Managing Eating Struggles on Holiday (Including Camping)
Bitesize Summer Series
I’ve just come back from my first ever solo camping experience at a festival and my goodness, I learnt a lot as a autistic therapist who used to have an eating disorder.
Holidays and camping can sound dreamy on paper, freedom, nature, no schedule - but if you’re navigating an eating disorder, they can knock you sideways.
No structure. No fridge. No safe foods. Lots of heat, people, noise, overwhelm.
Whether you tend to restrict, binge, obsess, or just forget to eat till you crash, it can be a lot.
Here’s a quick win I come back to again and again, for myself and with clients:
Make food feel safe and steady
Before you go, plan or pack 3–5 foods that feel:
familiar
easy to access
comforting or grounding (not necessarily “healthy” - food doesn’t have morality!)
satisfying enough that you don’t spiral later
Some examples:
A protein bar you’ll actually eat
Crackers, oatcakes or cereal you can snack on any time
Nut butter sachets or trail mix
A sweet treat you won’t guilt yourself over
Herbal teas, juice boxes, electrolyte tabs for hydration and routine
This isn’t about controlling every bite, it’s about removing friction.
Giving your nervous system something steady to work with, so you’re not lurching between chaos and shutdown.
It helps stop the restrict–binge–guilt spiral before it starts.
It helps with ARFID.
It helps with binge eating.
It helps with restriction and hyper-control.
It helps when nothing feels safe to eat, or everything feels like too much.
Quick win mindset:
"I’m allowed to make food easy for myself. I don’t have to ‘cope’ the hard way."
You deserve to feel nourished, not punished, especially when you're away from home.
Becky Grace x
