Food Psych - Intuitive Eating, Health At Every Size, Positive Body Image, Eating Disorder Recovery, Smashing Diet Culture

Eating psychology coach and body image mentor Lu Uhrich joins us to discuss how a cancer scare and chronic illness in the family made her fall prey to the Wellness Diet, how to get your period back if you’ve lost it, why it’s so easy to tumble into disordered eating with just one diet or exercise program, the process of leaving a religion and reimagining your faith, and so much more. Lu Uhrich is a Certified Eating Psychology Coach and Body Image Mentor. Using a Health at Every Size®, Anti-Diet approach, Lu supports clients in finding food freedom, befriending their bodies and moving on with their lives. Through self-awareness and compassion, she’ll guide you to deconstruct diet mentality and give you plenty of resources and insight to call bullshit on fatphobia and diet culture, too—all for the sake of redefining your relationship with food, body, and self. Lu provides the tools, teaching, and support necessary to make a loving and lasting change—in your own time and on your own terms. She leads clients in p

Social worker and body-liberation coach Kent Thomas joins us to discuss the harms of gay body ideals, how queer people can use their experience of living outside cultural norms to help in healing their relationships with their bodies, his experience with diet culture in the church, the dance of advocating for the Health At Every Size® paradigm without becoming dogmatic about it, and so much more. Kent Thomas, MSW is a social worker who focuses on Body Liberation Coaching and is passionate about helping others find freedom and a greater sense of home in their bodies. Kent works with people of all genders and sexualities, and is passionate about working with men to unlearn body shame and toxic body norms. As a gay man, Kent is especially passionate about helping queer men heal and create a fat positive and inclusive gay community. In addition to Body Liberation Coaching, Kent is a community organizer who advocates for queer inclusion in religious spaces and helps individuals tell their stories and heal from rel

Be Nourished co-founders Hilary Kinavey and Dana Sturtevant return to discuss the process of unlearning, including/especially for healthcare providers; wanting body liberation for others while thinking it doesn’t apply to ourselves; how diet culture reinforces perfectionism; how the wellness industry hasn’t actually improved wellness; rebuilding trust in our relationship with food and our bodies; and so much more. In 2005, Hilary Kinavey, MS, LPC and Dana Sturtevant, MS, RD co-founded Be Nourished, a community based outpatient clinic and professional training institute that created Body Trust®—a strength-based, trauma-informed, scientifically grounded healing modality that encourages movement toward a compassionate, weight-inclusive model of radical self-care to address body oppression, heal body shame and associated patterns of chronic dieting and disordered eating. The Be Nourished Training Institute offers programs for helping professionals and educators interested in adopting client-centered, trauma-infor

Anti-diet eating-disorder-recovery mentor, fat activist, and video content creator Daph Levy joins us to discuss her journey from being a dieting “success story” and weight-loss camp counselor to pursuing a career in eating-disorder treatment and recovery, privilege within the eating-disorder-treatment field, the feeling of not belonging and dieting to try to fit in, sitting with discomfort in recovery, and so much more. Daph Levy (she/her) is an anti-diet eating-disorder recovery mentor, fat activist, and video content creator based in Boston, MA. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Dietetics, Nutrition & Food Science at the University of Vermont, and her Dietetic Internship from Simmons University. As a person who identifies as queer, fat, and Latina, Daph strives to offer a unique perspective on how to view health and wellbeing. She brings forth her expertise in the area of size diversity and health with conviction and care to the individuals with whom she speaks. Daph draws from her infini

Health At Every Size® therapist Nancy Ellis-Ordway joins us to discuss weight stigma in education, healthcare, and beyond; why individual health behaviors are less important than they’re made out to be; the evolution of HAES® over time; the role of money and industry in perpetuating diet culture; and so much more. Plus, Christy shares some big news about her next project and the future of the podcast. Nancy Ellis-Ordway, LCSW, PhD, is a psychotherapist with thirty years' experience, specializing in treating eating disorders, body image issues, stress, anxiety, depression and relationship issues. She offers individual, couple, and family therapy through her private practice in Jefferson City, MO. In addition to a Master of Social Work degree from Washington University, she has completed the Advanced Psychodynamic Psychotherapy training program at the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute. She has written chapters for four books, as well as numerous articles for professional and general publications. Her book,

