Introduction
Do you know if you have a healthy relationship with food?
Are you unsure if you have the right mindset around healthy eating? Take this food freedom quiz today to evaluate your relationship with food.
After you take the quiz, you’ll have a better understanding of your relationship with food, and I’ll give you ideas on how you can make your relationship with food even stronger.
Life is way too short to stress about food and how your body looks – start improving your relationship today!
What is Food Freedom?
There is no formal definition for food freedom, however, it’s a phrase used to describe a healthy relationship with food.
Having food freedom means you give yourself permission to eat whatever you want, while also paying attention to your hunger cues and how the food makes you feel (energized, satisfied, etc).
If you are familiar with terms like: food rules, strict diets, off-limit foods, or cheat days/meals (the list goes on…), then think of food freedom as meaning the complete opposite.
To have food freedom means you don’t stress TOO much over what you eat… you are confident about your
food choices and how they impact your health and well-being.
If this does or doesn’t sound like you, take the food freedom quiz to get a better idea of where your relationship with food falls.
How does the quiz work?
The quiz is very simple. It will ask you 10 true or false questions.
If you are in between an answer, rephrase the question with a “most of the time,” which should help you better determine your answer.
Be sure to keep track of the number of questions you answer with “true”.
Remember that there are no right or wrong answers.
No material in this article is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is best to seek personalized help from a registered dietitian or other qualified healthcare provider.
This quiz is not intended to make you feel bad, either. The food freedom quiz is simply meant to be one tool (of many) to help you evaluate and/or check in with your relationship with food.
You should be proud of yourself for finding your way here and trying to better yourself in a healthy way.
Take the Food Freedom Quiz
True or false:
- Eating certain foods can make me feel guilty, anxious, or nervous
- I have rules about what I should eat
- I avoid having certain foods in my home (because they are unhealthy and/or too tempting)
- I can change the way my body looks with exercise and eating the right foods
- I only eat when I feel hungry
- My eating habits change depending on who will see me eating
- I wish I could eat whatever I wanted
- Overeating is okay, as long as I make up for it later (with exercise, eating healthier, etc.)
- I trick my body from feeling less hungry (by drinking calorie-free beverages, chewing gum, eating ice, etc.)
- Healthy eating just takes discipline
Interpreting Your Food Freedom Quiz Results
If you answered “true” to 0-2 questions:
Chances are you are on the right track to achieving a healthy relationship with food. Whether you’ve been on this healing journey for a while, or this is your introduction to Food Freedom, keep up the good work.
From here, you can reflect on the questions you answered “true” to and the questions you had to think about for a while… Think about those and see if you can go deeper into the root cause of your thoughts/behaviors. Check out the Next Steps section below for even more ideas and resources.
If you answered “true” to 3-5 questions:
Seems like you are on the right track to food freedom but still may have some work to do. For the questions/statements that you felt were false, celebrate those! You are closer to food freedom than you realize.
For the ones that were true, take time to reflect on how it impacts your relationship with food and what the root cause is. Check out the Next Steps section below for even more ideas and resources.
If you answered “true” to 6 or more questions:
If you answered true to 6 or more questions, you may want to take a deeper look into your relationship with food. Are you dieting? Trying to lose weight? How much time and energy have you spent trying to change your body over the years? Are you sure you’ll be happier at a smaller size? Why?
It’s time to start questioning your beliefs about food, weight loss, and health. For the questions/statements that were false for you, make sure to celebrate those and hold onto them.
If you are unsure of where to start healing your relationship with food, be sure to check out the Next Steps section below.
An Important Note to All
The most important thing you can do for your health is prioritize a healthy relationship with food and with your body.
It’s okay to want to change your body or have certain health goals, but the truth is that you may never be able to reach (or maintain) your health goals if you don’t have a healthy relationship with food.
A healthy relationship with food comes first, then your health goals.
The more work you do to achieve food freedom, the more you may realize that chronic dieting/food rules/strict eating is not sustainable.
It’s extremely important to note that it’s not your fault if you believe(d) clean eating/strict food rules and small bodies is the only way to be healthy – diet culture is to blame for that narrative.
Today is the day to start rejecting diet culture and start healing your relationship with food.
Next Steps
- Make note of the questions/statements that were false for you and celebrate those. Those beliefs keep you on track for food freedom.
- Reflect on which questions you answered “true” to and get ready to do some mental homework… ask yourself:
- Where did those beliefs come from?
- Where do the beliefs continue to show up?
- How do they impact your relationship with food? Your relationship with your body? With friends and family?
- Continue learning about food freedom and related ideas – check out:
- What it means to be food neutral
- How to respect your body with affirmations
- Challenge your beliefs on healthy eating and weight loss – check out the book Intuitive Eating described below
Is Food Freedom and Intuitive Eating the same?
There are a lot of similarities between food freedom and Intuitive Eating. As I mentioned, food freedom does not have a formal definition.
Intuitive eating, on the other hand, is a revolutionary approach created and well-defined by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S and Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDS-S, Fiaedp, FADA, FAND. Intuitive Eating has 10 principles, all of which are focused on improving your relationship with food and with your body.
Their book, Intuitive Eating, is an excellent resource for those really serious about achieving food freedom. Their third principle, “Make Peace with Food” will give you lots of knowledge on how to achieve food freedom.
You can purchase it at most book stores or online on amazon (this is an affiliate link and by purchasing I may earn a small commission). I highly recommend the book!
Conclusion
The food freedom quiz is just one tool of many to help you evaluate how healthy your relationship with food is.
The food freedom quiz can also help you determine what areas you could work on to improve your relationship with food.
Having a healthy relationship with food is one of the most important things you can do for your health.
You may never reach (or maintain) your health goals if you don’t have a healthy relationship with food first.
Ready to learn more? Check out Food Neutrality: Everything You Need to Know