Dialectical Thinking in Food, Nutrition & Wellness

The most mentally well people are those that have a flexible mindset.  In my years as a dietitian and now therapist, I continue to see examples of how this plays out in our clients here at Lemond Nutrition and Flourish Counseling Center. 

When we experience fear and stress in our lives, we tend to go to a black or white mindset.  Neurologically, we are in the amygdala area of our brain.  We routinely see this play out in all of the current controversial, emotionally driven topics online like politics and religion.  If you do not share the same point of view as someone on a specific topic, they are invalid in what they have to say, and you may instinctively think  “I am right, and they are wrong.”  Particularly when we are in a stressed state, having a very clear answer of what is right or wrong in our minds helps us feel safer in the moment.  But this can come at the cost of increasing our stress levels when we are persisting in a state that is focused on the need to counter others’ points of view.

The Mental Flexibility of Dialectical Thinking

The more we live, learn and grow, we can create new neural pathways that allow us to have more nuanced thinking.  Enter dialectical thinking, which is the understanding that two opposing things can be true.  A few examples include:

·      You can be mad at somebody AND also love and respect that person.

·      You can disagree with the rules AND also follow the rules.

·      You can be tough AND gentle. 

When we are in a calmed state, we can activate the prefrontal cortex of the brain that allows for more critical thinking and decision making, which can override the tendency to default into black and white thinking.

The same is true in the field of food, nutrition and wellness.  I have worked in a clinical pediatric setting, a corporate office setting, in nutrition media and for many years in an outpatient setting.  I started as a dietitian that was clinically trained to help people “lose weight” for health; then 10 years ago, I began working with eating disorder patients and learned about how much harm can be done when we look at people only from the physical.  I observed how often our well-meaning health profession falls into black and white camps on the topics of health, and I have come to realize that optimal wellness is individualized; it’s physical, mental and spiritual. 

The best way to approach our health is by finding the balance between the physical, mental and spiritual while continually learning and growing from those you agree with and those you disagree with. Learning to listen to opposing points of view without either agreeing or disagreeing  can help us eliminate points of stress when it removes the reaction to be confrontational and replaces it with a peace that comes from seeking understanding. This understanding does not have to convey approval or disapproval, but merely an understanding that sometimes its differences add flavor to the world around us.  Dialectical thinking is something we should all strive better at activating for the health of those we help.

When it comes to food and nutrition, here are a few examples I came up with: 

All or Nothing: “If you really care about your health, you will make the changes necessary.”
Dialectical Thinking: You can desire to improve your health and struggle to make changes.

All or Nothing : “Sugar is toxic for the body.”
Dialectical Thinking: Sugar provides flavor, energy and in excess, can cause bodily imbalances that can have negative health effects.

All or Nothing: “For optimal health, eat a plant-based diet.”
Dialectical Thinking: Eating a high plant-based diet promotes health and can also harm health (eating disorders, IBS, food allergies).

All or Nothing : “Water, water and more water for good health!”
Dialectical Thinking: Water is the gold standard drink for the body and drinking too much can kill you.

All or Nothing: “Eat to live, don’t live to eat.”
Dialectical Thinking: Eating provides health, satisfaction and pleasure. 

All or Nothing: “Food tracking is always helpful in helping people change their eating patterns.”Dialectical Thinking: Food tracking can be helpful for some and it can cause others to trust their bodies less.

What others can you come up with?  I’d love to hear from you.

At Lemond Nutrition, we can help you navigate the nuances of your own health.  We support people of all ages and most health issues.  Our coverage expands across 20 states and many times our services are 100% covered under insurance plans.  Give us a call at 888-422-8070 if you would like some individualized help.