Media studies scholar and author Emily Contois returns to the podcast to discuss gender dynamics in food media and marketing; her new book, Diners, Dudes, and Diets: How Gender and Power Collide in Food Media and Culture; the avatar of The Dude; the parallels between Dad Bod and body positivity; and so much more. Plus, ”Ask Food Psych” guest co-host Joy Cox answers a listener question about the links between white supremacy, diet culture, and nutrition. Emily Contois is Assistant Professor of Media Studies at The University of Tulsa. She researches, teaches, and writes on food, identity, and health in U.S. popular culture and media. In addition to numerous academic articles, she is the author of Diners, Dudes, and Diets: How Gender and Power Collide in Food Media and Culture (UNC Press 2020) and co-editor of a volume on food and Instagram. She is the Book Reviews Editor for Food, Culture & Society and serves on the boards of the Association for the Study of Food and Society, H-Nutrition (for the history o

Anti-diet dietitian Dalina Soto joins us to discuss navigating boundaries, diet talk, and beauty standards in Latinx communities and Western culture; the lack of diversity in dietetics; what she learned in her first jobs as a Spanish-speaking dietitian; her relationship with her postpartum body; and so much more. Plus, in “Ask Food Psych,” Christy answers a listener question about how to find online movement/fitness programs that align with the anti-diet approach. Dalina Soto, MA, RD, LDN, is founder and bilingual registered dietitian at Your Latina Nutritionist. Throughout her career, Dalina has worked in the Latinx community as one of the only Spanish-speaking RDs helping clients ditch diets. Through Instagram she has been able to expand and reach Latinas all over the world and has helped them ditch the diets and practice body respect. Find her online at YourLatinaNutrition.com. If you're ready to break free from diet culture once and for all, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals o

Anti-diet dietitian and Intuitive Eating co-author Elyse Resch returns to Food Psych to discuss the role of satisfaction in intuitive eating, the nuances of hunger and fullness, intuitive eating in eating-disorder treatment, the forthcoming Intuitive Eating Journal and Intuitive Eating Card Deck, and so much more. Plus, in “Ask Food Psych,” Christy answers a listener question about how a smaller-bodied therapist can navigate the nuances of advocating for HAES when working with larger-bodied clients. Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, Fiaedp, FADA, FAND, is a nutrition therapist in private practice in Beverly Hills, California, with thirty-eight years of experience, specializing in eating disorders, Intuitive Eating, and Health at Every Size. She is the co-author of Intuitive Eating, now in its 4th edition, The Intuitive Eating Workbook, and The Intuitive Eating Card Deck (available June 2021), and the author of The Intuitive Eating Workbook for Teens and The Intuitive Eating Journal (available June 2021). She is

Social worker and anti-diet activist Ashley Seruya joins us for a second FAQ episode, where she and Christy respond to more questions about Health At Every Size®, including what to do if you feel uncomfortable in your body at a higher weight, how to handle chronic illness, why food-intolerance diagnoses are often problematic, the effect of health behaviors versus social determinants of health, what to make of weight-loss “success” stories, the importance of rest, and so much more. This episode originally aired on Feb. 3, 2020. Ashley M. Seruya is a psychotherapist specializing in trauma-informed care, weight-stigma, and eating disorder recovery. Her clinical approach centers the Health at Every Size (H.A.E.S.) paradigm, and encourages exploration of the impact of cultural and individual trauma on our self-perception. Her practice is guided by compassion, validation, and reducing toxic shame. She enjoys working within various clinical frameworks and believes that lived experience and the patient should guide a

Anti-diet dietitian and mental health counselor Aleta Storch joins us to discuss diet culture in the ADHD and autoimmune disorder communities, her and Christy’s experiences of living with chronic illness, how social determinants of health are often ignored or twisted to uphold diet culture, wellness culture and its stigmatization of medication, and so much more. Plus, in “Ask Food Psych,” Christy answers a listener question about how to tell whether something is a diet in disguise and how to avoid common diet-culture traps—in the New Year and beyond. Aleta (she/her) is a Registered Dietitian, Mental Health Counselor, Body Trust Provider, and owner of Wise Heart Nutrition based out of Seattle, WA. She offers weight-inclusive, anti-diet care to support folx in the process of letting go of diet culture, and finding pleasure, joy, and freedom with food and body. She specializes in working with both ADHD and autoimmune conditions. Find her online at WiseHeartNutrition.com. If you're ready to break free from di

