Posting Food on Social Media + No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars
I’ve been doing less recipes lately, and it’s not for lack of making or cooking or baking things. Cooking is one of my true loves -- all at once it has the power to soothe me, get me into a creative mindset, allow me to decompress after a long day, or simply bring me joy in the process.
So why less recipes?
I’ve been pretty forthcoming recently about my concerns with posting about food, and more specifically, my food. Many of the clients I work with are recovering from restrictive eating or true eating disorders, so I am hyper-aware of the potential triggering nature of food.
It’s not my goal or intention to prescribe particular ways of eating, villainize foods, or to put any foods on a pedestal. Through personal experience and clinical experience, I’ve found that doing any of that results in a disordered relationship with food and body. It’s diet culture and healthism — assuming that eating “clean” somehow makes you a better person, a more worthy person, a more capable athlete, or simply a success. But that is a load of bullshit, my friends. The food you choose to consume says nothing about who you are. The body you inhabit in this world says nothing about your worth.
My intention with recipes and food on social media is to tell you this: There is no perfect way of eating. Hell, there is no perfect way of living. And food isn’t something in your life that should cause stress. Truly, barring any real, diagnosed medical conditions, all foods can fit into your life (and honestly, there are very few things outside Celiac disease or food allergies that demand restricting any one food). There are no rules. There are no guidelines. There is no “right” or “wrong”. And I know that’s uncomfortable for many people, because it begs the question: “okay, what DO I EAT?”. Well, that requires getting back in touch with what you like, what you have access to, what you can afford, what is doable for you within the constraints of your life. And any necessary boundaries MUST be set by you and you alone. You have to hold yourself accountable to only following social media accounts that help you rather than hurt you or cause you to fall into a spiral of restrictive behavior. This is NOT an easy task. You have to prioritize your mental health, and constantly check in with yourself on how certain exposures are impacting you.
I posted a few weeks ago on this topic, and thought I’d re-share it here to the blog:
How can I talk about food in the context of enjoyment, freedom, ease, simplicity, and access? Can I achieve that while also providing sound sports nutrition advice for proper fueling? And how can I share all of that in a way that counters the “healthy eating” accounts that are steeped in diet culture and weight stigma? I want to show up here to help, to educate, to empower, to empathize. Can I do all of this without harming and/or triggering?
I don’t know the answer. I’m not sure there is a definitive and satisfactory answer.
I think that, like most things, the answer lies in the momentary nuance — the context, the tone, the caveats. Ultimately, communication is dependent on the perception of the person on the receiving end of it. Your circumstances and beliefs dictate how you internalize information.
I won’t be for everyone. I know that and I’m okay with it. But I never ever want my account to be mistaken for one that doesn’t acknowledge the potential for harm in its content. I want you to know that I’m doing my absolute best every day. As I learn, I adjust. As I adjust, I hope to do better.
But I do believe in sharing my life here. I do believe in the power of authentic connection.
So, where I’ve landed (for now) on these questions is this:
keep educating but explain the nuances
keep sharing but with the caveat that it’s only snapshots — not the entirety of my day
keep talking about hard things, but acknowledge that not everyone will be in a place to hear it
keep empowering people to make their own choices about who to follow, what boundaries to set, and how to recognize when something on social media is harming them
keep asking for feedback, staying open to kind criticism, and changing direction when needed
keep showing up authentically and in the way I know how — as me
An exercise for you in mindfulness around social media and food:
Who do you follow on social media when it comes to food?
Are you surrounding yourself with body-positive and food-freedom oriented accounts? Or can you see some restrictive characteristics in the posts and recipes?
How do you feel when you see food on IG?
Does it affect the way you think about yourself / your choices?
Does it trigger you?
Does it challenge you?
Does it help you?
My hope is that you stay true to yourself, notice fads and dogmatic views when you see them, take in information with curiosity, and apply it in your life only if it feels positive & beneficial❤️
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Now, let’s talk about this recipe.
Because food should be fun, enjoyable, and energy-giving. This is a quick and easy no-bake bar that you can customize to your liking. Mix in whatever sounds good to you! I happened to make these a few days before Christmas, so I took a peppermint spin on them.
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup oat flour (store-bought or use a blender to grind oats into a flour)
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup crispy rice cereal
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
⅓ cup honey
⅓ cup maple syrup
½ tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract (or peppermint extract, for the holiday flavor!)
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. You can also mix in chocolate chips, raisins, etc. -- whatever you like! Add in a few tablespoons of coconut oil or ghee if you used a slightly thicker peanut butter. Just base it on how the texture is once all ingredients are combined. It should be super thick but still something that almost resembles a dough. Then press firmly into an 8x8 pan. Top with peppermint bark or a favorite topping of yours. Place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes and then cut into squares or bars. ENJOY!