5 Buddhist Principles to Help You Feel Normal Around Food Again by Kari Dahlgren
Many of us are familiar with food obsession — it’s the phenomenon of thinking about food 24/7 and a looming anxiety over breaking any “food rules.” With many of us grappling with feeling out of control around food, we might not even know what it means to feel “normal.”
In my opinion, “normal eating” is the way a small child relates to food by eating only when hungry, stopping when full, and moving on completely once they leave the dining table. In an era where almost everyone is on a diet or restraining their eating in some way, relaxed eating has left the building. We can get back there, though, with a psycho-spiritual approach.
Instead of focusing on food to ease our obsessions over it, let’s shift our focus inward — towards a path of personal and spiritual growth. Buddhism guides us beautifully in this, teaching us to make peace with food by focusing not on the food itself but on cultivating inner peace and emotional resilience.
Below, we'll explore five Buddhist principles and delve into how each one contributes to finding peace with food.
1. Mindfulness (Sati)
In Buddhism, mindfulness is the practice of being fully present and aware of one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions. Of course, this naturally relates to mindful eating, which requires being fully present and undistracted while enjoying your meals. A review study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that eating attentively helps regulate food intake and reduces the likelihood of overeating.
2. Equanimity (Upekkha)
Equanimity refers to maintaining a calm and balanced mind regardless of external circumstances. The Buddhist principle of Upekkha, which is akin to being the eye of the storm, can help promote stability in the face of cravings or emotional distress, enabling choices that align with long-term well-being rather than immediate impulses.
Of course, Upekkha isn’t created overnight. Just like any skill, a calm and balanced mind is cultivated through practice, and meditation is the perfect tool. When meditation is practiced regularly, the emotional skill of equanimity is cultivated and “spills over” into many facets of life, including your relationship with food.
3. Non-Attachment (Anicca)
This Buddhist principle involves understanding the impermanent nature of all things, including feelings and experiences. By practicing non-attachment, we can learn to experience emotions like anxiety or loneliness without fearing that they will never end. Many people subconsciously project negative emotions into the unforeseeable future, which worsens feelings of distress and hopelessness, which can trigger emotional eating.
When negative emotions come around, we can embrace the Buddhist principle of Anicca by taking a step back and acknowledge that “this too shall pass.” Keep in mind that Anicca is not about feeling better because of the impermanence of all things, because attempting to feel better is a recipe for feeling worse. Rather, Anicca is a reminder to breathe into the present moment and acknowledge that what goes down inevitably springs back up.
4. The Middle Way (Majjhima-Patipada)
The beauty of Buddhism lies in its balanced approach to life, as illustrated by the Buddhist principle of majjhima-patipada, or “the middle way.” This principle advocates for a balanced approach to life, avoiding extremes.
In the realm of food, it’s common for dieters to swing from one end of the pendulum, “clean eating,” to the other end, “out-of-control eating.” In a frustrating feat of irony, the act of restraining food intake actually heightens the psychological allure of forbidden foods, often resulting in out-of-control eating with those very foods.
To embrace the Buddhist principle of “the middle way,” experiment with a more balanced approach to eating by ditching rigid rules in favor of intuition. This can help encourage a sustainable path that doesn’t swing between restrictive eating and overeating.
5. Loving-Kindness & Compassion (Metta)
Practicing self-compassion is essential for those grappling with self-judgment around eating behaviors and body image. Often, self-criticism becomes a habitual response for yo-yo dieters. Each diet "failure" met with self-criticism often leads to more dieting, perpetuating a cycle of negative self-talk.
Fortunately, just as self-criticism is learned, it can also be unlearned. Abandoning dieting can act as a catalyst for spiritual growth by removing the fuel for the inner critic. This shift helps embrace the Buddhist principle of Metta, or loving-kindness and compassion, providing much-needed relief from the exhausting cycle of yo-yo dieting.
As we navigate the teachings of these five Buddhist principles, I hope they illuminate the path towards a tranquil and balanced relationship with food. My deepest wish for you is to find relief from the pressures of diet culture and rediscover the joy of eating as nature intended — free from obsession and filled with satisfaction. May you be well and feel normal around food again.
Kari Dahlgren is an eating psychology coach who specializes in curbing compulsive eating by integrating psychological insights with spiritual principles. Her free ebook, The Spiritual Seeker’s Guide to Stop Binge Eating, is the perfect next step for anyone that wants to explore a psycho-spiritual approach to making peace with food.