Cooking can be an expression of creativity, a time for bonding, or even a therapeutic process. For families dealing with eating disorders, the kitchen can become a powerful place for recovery and connection. While food is often at the heart of these struggles, it can also be a part of the solution when approached with care, empathy, and inclusion. Keep reading to learn how cooking together as a family can help those battling eating disorders, creating positive associations with food, and empowering recovery journeys.
Turning Fear into Familiarity
For someone struggling with an eating disorder, the kitchen may feel like a battleground. Fear of food, obsession with calories, and a strained relationship with eating often dominate their daily lives. This makes it easy to avoid the kitchen altogether. But for families looking to support recovery, the kitchen can be reclaimed as a space of love, warmth, and even healing.
One of the most impactful ways to change the narrative around food is by creating a safe and positive environment for everyone. It’s not about forcing someone to eat more or to ignore their fears. Instead, it’s about slowly rebuilding a connection with food in a way that doesn’t trigger the anxieties associated with disordered eating.
Cooking can become an act of mindfulness. Measuring ingredients, chopping vegetables, or stirring a simmering sauce allows someone to focus on the process rather than the outcome. It’s not about what’s on the plate at the end but rather the journey of preparing the meal. When the kitchen becomes a space of creativity and expression, it can help dissolve the fears tied to eating and transform the kitchen into a place of comfort.
Empowering Through Participation: Cooking as a Family Activity
Involving everyone in the cooking process can strengthen family bonds and bring a sense of normalcy back to mealtime. Whether it’s a weekly pizza night where everyone makes their own dough or simply setting the table together, making cooking a shared experience can ease the pressure around food.
For teens dealing with disordered eating, their relationship with food can be particularly fraught. This is where engaging teens in the kitchen comes into play. It allows them to feel a sense of control without being overwhelmed by it. They can pick out recipes, help grocery shop, or take charge of preparing a meal for the family. By giving them ownership of the experience, you’re empowering them to face their fears in a way that’s less about eating and more about connecting.
Beyond that, cooking together provides an opportunity to talk. Conversations can flow easily when you’re chopping vegetables or rolling dough. By focusing on the task at hand, it’s easier to open up about how they’re feeling without the pressure of sitting down for a formal discussion.
Celebrating Small Wins in the Kitchen
Recovery from an eating disorder is not a linear process, and it certainly doesn’t happen overnight. But small victories—like trying a new ingredient, taking the lead on a recipe, or simply sitting at the dinner table—are steps in the right direction.
One of the ways to help celebrate these wins is through positive reinforcement and gratitude for shared experiences. Acknowledge the effort rather than the outcome. Compliment the courage it takes to prepare a meal, try something new, or even suggest cooking together.
It’s also important to make sure there’s no pressure attached to these activities. If a day in the kitchen feels too overwhelming, that’s okay. Give them the space they need and come back to it when they’re ready. Healing takes time, and being patient is key.
Building Positive Associations with Food
Often, those with eating disorders may lose the joy of eating. Food can become something they fear rather than enjoy. This is why it’s essential to build positive associations around food, making it a source of pleasure, not stress.
Try experimenting with recipes that focus on the experience rather than the nutritional content. For example, bake something fun like homemade cookies or make a colorful stir-fry with all their favorite vegetables. Focus on the sensory aspects—how the dough feels in their hands, how the food smells, or how satisfying the sound of a sizzling pan is. These small things can help rekindle a positive relationship with food.
Encouraging the person to be creative in the kitchen also allows them to express themselves. They can develop their own style of cooking, which may empower them to feel more in control of their environment without falling into the unhealthy need for control that eating disorders often create.
When Cooking Becomes a Tool for Therapy
Sometimes, family cooking sessions aren’t enough. For many, dealing with an eating disorder requires a higher level of care, whether it’s professional counseling or specialized programs. That said, the kitchen can still play a role, even within these more structured environments.
For example, some treatment programs focus on rebuilding healthy relationships with food through practical activities like cooking. A girls-only residential treatment for eating disorder may include therapeutic cooking classes, where participants can face their anxieties around food in a supportive, structured environment. This approach makes cooking not just a survival skill but a healing tool.
These programs can offer a safe space where they don’t feel judged or pressured. Instead, they can explore their feelings about food in an encouraging environment. Combined with therapy and support from their families, these culinary activities can help them rebuild trust in themselves and their bodies. It’s not just about getting better at cooking—it’s about getting better at life.
A Recipe for Recovery
Cooking together as a family has more power than we often realize. For those battling an eating disorder, the kitchen can be a space for rebuilding relationships—not just with food, but with themselves and the people who love them. By transforming the kitchen into a place of comfort, participation, and empowerment, you can help someone on their journey to recovery, one recipe at a time.