The Only Approach to Less Cravings and a Healthy Relationship with Food

Why Adding In, Not Stripping Out, is the Key

When it comes to changing eating habits, most advice starts with a long list of things to cut out: sugar, carbs, ultra processed foods, or even entire food groups. While this might seem like a quick way to "fix" your eating patterns, it often leads to feelings of deprivation, and—ironically—more cravings.

But what if the secret to transforming your relationship with food isn't about taking away, but about adding in?

Why Adding In Works

1. Nourishment Over Restriction
   Restrictive diets leave your body undernourished and craving nutrients and energy. By focusing on adding nutrient-dense foods—like colourful vegetables, whole grains, or protein-rich options—you naturally support your body’s needs, making cravings less intense.

2. Support for Your Gut Microbiome
   A diverse range of foods, particularly plant-based options, feeds your gut microbiome—the trillions of microbes in your digestive system. You might be surprised to know that these minute but influential microbes play a critical role in your cravings and food choices as well as supporting your overall health.

3. A Mindset of Abundance
   When we approach food with a mindset of abundance rather than scarcity, it helps to shift “all-or-nothing” thinking and resulting behaviours . Adding in nourishing choices empowers you to see food as supportive rather than something to fear or control.

4. Crowding Out, Naturally
   Adding in means there's simply less room for less nourishing options. For example, starting your day with a satisfying breakfast of oats, berries, and nuts will help stabilise blood glucose, keep you satiated, and reduce the likelihood of reaching for quick fixes later.

Practical Ways to Add In Food

1. Enhance Every Meal
   Look at what you're already eating and ask, What could I add to make this more balanced? Could you toss some spinach into your pasta, add beans to your soup, or include a piece of fruit with your snack?

2. Prioritise Core Stabilising Meals
   Building your meals around a balance of protein, healthy fats, and slow-releasing carbohydrates can stabilise your energy and mood throughout the day.

3. Explore Variety
   Experimenting with new foods keeps meals exciting and ensures you're getting a range of nutrients. Why not try a new grain like quinoa or a colourful vegetable you haven't cooked with before?

4. Snack Smarter
   Instead of focusing on cutting out snacks, think about how to make them more satisfying. Add hummus to your crackers, pair apple slices with nut butter, or mix seeds into your yogurt.

The Emotional & Physiological Shift

Beyond the physical benefits, focusing on adding rather than restricting can help heal your relationship with food. It allows you to honour your hunger, tune into your body’s needs, and approach eating with curiosity and compassion rather than guilt or shame.

If you’d like to dive deeper into how to apply this approach in everyday life, I explore this concept in much more detail in my upcoming book, The Binge Freedom Method™. From actionable steps to tools, strategies and recipe ideas, the book is designed to guide you toward a more balanced and happy relationship with food.

By embracing this "add-in" philosophy, you're setting the foundation for long-term, sustainable change—not just for your eating habits, but for how you feel about food and your body.

Support Your journey…

If the new year feels like a minefield of food guilt and diet culture pressures, you don’t have to navigate them alone. Here are some resources to support your journey toward food freedom:

1.      Breaking the Cycle Starter Kit: This free resource is designed to help you take the first steps toward food freedom. Inside, you’ll find actionable strategies to begin shifting your mindset, manage cravings, and stop the binge-restrict cycle in its tracks.

Download it HERE ******

2.      Join the Food Freedom Collective: This FREE supportive Facebook community is a safe space where you can feel safe with others who understand what you’re going through. I am in the group to answer your questions and support you every step of the way.

JOIN HERE*****

3.      The Binge Freedom Method™: My best selling book offers practical tools and insights to help you break free from the cycle of restriction and binge and emotional eating. With strategies grounded in science, eating psychology, and nutritional wisdom, you’ll learn how to create a sustainable, guilt-free relationship with food.

Find out more HERE