For the Love of Food
Food - we love it, we hate it, we crave it. From the gooiest chocolate fudge brownies to sinking your teeth into the cheesiest tuscan flatbread, our palate for feel-good food is limitless. But, does it always make us feel good? Many times, the answer is no. Women in particular have a complicated relationship with food, and most often, our link to food has to do with our emotional state. Depending on the person, if we just got dumped, some of us are binge-eating Ben & Jerry’s, some of us are too nauseous to even keep a cracker down. If we just got a promotion, some of us are headed for the pub down the street for all-you-can-eat wings and beer, while others celebrate with a healthy home-cooked meal.
Whatever your taste, food is many times an expression of how we feel. If we’re binge-eating everything in our fridge, we may not be feeling our best. On the other hand, if we aren’t eating, we may not be feeling so hot either. But, what about the in-between? What type of eaters are there? We're here to dive into some of the most common food personalities of women.
#1: The Foodie
This type of woman loves food - like, it is one of (if not the most) important relationship in her life. She probably has a food blog, posts her meals on her social media, and spends her days watching Cupcake Wars and digging through Pinterest for her next have-to-try recipe. This type of eater also tends to be on the more emotional side and might indulge in excess food in attempts to help her feel better emotionally.
#2: The Picky One
This type of woman is extremely selective with her food. She can NOT have her food touching, anything with peas, onions, or fish is outlawed, and she’d honestly just rather Kraft mac-and-cheese than the homemade meal you spent 4 hours slaving over. She may like to have more control than others and uses her two food groups as her comfort food at all times.
#3: The Health Guru
We all know a health nut. This type of eater probably tracks her calories, only buys organic produce, drinks a Kale smoothie to start her day, and cringes at the thought of sugar or processed foods. She also probably reads up on how food affects your mind, and uses food as a source of sustainability and self care.
#4 The One Living-On-a-Budget
This type of eater is probably in college or freshly out on her own. She lives off of ramen, hot cheetos, and bananas from the dining hall - and probably, White Claws. She rides the sugar highs and lows and her body is begging for a vegetable.
#5 The Garbage Disposal
This woman eats literally anything - you name it, she loves it. She’s probably traveled around the world and tried exoitic cuisine like aligator and frog legs. She’s equally as happy with a bowl of cereal or beef bourguignon - a palate that is sure to please. This type of eater is probably easy going and laid back, using food as both comfort and nourishment.
Whatever type of eater you are, one thing remains true - food is our fuel, and what we put in our bodies matters. To get scientific, the food we eat literally affects the dopamine and serotonin in our bodies, thus affecting our mood. Many women think, “okay I need to eat healthy”, and try to stick to such a strict diet, which only sets them up for failure and binge-eating later on.
The key, as many of you probably already know, is to have a balance. Eat the organic veggies, and also allow yourself a homemade chocolate chip cookie after dinner. Food doesn’t have to be our enemy - and, anyone that has perfected the chocolate chip cookie knows, it can actually be your saving grace.