05/27/2026
In January, my younger son and I were in a terrible car accident. The car was totaled, yet somehow, we walked away alive and physically unharmed.
In the days that followed, I noticed something unexpected. As someone deeply versed in nourishmentâsomeone who teaches others about food, health, and healingâmy own eating patterns became completely unfamiliar to me.
At times, I felt so nauseous I couldnât imagine eating at all. Yet, at other times, I would hover in the kitchen, reaching for the foods that felt safest and most comforting: pasta slicked with butter and parmesan, American cheese on crackers or melted onto bread. Foods that not only brought me back to moments of comfort and nurturing from childhood, but also offered my overwhelmed nervous system something simple, familiar, and soothing.
And thatâs when it hit me:
Our bodies were designed for survival, not salad.
When we experience trauma, stress, grief, fear, or uncertainty, the body shifts priorities. Digestion changes. Appetite changes. Cravings change. We donât suddenly become âundisciplinedâ or âbad eaters.â We become human beings trying to regulate, stabilize, and feel safe again.
So much of wellness culture ignores this reality. It reduces nourishment to willpower, macros, and optimization while completely dismissing the nervous system driving the behaviors underneath.
Healing isnât always green juice and meal prep. Sometimes healing starts with understanding why your body is asking for softness, familiarity, warmth, salt, fat, or ease. Sometimes the most nourishing thing we can do is stop shaming ourselves for surviving exactly the way the body was designed to.
âĄď¸ READ MORE, https://www.wtfork.com/features/survival-not-salad
This feature was deeply personal for me to write. I hope it offers both insight and compassion to anyone who has ever wondered, âWhy am I eating this way right now?â
