Do you consider food to be your enemy or a waste of time? Are you tired of struggling with body image, yo-yo dieting, and food hate? Do you desperately want to embrace intuitive eating, but are too afraid of leaving behind the safety of an eating disorder? Listen now for a breakdown of how to confront these common food peace dilemmas. Subscribe and leave a review here in just seconds. Episode's Key Points: Anita Johnson joins to talk recovery! We live in a world of PARADOX... it's about food, but it's also not about food at the same time!! So how are our food issues not about food? This struggle is a messenger to let us know that there are other issues going on in our lives... what other hungers are we starving for?? What is the symbolic nature of our food struggle? If we struggle with food restriction, it's important to look at other areas in our lives where we are restricting. If we struggle with binge eating, it's important to ask where else we feel scarcity in our lives. How do we create a peace-keeping force in our lives? We explore compassionate curiosity, rather than judgment. The foundation to food peace is compassionate curiosity!! How do we discern our symbolic hungers?? First we need to change our patterns in our lives... then we can tackle the patterns in our relationship with food. So how do we crack the code on our food behaviors?? Sugary foods usually indicate that we are needing sweetness in our lives, either from ourselves or others. Salty and crunchy foods generally indicate repressed anger and frustration. Warm foods mean we are yearning for emotional warmth. Spicy foods are often connected to a desire or fear of excited, stimulation, or change. Chocolate is all about sex, romance, and sexuality. So what next? After we explore our metaphorical relationship with food, how do we reconcile that information with our everyday lives? We're the experts of our bodies!! We're the only ones that really can understand what the food metaphors mean. Show Notes: Link to subscribe to the weekly FREE Food Peace Newsletter. It is sent out every Tuesday morning and no spam EVER. By signing up, I will also send you Love Food's Season 1's Food Peace Syllabus. Food & Metaphors Free Gift ---> This week's Food Syllabus addition #1 Light of the Moon Cafe ---> This week's Food Syllabus addition #2 Eating in the Light of the Moon by Anita Johnson ---> This week's Food Syllabus addition #3 Anita's email and counseling info Eating Disorder Dietitians Julie Dillon RD blog Do you have a complicated relationship with food? I want to help! Send your Dear Food letter to LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com.  Click here to leave me a review in iTunes and subscribe. This type of kindness helps the show continue! Thank you for listening to the Love, Food series.