Marin Voice: Pursuing balanced relationships with food, our bodies, our health

There are many things I like about living in Marin. The natural beauty is second to none. Looking out over my balcony, I have wonderful views of Mount Tamalpais. I often watch deer and turkeys running around in the wooded area behind my apartment.

But in my line of work as a clinical psychologist specializing in eating disorders, I have noticed a concerning trend about this place we call home. In Marin County, there is a huge emphasis on health, exercise and caring about the food that goes in our bodies. People around here generally seek to eat healthy and to live active lifestyles. All of these are not necessarily bad things to pursue.

The problem comes when those goals and lifestyles get rigid: When certain diets become too restrictive; when “lifestyle changes” prevent you from living your life and having a balanced, flexible relationship with food. It happens when the pursuit of wellness looks a certain way rather than focusing on how we internally feel in our bodies.

I call it “being healthy, as long as healthy looks thin.” People go to dangerous lengths to try to conform their bodies to an ideal that may not be best for them. If health has a look, and one’s body naturally does not fit that look, sometimes people will go to extreme ends. These are the places where the problems can often creep in.

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