Demi Lovato Says Being Around Food Helped Her Eating Disorder Recovery: 'Cooking Has Been So Healing for Me'
- - Demi Lovato Says Being Around Food Helped Her Eating Disorder Recovery: 'Cooking Has Been So Healing for Me'
Cara Lynn ShultzJanuary 16, 2026 at 10:43 PM
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Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce/YouTube
Demi Lovato shared her eating disorder journey on 'Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce' -
Demi Lovato shared that cooking has been “so healing” amid her ongoing eating disorder recovery
The singer told Kylie Kelce during a Jan. 15 appearance on her podcast, Not Gonna Lie, that she used to see food as “the enemy"
Lovato previously said she views "cooking as an act of love and kindness to myself," which inspired her cookbook, One Plate at a Time, out March 31
Demi Lovato shared that cooking has been “healing for me” amid her ongoing recovery from an eating disorder — and it’s why she wanted to share her journey with her upcoming cookbook, ONE PLATE AT A TIME: Recipes for Finding Freedom with Food.
“I started cooking, like, a few years ago. I am not an expert by any means, but I'm somebody that's in recovery from an eating disorder,” the “Kiss” singer, 33, explained to Kylie Kelce during a Jan. 15 appearance on her podcast, Not Gonna Lie.
Lovato has been candid about her ongoing struggle with eating disorders, previously sharing that she still struggles “daily.”
Flatiron Books
Demi Lovato's cookbook, "ONE PLATE AT A TIME: Recipes for Finding Freedom with Food," comes out March 31.
But as she explained to Kelce, “when I first got into recovery, food was very, very overwhelming for me, to the point where, when I would go to the grocery store, I would break down in tears because there was just food everywhere. And that, to me, was the enemy at the time.”
In recovery, Lovato said “they taught me the importance and the value of cooking and repairing your relationship with food through that way … I found that cooking just kind of helps build my relationship with food in a way that, like — I trust the food and it's fun.”
As Lovato previously shared in an Instagram post when she announced the cookbook, which comes out March 31, “Stepping into the kitchen and learning how to cook has been such an important part of my recovery and healing my relationship with food. This book is filled with simple, comforting recipes that have allowed me to reconnect with myself and find both freedom and joy in my kitchen – feelings I never thought I could experience. It has allowed me to see cooking as an act of love and kindness to myself and those in my life, and I hope this book can bring that same feeling into your home too.”
Speaking to Kelce, Lovato shared that the book can also serve as an introduction to cooking, with simple recipes. “Say you don't have an eating disorder and you're not in recovery and you want recipes that are just easy and tips on how to get started in the kitchen. Like, you could be that person, too.”
“Cooking has been so healing for me and my recovery,” she shared.
Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty
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Her candor prompted Kelce, 33, who shares four daughters (Wyatt, 6, Elliotte, 4, Bennett, 2, and Finn, 9 months) with husband Jason Kelce, to say, “I really, really appreciate you not only creating this cookbook, but just even starting that conversation. You being open to discussing it is so incredibly special for other people who are also going through it.”
“I cannot thank you enough for being so open about your process and your recovery and what you went through," Kelce said, "because raising four girls in this world, it's important to have people who will speak up about those types of things that are impacting a lot of people — oftentimes silently. “
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, The Alliance for Eating Disorders provides a fully-staffed helpline at 1-866-662-1235, as well as free, therapist-led support groups.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
