It’s so easy to look at a food photo on Instagram and go straight into comparison mode, especially if it’s different to how or what you eat.

A few questions to ask yourself….

IS THIS COMPARISON HELPFUL?

Usually NO. Especially if it makes you feel anxious or guilty.

Sometimes YES, e.g., if it highlights that you might have slipped back into a pattern of restriction or you need extra help to feel differently about food photos on Instagram

WHERE IS THIS NEED TO COMPARE COMING FROM?

For example, “I want to eat the ‘right’ thing and because I eat differently to the person on Instagram then I might not be eating the right thing”. The next question for you is who says the person on Instagram is ‘right’? Even if they have a nutrition qualification,  their body is different to yours and they don’t know how certain foods or quantities feel for your.

WHAT DO I NEED TO REMEMBER ABOUT PHOTOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

For example

⭐ They are just snapshot of what someone eats
⭐ The person may or may not have eaten all the food they photographed. Or they may have had seconds 
⭐ This is what the person wants to show you. E.g., I don’t post a photo of my cereal and yogurt on IG because it’s not very pretty and I think it won’t get much engagement
⭐ It might be difficult to tell the true size of a portion of food on social media. E.g., I have some pasta bowls that I need to put 2.5 portions in for it to look full. So if I only put one portion and photographed it, then it would probably look like I’m not eating a lot. 

Also, it’s important to remember that different people have different energy needs, eating patterns and food preferences.

WHAT CAN I DO TO REDUCE THESE UNHELPFUL COMPARISONS?

For example …

1., unfollow or mute accounts that are very triggering and you don’t want to deal with.

2., save this post somewhere and ask yourself the questions above when a comparison comes up. Click here to save it on Instagram.

3., ask yourself “what would it be more helpful to think?”

What’s the best way you deal with/ have dealt with food comparison? 

If you struggled to answer these questions, then you can find out how to get more personal support CLICK HERE