‘Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness Shares How ‘Small Changes’ Helped Heal His Relationship With Food (Exclusive)

Jonathan Van Ness is “really proud” of himself for the ways in which he’s changed his relationship with self-care and food. The Queer Eye star opened up to PopCulture.com ahead of the feel-good Netflix series’ Season 7 premiere on May 12, sharing more about his journey to heal his previously disordered eating while taking steps toward being more sustainable. 

“I think we’re always on a journey in our relationship with ourselves and our healing,” said Van Ness, who “self-soothed” with food through the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I don’t think you ever get to a point where like, ‘Okay, I’m done healing.’ … I think that we always have different relationships with change or how well we’re taking care of ourselves. I don’t think that’s always consistent, but I am really proud of myself.”

Identifying that he wanted to look at and heal his relationship with food with the help of a nutritionist and therapist is another thing Van Ness points out as a sign of self-care. “My relationship with my nutritionist was really helpful for me and I think always therapy is something that always is helpful,” said the JVN Hair founder, adding that it can be helpful to remind one’s self that “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” when it comes to rewriting unhealthy patterns. 

“I think if you’re newer to it or if you’re wanting to make a change because you’re not feeling good about some aspect of your relationship to food and eating, I think trying to focus on one thing at a time is important,” he explained. “Don’t get overwhelmed. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed if you do a complete overhaul.”

The importance of taking small steps is one of the things that attracted Van Ness to his partnership with MorningStar Farms’ plant-based food, because you “don’t have to have full-on lifestyle changes to make an impact on your own health or the environment.” He added, “I think small changes can make really big impacts.” While Van Ness is “giving you omnivore” nowadays after a four-year stint as a vegan in his 20s, he still loves eating plant-based foods. 

The Love That Story: Observations From A Gorgeously Queer Life author’s favorite plant-based meals include their spicy Chik’n nuggets, which he called “so tasty” to have on their own or cut up into chunks and used as a salad topper for extra texture and protein. “For dinner, I love just a meatless stew, a gorgeous meatless stew,” Van Ness continued. “Or I’ll do the [MorningStar Farms Grillers Veggie Crumbles] with beans, and I’ll do potato and a lot of tomato cans, obviously, for a gorgeous chili.”

And what better to wear while enjoying a plant-based meal than The Crop Top – which was created in MorningStar Farms’ collaboration with KD New York. Fans have a chance to get their own Crop Top through May 7 – head to @morningstarfarms on Instagram or Facebook to find out how to enter.