Tag: of a sort

Having to remind myself of similar a lot for a while now, tbqh.

Affording food is thankfully not the problem these days. But, there are other ways to get hung up down the Hierarchy of Food Needs.

“Reliable, ongoing access” can get tricky thanks to a variety of disability stuff. And dealing with a condition which causes high energy needs–along with a lot of the kind of “chemical hunger” she talks about here–can also really complicate things.

(I’m sure I’ve talked about that some before, though the whole situation has gotten harder to deal with over time.)

So yeah, I get frustrated a lot at not being able to maintain as balanced a diet as I would like. And especially fight feeling guilty with needing to get energy needs met first bashing up against the ED stuff.

From that post looking at Hierarchy of Food Needs:

The idea is that, before we worry about nutrition (i.e., “instrumental food”) we’ve first got to HAVE food. Enough of it. Consistently. And it’s got to be acceptable to us (which, for some people, might mean not coming from the garbage, or meeting certain standards of preparation) and it’s got to taste reasonably good. A little variety is nice, too.

These are not silly little preferences that can be brushed off lightly — even “tasting good,” which seems to always be the first thing thrown out the window when someone decides to change their diet For Health Reasons.

A good reminder that these are, indeed, legitimate fundamental needs. No matter what may be complicating getting them met adequately and consistently. (ETA: Though, of course, also being poor can complicate pretty much all the others, exponentially.)

That also applies if the access problems are coming from disability. And, indeed, even if part/all of the problem is related to a condition where disordered eating behavior gets actively encouraged For Health Reasons. (Really not kidding.)

All of it doesn’t just apply to other people, either 😵