is key, adds Morris. “Our problem is not food. Bulimia, excess weight, IBS [irri- table bowel syndrome] and a whole host of other issues are teachers, not enemies. We have, for very good reasons, been using food as a life manager,” she says. In the end, nourishing ourselves on all


levels is what it’s all about, says Pollack. “Our relationship with food gives us the opportu- nity to examine our relationship to ourselves, our sense of worth, who we think we are, what we feel we deserve and how we show up day-to-day in this body for this beautiful life we’ve been given.” Marlaina Donato is the author of Mul-


tidimensional Aromatherapy. Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com


HELPFUL LINKS


Harriet Morris’ informative podcast, Te Eating Coach


TeShiſtInside.com/podcast


High-octane inspiration from Carly Pollack (YouTube channel)


YouTube.com/user/NutritionalWisdom Te Institute for the


Psychology of Eating PsychologyOfEating.com


January 2019 33


Advice From Our Experts


Carly Pollack: 4Create guidelines for how you intend to achieve health and happiness. Gather


tools that will help you stay focused (nightly journaling, daily visualization, keeping a food log, creating accountability with friends and family).


4Remember that our mistakes are opportunities to see more clearly what needs to be healed. We’ll make mistakes; old patterns will pop up when we least expect them to that’ll remind us that this life is a practice, not a perfect.


4Take a nightly inventory by answering three questions: What did I do today that was great regarding my relationship with food? How can I improve? What will I do tomorrow to put this improvement into action?


Harriet Morris: 4Allow for pleasure. We are wired to seek pleasure, because on an evolutionary


level, the things that helped us survive made us feel good—and food is one of them. Tere are ways to find healthy alternatives that satisfy our pleasure-seeking center without the huge price tag.


4Slow down when you eat. You will feel satisfied sooner and eat less.


4We might look at how compulsive eating is actually a misguided attempt to deal with other issues. Let’s ask, “How can we put food out of that job?”


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