Coach, author, and Anti Diet Riot Club co-creator Harri Rose joins us to discuss how to avoid The Wellness Diet and other forms of diet culture in the New Year, how diet culture is trying to infiltrate the anti-diet movement, the harms of social media despite being a tool for connection, life beyond body positivity, and so much more. Plus, in ”Ask Food Psych” guest co-host Ayana Habtemariam answers a listener question about whether limiting foods that trigger digestive symptoms is a form of restriction. Harri Rose is a coach, author and one voice in Anti Diet Riot Club. Harri believes that for too long we have been apologising for our bodies, and that diet culture and beauty standards are holding many of us back from living life. With no memories of liking her body even from a young age, Harri went on her first diet at the age of 13. This began more than a decade of disordered eating and misery at the hands of intense dieting and weight cycling. She went to university with what she now understands as an undia

Plus-size fitness influencer and author Meg Boggs joins us to discuss how she made peace with food and her body after decades of disordered eating and weight stigma; how her relationship with social media has evolved from documenting her “weight-loss journey” to body positivity; how pregnancy and motherhood helped spark her healing from diet culture; why thin shaming and fat shaming are not the same; her forthcoming book, Fitness for Every Body; and so much more. Plus, in “Ask Food Psych,” Christy answers a listener question about how to handle diet talk and body comments during the holidays. Meg Boggs is a mother, athlete, and self-empowerment advocate who has made it her mission to help women embrace their insecurities. Meg first took to her blog and Instagram to share her journey through motherhood, revealing her postpartum body through a series of emotionally raw posts that earned attention from moms and global media including CNN, Good Morning America, People, and more. With advocacy from mental health a

Anti-diet therapist Haley Jones joins us to discuss how their queer and trans identities affected their relationship with food and body, how autism gave them a different perspective on authority and hierarchical relationships, how fatphobia shows up in training programs for counselors and therapists, being “in recovery” vs. being “recovered,” and so much more. Plus, in “Ask Food Psych,” Christy discusses the state of the science on COVID-19 and weight. Haley Jones, MS, LPC-intern is a therapist and Certified Body Trust Provider in Portland, Oregon serving queer and trans folx dealing with eating disorders. They work from from an anti-racist, anti-colonial, sex-positive, pro-disability justice, kink positive, fat positive, polyam-friendly, trauma-informed, Health at Every Size®, and strengths-based foundation. As a white, queer, trans & non-binary, neurodivergent, disabled, documented, currently in a smaller body, low-income, first-generation college student & service provider, Haley holds both privile

Fellow anti-diet dietitian, certified intuitive eating counselor, and journalist Carrie Dennett joins us to discuss her experiences with “successful” dieting and being part of the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR), why she ultimately stopped dieting and embraced Health At Every Size®, the many problems with the NWCR, why the vast majority of intentional weight-loss efforts fail, how weight stigma affects people of all sizes, and so much more! Plus, Christy answers a listener question about whether to expect weight loss with intuitive eating. This episode originally aired on May 6, 2019 Carrie Dennett is a Pacific Northwest-based registered dietitian, Certified Intuitive Eating counselor, journalist, author and blogger. She writes a weekly nutrition column for The Seattle Times and contributes regularly to The Washington Post. Carrie is the author of Healthy For (Your) Life: A Holistic Approach to Optimal Wellness, which blends intuitive and mindful eating with a non-diet approach, current nutrition scie

Eating-disorders therapist Haica Rosenfeld joins us to discuss how her father’s binge eating and bariatric surgery affected her own relationship with food and body, strategies for responding to diet talk, the Stages of Change as they relate to anti-diet messaging, bringing HAES to Spanish-speaking communities, and so much more. Plus, in “Ask Food Psych,” Christy answers a listener question about why it’s considered harmful for someone who struggles with an eating disorder to lose weight, but not for their ED-free sibling to gain weight. Dr. Haica Rosenfeld is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Certified Eating Disorders Specialist and Approved Supervisor by the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals. She specializes in the treatment of Eating Disorders, Disordered Eating, Body Image Healing and has worked with clients at all stages of recovery for over 12 years. Haica has a passion and calling for helping those who struggle with disordered eating, chronic dieting, emotional overeating, and

