Food and MeNTAL HEALTH

When Food Feels Stressful, Fearful, or Overwhelming

Food is a basic, essential part of life - something we’re expected to navigate multiple times a day. When food begins to trigger fear, anxiety, or constant mental stress, it can feel exhausting, isolating, and confusing.

You may find yourself overthinking meals, worrying about ingredients or reactions, feeling tense around eating, or carrying constant vigilance about what feels “safe.” For some, this anxiety is connected to food allergies, autoimmune conditions, medical diagnoses, or past experiences where food caused harm. For others, the fear builds slowly, until food no longer feels neutral or nourishing.

Food & mental health counseling offers support for the emotional side of these experiences — without judgment, pressure, or rigid rules.

My Approach to Food & Mental Health Counseling

I take a holistic, mind–body approach to this work. Rather than focusing on food in isolation, I look at how mental health, physical health, stress, past experiences, nervous system responses, and daily demands intersect. Anxiety around food often makes sense when we understand the full context in which it developed.

In therapy, we may work on:

  • Understanding how fear and anxiety around food formed

  • Reducing shame, guilt, and self-judgment

  • Supporting nervous system regulation around eating

  • Building tools to manage anxiety and intrusive thoughts

  • Exploring the mind–body connection between nutrition and mental health

  • Rebuilding trust — in food, in your body, and in yourself

This is not about prescribing diets or “fixing” eating. It’s about supporting your mental health in a way that honors your physical needs and lived reality.


When People Seek Support Around Food

People often reach out for support when they’re experiencing:

  • Anxiety or fear related to eating or food choices

  • Hypervigilance around ingredients, reactions, or safety

  • Stress related to food allergies, sensitivities, or autoimmune conditions

  • Guilt, shame, or self-blame around food

  • Feeling disconnected from hunger, fullness, or trust in the body

  • Emotional overwhelm around feeding themselves or their family

  • Mental health challenges that are impacted by nutrition and physical health

You don’t need to have a formal diagnosis or a clear label for your experience to be valid or worthy of support.

A Personal Understanding

My approach to food & mental health counseling is shaped not only by training, but by lived experience. As a parent navigating food allergies, and as someone living with an autoimmune condition that requires careful attention to nutrition, I understand firsthand how food can impact both mental and physical health. I also know how quickly food can become a source of fear, stress, and constant mental calculation.

This work is deeply personal to me. I’m passionate about helping individuals understand and manage the emotional toll that food-related anxiety can take - and about supporting a relationship with food that feels safer, more grounded, and less consuming.

Credentials & Training

In addition to my clinical training as a therapist, I am a Certified Mental Health and Nutrition Clinical Specialist. This specialized training allows me to thoughtfully integrate nutrition-informed perspectives into mental health care.