By Katherine Metzelaar, MSN, RDN, CD

You may have noticed a change in your behavior around food recently.

This may look like an increase in food consumption, sometimes leading to a binge or a feeling like you need to eat food quickly. Or, it may look like feeling anxious and noticing that you worry that there will not be enough food or constantly thinking about food while you are sheltering in-place at home.

Does this feel familiar? I thought so.

Listen, before you blame yourself for your “lack of will power,” let’s talk about why you may be noticing these changes.

Your brain, when sensing a threat, whether real or perceived, will attempt to take steps to keep you safe, which normally we want; think of a mean dog chasing you or needing to run away from someone scary. What’s interesting is that the brain will respond similarity to other threats to its safety (think stress hormones being released, heart beating fast, palms sweaty, difficulty sitting still, increased frustration, etc.)

So, what’s the threat now you ask?

**Not having enough food, or what is sometimes called “food scarcity” or “food insecurity.”**

And guess what happens when your brain picks up on the threat of food being scarce? It signals to the body that things are not safe and begins to take steps to make sure you are going to have enough food.

This can show up as an increase in bingeing behaviors, an increased frequency of thinking about food(s), restricting food(s) for fear of not having enough, eating beyond your fullness, noticing an increased pace of eating, hoarding foods, talking about foods more and reading more news about threats to food security.

In addition to this, you could also feel an increased amount of anxiety because you, your parents or your grandparents grew up with food insecurity. Thus you could be re-experiencing the threat of not having enough food again, regardless of your actual current food environment. This too can lead to an increase in bingeing behaviors, food hoarding and fears around not having enough food.

This time during COVID-19 can present new and challenging situations.

And because much of the work around creating a liberated relationship with food, and becoming an intuitive eater, is the reassurance and practice of reminding yourself that food is abundant, it becomes difficult in times where there is a threat to your food security, real or perceived.

So, what now?

For now, I want to encourage you to be gentle with yourself and remind you that whatever you are doing to cope with this pandemic is OK.

Second, I would like to offer some things to consider thinking on or taking action around:

What can I do to allow myself to feel an increased sense of food security right now? (today, this week, this month)
How can I create space in my day/week to explore my feelings of fear around food access? (ex. block and take 5 min./day to ask myself what I am feeling)
Does fact checking help me? If so, how can I do this in a supported way? (ex, limit time, ask a friend to help, etc.)

Remember that you are trying to survive and you are doing the best you can.

Be gentle with yourself as you explore and allow some space for compassion through this.

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Are you struggling in your relationship with food?

Creating a better, more intuitive relationship with food can take time and a particular curiously around the life circumstances that exacerbate dieting thoughts or eating disorder behaviors. The caring dietitians from our Seattle, WA-based nutrition counseling practice would be honored to help you heal your relationship to food. We offer a variety of services including support for eating disorders, body image, intuitive eating, Bulimia treatment, Anorexia treatment, and chronic dieting. We also offer a body image support group. For more information, please feel free to visit our blog, FAQ, resources page, or contact us now!

Eating in the Time of COVID-19 and Why it May Feel Hard Right Now