In any given day, one person has to make hundreds, if not thousands, of food choices. Food is everywhere. It is literally what we need to live and thrive and with most people sitting down to eat something at least three times (often times more), it’s no wonder that food can be a major source of anxiety.


Eating should be a pleasant experience. One that brings you joy, nurtures your body, and leaves you feeling satisfied rather than stressed or guilty.

Reasons why you might feel anxious around food could include:

  • Always wondering where your next meal is coming from.
  • Worrying that what you are eating is not healthy enough.
  • Worrying that what you are eating is too healthy.
  • Concern that you will be judged for what you eat (positive or negative).
  • Trying to impress someone else.
  • Anticipation of how you will feel after you eat.
  • Preparation for the guilt you will feel after you eat.
  • Calculating what your food means for your previous, or next gym session.
  • Fear that you will not being able to stop eating once you start.

Regardless of the reason you feel anxious around food, there is a process you can use to start to dissipate that anxiety.

1. Identify the reason you are feeling anxious. Do any of the reasons listed above resonate with you? Good! That means you know where your fears lie. If none of these sound like you, spend five quiet minutes really thinking about what your reason could be.

2. Get to the root of the cause. Now that you have identified your reason for feeling anxious around food, you need to go a step further and determine the root of that reason. Basically, why do you feel this way? Why is this something you need to worry about?

For example, if my reason for feeling anxious from step one is I’m afraid I will not be able to stop eating once I start, my root causes could be: 

  • I have landed myself in some scary situations with binge eating in the past.
  • It is just what I expect out of myself whenever I eat if I am feeling tired, lonely, bored, or depressed.
  • I do not think I can control myself with this, or any other aspect of my life.
  • It is easier to eat all of it than to limit food.

3. Analyze your root causes to see if they are true. I am going to challenge you here. For each of the root causes you listed for your reason to feel anxious around food, I want you to really analyze them and see if they are true. You are going to need to be extremely honest with yourself here and lean into the fear and realizations you will come to as you evaluate your thoughts and habits. 

  • I have landed myself in some scary situations with binge eating in the past.
    • Yes, I have. I ate until I was sick, scared, and bloated for days.
  • It is just what I expect out of myself whenever I eat if I am feeling tired, lonely, bored, or depressed.
    • It is not what I expect, it is just what tends to happen.
  • I do not think I can control myself with this, or any other aspect of my life.
    • Not true. It is an area of my life that is difficult to control, but that doesn’t mean I can’t. It also does not mean that the rest of my life is a failure. Look at my great job, loving family, and happy children.
  • It is easier to eat all of it than to limit food.
    • True. But it is not easier to feel like crap after a binge.

4. Create a positive action plan for each item. While you may be dealing with some demons here, putting an action plan in place that you will actually commit to and follow will help you battle them. No matter what, the steps to your action plan need to all be positive. 

  • I have landed myself in some scary situations with binge eating in the past.
    • Yes, I have. I ate until I was sick, scared, and bloated for days.
      • I will journal about these past experiences to remind myself of how they started, how it felt, and what I wished I had done differently.
  • It is just what I expect out of myself whenever I eat if I am feeling tired, lonely, bored, or depressed.
    • It is not what I expect, it is just what tends to happen.
      • I will check in with my feelings – tired, lonely, bored, depressed – and my hunger level before I reach for food. If I am one of those four things, I will do one of the following: call a friend, go for a walk, do a project I love, look at cute baby memes.
  • I do not think I can control myself with this, or any other aspect of my life.
    • Not true. It is an area of my life that is difficult to control, but that doesn’t mean I can’t. It also does not mean that the rest of my life is a failure. Look at my great job, loving family, and happy children.
      • I will take the necessary steps to solve this issue. For instance: plate my food, keep my trigger foods out of the house, remind myself it will still be there tomorrow, etc.
  • It is easier to eat all of it than to limit food.
    • True. But it is not easier to feel like crap after a binge.
      • I will journal how I feel after I have binged and after I have eaten a regular portion.

5. Put a simple and positive word or phrase to each action plan. When you start to feel anxious when it comes to food, repeat this word or phrase to yourself. Not only will it serve as a reminder of your action plan, but it help keep you feeling positive around food. In the beginning, you should have your word or phrase easily accessible – usually somewhere on your phone – so you can look at it quickly.

  • I have landed myself in some scary situations with binge eating in the past.
    • Yes, I have. I ate until I was sick, scared, and bloated for days.
      • I will journal about these past experiences to remind myself of how they started, how it felt, and what I wished I had done differently.
        • Journal Release
  • It is just what I expect out of myself whenever I eat if I am feeling tired, lonely, bored, or depressed.
    • It is not what I expect, it is just what tends to happen.
      • I will check in with my feelings – tired, lonely, bored, depressed – and my hunger level before I reach for food. If I am one of those four things, I will do one of the following: call a friend, go for a walk, do a project I love, look at cute baby memes.
        • Positive Emotions
  • I do not think I can control myself with this, or any other aspect of my life.
    • Not true. It is an area of my life that is difficult to control, but that doesn’t mean I can’t. It also does not mean that the rest of my life is a failure. Look at my great job, loving family, and happy children.
      • I will take the necessary steps to solve this issue. For instance: plate my food, keep my trigger foods out of the house, remind myself it will still be there tomorrow, etc.
        • Awareness
  • It is easier to eat all of it than to limit food.
    • True. But it is not easier to feel like crap after a binge.
      • I will journal how I feel after I have binged and after I have eaten a regular portion.
        • Journal Release

6. Now put your action plan into action! It’s not enough to just tell yourself what you are going to do to change your anxieties and habits. You actually have to do it! If you have to write specific actions out on a calendar, do it. If you have to spend a few minutes each week planning your week, do it. If you have to enlist support, do it. If you have to hire a Health Coach, do it! 

If you feel anxious around food for more than one reason, I want you to go through these steps for each reason individually. It will take practice and reminding yourself to think of the positive and take action before your anxiety dissipates, or completely goes away, but over time, you will notice that situations involving food are no longer a source of stress.

If you would like to really dig into your food anxieties and the ways you can start to alter them, I would love to help you. You can learn more about Health Coaching services here, or email me at wreckingroutine@gmail.com and we will schedule a free consultation phone call.

RQ: What is the number one reason you get anxious around food?

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