How to Find Pleasure With Food Despite Dietary Restrictions

What if a health condition requires that you limit or eliminate certain foods? How can you find pleasure and avoid fear if eating your favorite foods can truly make you ill?

It may be as simple as finding substitutes that are enjoyable in themselves. “Nowadays, there are a lot of good options for people who need to avoid gluten, for example,” says integrative psychiatrist Henry Emmons, MD. “Many things still taste good, have the right kind of texture, and bring back at least some of that sense of pleasure.”

“If we think about seeking the pleasure of feeling well in our body — and [food] restriction is a requirement to care for our unique body — then we shift the focus from what we’re eliminating or limiting to what we get to invite in. We make space for something new. And perhaps that can be pleasurable.”

But finding a deeper, more satisfying pleasure in food again may require some curiosity and creativity, adds functional nutritionist Jesse Haas, MS, CNS, LN. “If we think about seeking the pleasure of feeling well in our body — and [food] restriction is a requirement to care for our unique body — then we shift the focus from what we’re eliminating or limiting to what we get to invite in. We make space for something new. And perhaps that can be pleasurable.”

This takes some mindset work for many. “Sometimes we need to rethink what breakfast is if we’re not having toast anymore,” says Haas. “Could soup be for breakfast? Could stir-fry be for breakfast? The sky’s the limit — what sounds fun?”

Kathie Swift, MS, RDN, LDN, a nutritionist who often works with people whose health conditions require food restrictions, says many balk at the idea of pleasure in eating — they associate it with all the foods they can no longer have. “So, I’ll bring in the theme of gratitude,” she says. “Most people can relate to that. They can tune in to the connection between what they can eat and how they feel physically and emotionally,” she says.

Learn more about how taking real pleasure in food supports your health. Dive deeper into this topic in the article “What Is Vitamin P?”, from which this excerpt was taken.