Anti-diet dietitian and Intuitive Eating co-author Evelyn Tribole makes her third appearance on the pod to discuss the new fourth edition of Intuitive Eating and how the book has evolved with each edition, the research that supports intuitive eating, the impact of diet culture and the weight-loss industry, her thoughts on intuitive eating and food insecurity, and so much more. Plus, in “Ask Food Psych,” Christy answers a listener question about how to navigate diet culture in medical school. Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S is the author of 9 books and co-author of the best-selling Intuitive Eating, a mind-body self-care eating framework with 10 principles, which has given rise to over 125 studies to date, showing benefit. As an international speaker and workshop leader, Evelyn is passionate and has been called, “Wonderfully wise and funny”. Evelyn enjoys training health professionals on how to help their clients cultivate a healthy relationship with food, mind, and body through the process of Intuitive Eatin

Anti-diet writer, speaker, and podcaster Melissa Toler returns to discuss her new podcast, Hearing Our Own Voice; redefining health and wellness to be more inclusive; why fear is not a motivator for behavior change; finding intrinsic motivation for movement; and so much more. Plus, in “Ask Food Psych,” Christy answers a listener question about what to do if you find yourself consistently bingeing on the weekends. Melissa Toler is a writer and speaker. Her work encourages people to make the connection between our culture's oppressive health and beauty standards and our personal struggle with self-acceptance. Her goal is to help people use expressive writing to unlearn harmful messages and behaviors from years of chronic dieting. Melissa also has a background as a pharmacist and certified wellness coach. Find her online at MelissaToler.com. If you're ready to break free from diet culture once and for all, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Christy's book, Anti-

Author and speaker Lindo Bacon returns to Food Psych® to discuss their new book, Radical Belonging; how their perspective on HAES® has shifted since publishing Health At Every Size; reframing disordered eating as a coping mechanism for trauma; how gender affirmation helped them find body acceptance; and so much more. Plus, Ask Food Psych guest co-host Shelby Gordon answers a listener question about sharing the anti-diet message with people who may be resistant. Best known for their paradigm-shifting research and advocacy upending the weight discourse, Dr. Lindo Bacon’s inspiring message takes us beyond size, to shaping a culture of empathy, equity and true belonging. Dr. Bacon has mined their deep academic proficiency, wide-ranging clinical expertise and own personal experience to write two best-selling books, Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight, and the co-authored Body Respect: What Conventional Health Books Get Wrong, Leave Out, or Just Plain Fail to Understand about Weight. Both a

Body-liberation coach Tiana Dodson joins us to discuss how scarcity from poverty and her mother’s dieting affected her relationship with food, how she eventually began accepting her fatness and healing from disordered eating, her journey from health coach to body-liberation coach, body partnership as an alternative to body love, the four-step framework of her Fat Freedom Foundation program, and so much more. Plus, in Ask Food Psych, Christy answers a listener question about whether being a foodie and former chef is compatible with intuitive eating. Tiana Dodson is a fat Body Liberation Coach who’s out to destroy the belief that you have to be skinny to be happy and healthy, lovable, or worthy. Through her work with the Fat Freedom Foundation program, she guides people feminine-of-center to reconnect with their bodies, destigmatize fatness, and learn about the harms of health being a measure of worth while finding how they can live their best fat lives. Find her online at TianaDodson.com. If you're ready t

Body-image researcher Nadia Craddock joins us to discuss body image beyond body size and weight, her experiences in inpatient eating-disorder treatment, colorism and its harmful effects on body image, how to push back against body ideals, and so much more. Plus, in Ask Food Psych, Christy answers a listener question about how to talk to a doctor who put you on an elimination diet that triggered an eating disorder. TW: This episode includes descriptions of Nadia’s traumatic experiences in long-term inpatient eating-disorder treatment, including mentions of self-harm. If this subject matter is likely to be troubling to you, please listen to the introduction for Christy's recommendation of sections to skip. Nadia Craddock is a body-image researcher. She is Research Fellow at the Centre for Appearance Research, at the University of the West of England in Bristol and is a member of the Dove Self Esteem Project partnership team. Nadia is currently leading the development and evaluation of a school-based body im