I have always had a love-hate relationship with food. And if you do too, you are not alone. You love to eat but hate how some foods make you feel. So you want to be healthy, but you also want to enjoy your meals. And if you have had a history of trauma as I have, you may have struggled with yo-yo’ing, as I have, as trauma can cause one to have a poor relationship with food.

However, if you want to fix that, not because of giving into any diet culture or wanting to be thin (I stopped caring about being skinny because I am not built to be light, but I do want a better and healthier relationship with food), here is a tarot spread that can give you insight on how to develop healthy eating by you gaining understanding onto why you struggle with food so much.

Tarot Spread On Why You Struggle With Food

Tarot is excellent for so many reasons. First, you can gain so much insight into why you do things the way you do, such as why you struggle to have a good relationship with food. You may realize that you struggle with it and can always link it to past trauma. However, there is a lot of insight that you could gain otherwise, and you may not know the exact causes. Here is a tarot spread that you may find helpful.

Card 1 – Represents your overall eating habits.
Card 2 – How you feel when you eat emotionally consciously.
Card 3 – How you feel when you eat emotionally subconsciously.
Card 4 – What are the obstacles to having a good relationship with food.
Card 5 – What you need to be mindful of when you eat.
Card 6 – How you can improve your relationship with food.

You can do this spread on the days you are struggling. Always remember that developing healthy eating habits is a process that takes time and effort, but it is possible. You can develop healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime by making small changes to how you think about and approach food. Here are some tips to keep in mind when eating.

Make Sure You’re Eating For The Right Reasons

Many people eat for reasons other than hunger, such as boredom, stress, or sadness. If you’re not hungry, find something else to do instead of eating, such as reading, taking a walk, or talking to a friend. Or journal about what is upsetting you. I seem to have been able to do this, but I still struggle because even though I don’t stress eating as much as I used to, my portion sizes are still too large, and I look forward to my meals a little too much.

Be Mindful Of What You’re Eating

Mindful eating means being present and aware of what you’re eating, savoring the flavors and textures of your food, and chewing slowly. When aware of what you’re eating, you’re more likely to feel satisfied with less food. I need to take this advice for myself. Because, as I said, my portions are too big often.

Don’t Deprive Yourself Of The Foods You Love

If you try to deny yourself all the foods you love, you’re more likely to end up overeating or binging later. So instead, allow yourself to indulge in moderation and focus on making healthy choices most of the time. That is why I eat what I want on Saturdays, and the last time I lost a lot of weight, I did that, and it worked. It’s my subconscious mind which is why I yo-yo a lot.

Eat Regular Meals

Skipping meals can lead to overeating later on. But on the other hand, eating regular meals helps control hunger and maintain energy levels throughout the day. That is true as I know that from experience.

Make Healthy Choices

When you’re grocery shopping, choose healthy foods that you enjoy eating. When you’re cooking, experiment with healthy recipes. And when you’re eating out, look for healthy options on the menu. However, when I choose to eat what I want on Saturdays, I choose what I want as I did the last time I lost a lot of weight too. So once a week is good.

Be Active

Physical activity is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. Find ways to be active that you enjoy, such as taking a walk, playing sports, or dancing. I admit this is also where I struggle because I’m not too fond of exercise but finding time to do some brisk walking is what I need to do.

Manage Your Stress Levels

Stress can lead to unhealthy behaviors, such as emotional eating. Instead, find healthy ways to manage stress, such as exercise, relaxation techniques, or talking to a friend. I know this too well, and trauma can cause you to stress eat because the food will never hurt you.

When I struggled as a special needs mom a while back, I stress ate all of the time, which is why I was morbidly obese in addition to the cortisol build-up. It is no wonder after he left, I was in the mindset to no more prolonged stress, eat and lose a lot of weight, but the pandemic was why I gained it back. Facing my demons during those lockdowns is what did it.

Seek Professional Help

If you’re having trouble developing healthy eating habits, seek help from a registered dietitian or other health professional. They can give you personalized advice and support to help you reach your goals. It is also essential that you talk to a therapist you like and trust, and if you cannot afford one, other options such as 7cups.com can be helpful.

Try using the tarot spread for why you struggle with food and emotional eating, and once you do that more, you will gain insight into why you have food struggles.

If you want to learn about how tarot and mental health tie together, here is my newsletter that you will want to subscribe to see as tarot can give the insight you need for mental health. I will send you more information about how this excellent practice can be helpful. You will also get access to my free tarot course, which you will enjoy.