Grocery Shopping in Eating Disorder Recovery

Grocery Shopping in Eating Disorder Recovery

Eating disorder recovery comes with many challenging tasks while adjusting back to life after treatment. For many clients, one of the most challenging is grocery shopping. Grocery shopping is a regular part of daily life, but if you have had an eating disorder or are currently in recovery, the grocery store can often be seen as a place filled with a lot of food and a lot of anxiety; a very stressful combination.

There are a some tactics we can use to minimize the stress and hopefully, make the trip to the grocery store a better experience during recovery and for the rest of our lives.

Here are five strategies for stress-free shopping trip in eating disorder recovery:

1.     Make a list.

Often times, the majority of stress comes from not knowing what to buy, what you need, or what you want. Set aside 30 minutes prior to leaving to look through what you already have on hand and to think about what you will need in the upcoming week(s). By doing so, you can greatly diminish the pressure of figuring all of this out at the store. This will also save you time, last-minute decision making, and money.

 2.     Bring a support person.

If the grocery store feels too taxing for you even with a list in hand, bringing a supportive friend or family member could be a helpful addition. Someone who is apart of your eating disorder recovery support team can help you navigate aisles with triggering foods or help keep you calm if the store is too crowded. Sometimes these people help us get out of our disordered mindset and give us the ability to think more clearly which is a great asset.

 3.     Give grocery pick-up a try.

One of the few good things that the pandemic brought was the grocery pick-up option at most major supermarket chains. Grocery pick-up allows you to shop completely online or on the store’s app, select a pick-up time, and have it all loaded into your car. This is a great first step for those still feeling unsettled about walking through the store itself but are in charge of buying their own food. If this still feels too overwhelming, many stores deliver for a small fee and it will come straight to your door.

 4.     Try shopping at a smaller store.

Sometimes the overwhelm of options at big box grocery stores can be the source, or at least a large contributing factor, to a buyer’s stress. When you know you want cereal, but there are one hundred options of cereal to choose from, that can cause decision fatigue and make stress go up very quickly. Instead, try a smaller, local or boutique style grocery store could help with this. Instead of one hundred choices of cereal, you may have fifteen to twenty options at these smaller stores. It may take some getting used to but could be a great alternative.

 5.     Shop at quieter hours.

You may have noticed when you have taken trips to the grocery store previously that there are times it is extremely crowded and other times when it is relatively quiet. A crowded grocery store can be a big trigger for those with social anxiety and an eating disorder. Though we cannot eliminate all potential triggers of our diet-obsessed culture, there is nothing wrong with adjusting your schedule to the benefit of your recovery. One of the best ways to avoid this is by going to the store during its quieter hours. The quiet hours are before 10am or after 7pm most days.

So there you have it - five ways to potentially make grocery shopping in eating disorder recovery a little more manageable. Hopefully you found one or maybe all of these strategies helpful. If you feel that you still need some support in this area or this is still really hard for you, it is okay. Recovery is not easy, and there are many challenges required every day during this process. Recovery takes time and so will acclimating back to the grocery store. If you feel that you need additional support, we encourage you to talk to a registered dietitian that is well-versed in eating disorders. Eating disorder dietitians are licensed, trained professionals who work with people in recovery every day and would be able to assist you in this journey.

 

Contributed by Kaitlyn Tucker, MS, RDN, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at Focus Integrative Centers, Knoxville, TN

 

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