Nutrition is hard enough as a spoonie, without all the misinformation online. From diet culture myths to needing to eat “perfectly”, nutrition misinformation is everywhere. I exposed some truths in my Instagram reel about fatigue and food. I want to make spoonie nutrition as easy as possible, so, here are 5 nutrition truths every spoonie should know.

Eating well doesn’t mean eating “perfectly”

Instagram and TikTok are constantly showing diet culture’s idea of healthy eating. So, it can be tough to know what healthy eating even means. It can lead you to think that you have to eat “perfectly” all the time. You’re probably picturing colourful fresh fruit, salads, and smoothies. But the truth is, eating well looks different for everyone, especially spoonies. This is why I don’t show my full day of eating on social media.

Yes, there are some guidelines that most should aim for. This includes eating plenty of fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes, lean protein, healthy fats and minimising foods like takeaways and sweets. But how that looks is different for everyone. Nutrition for spoonies is tough as it is, without the added pressure to try and eat “perfectly”.

Eating well is about consistency and what you do most of the time. It doesn’t mean you need to cut out all the foods you enjoy and only eat core foods. It also doesn’t mean cooking everything from scratch, there are convenience foods that are great options. There is nothing wrong with using convenience foods, especially when food prep is difficult as is.

My top spoonie nutrition tip is to make sure every meal has a source of protein, carbs, fats and colour (fruit or veg). If you have meals where this doesn’t happen, don’t beat yourself up about it. Just go back to this method when you can.

Energy levels ≠ motivation or willpower

You may have had it drilled into you by diet culture that healthy eating is just about motivation and willpower. You may even think that your energy levels and your motivation and/or willpower levels are one and the same. This isn’t the case. You can have high levels of motivation and/or willpower even with low energy levels.

For example, you may be very motivated to have a well balanced homemade meal, and do this most of the time. But, some days you may have low energy and can’t cook a meal on those days. So, you have a frozen meal instead. This doesn’t mean you’re lacking motivation, it just means you’re lacking energy.

Honouring your energy levels doesn’t negate your motivation to eat healthy.

Rest is productive, even for your digestion

It may sound a bit cheesy, but rest is productive, especially for our digestion. Being stressed can affect your body’s ability to digest. It can lead to gut symptoms such as constipation, diarrhoea, nausea or reflux.

Think about the last time you ate on the run, how did you feel? Probably not 100%, Am I right? Or, when you were highly stressed, such as exams or when work and/or life was really busy. You probably had more gut symptoms or a nervous tummy maybe?

I know, this happens to me, whenever, I’m stressed, my gut symptoms worsen. So, my tip is to rest as needed and make sure to include some selfcare into your day. Because if you don’t choose to rest, your body will force you to, and it won’t matter if it’s convenient or not.

Nutrition needs can change during flares

Your nutrition needs can change during a flare-up. You may need more or less food, or you may need a different type of food. That’s okay, when your body is in a flare, it’s working so much harder just to survive. You and your body are dealing with so much, whether that be pain, fatigue, nausea or dizziness. So, if you need to change how you eat to get through it, that’s more than okay. Listen to your body, show it some compassion and do what you need to. Your healthy balanced diet will still be there when you’re out of your flare and back to your baseline.

Diet culture makes it harder to trust your body

Diet culture has made it so hard to trust your body. With the constant messages of “eat this way, not that way”, “this is normal, this isn’t”, “you should look this way”, etc. You may have been ignoring your body’s cues and messages for a long time, making it hard to trust it. Especially, when you add being unwell on top of it. Diet culture and illness may make you think you can’t trust your body.

But, the truth is, diet culture doesn’t know what’s best for you. Your body is a great guide for telling you when and what to eat. I know it’s tough, especially if like me you’ve also always been bigger than diet culture’s ideals. I’ve had moments where I thought my stomach might have been an endless black hole that would never be full. I promise you, that’s not the case, your body will tell you when it’s full. But you need to relearn to listen to it’s cues, rather than ignoring them and rebuild that trust. Even on the harder days.

Nutrition misinformation is everywhere online. When you’re a spoonie and have been dismissed by health practitioners, you might seek out other forms of help and advice online. I get it, I’ve been there. But, the influencers and Doctor Google don’t know you and your story. Nutrition is individual and it should nourish you, not punish you. It should be easy, it shouldn’t take over your thoughts or your life.

If you would like some help finding what works for you, my 1:1 consults are designed with spoonies in mind, learn more here.

🩷Emma