Marinades and Attachment Theory - What?

gretchencostanzo
Jun 17
3 min read

What a weird title right? On my walk today I was reflecting on this time of year, we get so busy and it can be ...

tricky, tricky, tricky to eat healthy, healthy, healthy!

The answer? A few easy meals ready to go. And nothing is simpler and ready to go than meat in a marinade!

So at the end of this article you will find the link to download your free 5 marinade recipes!

And, what in the world does that have to do with attachment theory -

NOTHING, except both thoughts were running through this mind of mine! And, attachment patterns and my relationship to food have a lot to do with each other! When working with clients, we often encounter a strong tendency to choose food when I may actually be hungry for something else.

My hunger and need are legitimate.

Oftentimes in childhood, a pattern was created between our needs and food. You may have heard: "Here, sit in the highchair to get out of the way". "Oh, you're upset - here is a cookie!" and here are the top 10 most manipulative phrases you may have heard... (comment if this is you, how it felt or if you heard something else)

"Be good and you'll get a treat."
"You need to eat all of that if you want dessert."
"If you stop crying, I'll give you a candy."
"You can't have a snack until you finish your meal."
"If you eat all your vegetables, you’ll get a sweet treat."
"You can have dessert if you finish your homework."
"If you're good, I’ll give you ice cream later."
"If you eat all your dinner, I’ll let you watch TV."
"You’ll get a toy if you eat your dinner."
"If you stop being sad, I’ll buy you something nice."

And yes, of course, we need food! Which is why compulsive food use can be so tricky to unravel, because we DO NEED FOOD. It's not like another addiction that we can QUIT!

Yet, what these phrases, repeated over and over in emotionally intense situations, created in us was a distorted view of food that is fear- and reward-based, and not according to design.

Food is designed to nourish our bodies.

Mealtime is designed to nourish our connection.

Comfort is designed to come from people and GOD!

Fortunately, there is hope. Rooted in neuroscientific discoveries, we can create new AND HEALTHY pathways in our brains associated with food and relational needs.

It takes work, research-based tools, repetition, emotion, and imagery.

This is my greatest reward - to work with clients that DO THIS WORK!

True transformation.

And it affects every area, because how we do one thing in life is how we do most things to some degree.

If you want to try it out, choose one of these affirmations and see how it feels and changes your outlook.

The key is repetition, emotional energy and imagery -