Whether or not you’ve done a Whole30, this episode goes through how this diet is a specific example of wellness culture – the new version of diet culture, where restrictive eating is disguised as “health”.

Let's talk about MOVEMENT (without a side of diet culture). Kira Onysko Jones joins the pod to share her journey with fitness, body image, and her relationship with food. We discuss so much on this one -- from cooking new foods as a part of healing from disordered eating, to Gilmore Girls (just kidding, that was only for a few minutes at the end, I PROMISE). The main topics include: Disordered eating as an athlete, how wellness culture influences fitness goals, the process of releasing body control when it comes to movement, disconnecting food from exercise, finding joyful forms of movement, and making peace with rest. Abbie leaves you with a tip depending on whether you feel resistant or reliant on exercise at this point in your journey.

Aleta Storch joins the pod to talk about her experience growing up with ADHD, how her disordered eating began in college, and the ways in which that manifested alongside her navigating a mental health condition. Abbie shares ways in which this relates to her experiences with anxiety and OCD. We also discuss food rules when you have a mental health condition, how athletes are impacted by diet culture, how Aleta realized she needed support for disordered eating, what finally propelled her to look into a diagnosis for ADHD, and how she came into the weight-inclusive anti-diet approach. We also explore neurodivergence and eating – how to cultivate a less chaotic relationship with food so you can physically nourish your body while supporting yourself mentally and emotionally. This was a wonderful conversation, and I think there is something for everyone in this one, regardless of what you’ve experienced from a mental health standpoint. 

In this episode, Abbie answers a listener question from Patreon and talks about the seduction of diet culture in the New Year. You’ll hear about how you can challenge the diet culture mindset using self-compassion rather than comparison, a values-based framework, and the body of evidence on "weight management". This episode is an important reminder of ways to navigate the feeling of wanting to do a “reset”, and how to take tangible action to approach those feelings and desires without spiraling. Diet and wellness culture is STRONG in January, but you are stronger.

Summer Innanen joins the pod to talk about body image and self-worth. We go into a little bit of everything on this one – from Summer’s experience of diet culture growing up, to the crossfit world and Paleo diet, to bargaining with herself as she learned about intuitive eating and body acceptance. 

Let's talk diet talk. It's the holiday season, and that means plenty of opportunities to be surrounded by other people WHILE being surrounded by food. Cue the "I'm being so bad!" and "Good thing I'll be doing a January detox!" and "Are you really eating ALL of that?" comments. 

Dr. Colleen Reichmann joins the pod to talk about her own lived experience with an eating disorder and the rocky road of recovery that led to her becoming a psychologist who specializes in eating disorders. We also talk about how early childhood and our personality and temperament impact why and how we reach for coping mechanisms like food restriction. Colleen speaks openly and generously about infertility and IVF, how that relates back to her experience of ED recovery, and the ways in which she is approaching (and fighting!) diet culture with her children. We get into so much – including plenty of laughs. I appreciate Colleen for her wisdom, her work in this space, and her humor. I think you’ll love this conversation!

Let’s chat about sugar – specifically the concept of “sugar addiction” and what the science says. This topic has been requested countless times, and I can absolutely understand why. Diet culture has demonized sugar in a myriad of ways, leaving so many of us to feel like we “can’t control ourselves” around sweet foods. If you’ve ever felt like you are addicted to sugar (or food, for that matter), tune in to this one. 

Body acceptance coach Kristina Bruce joins the pod to talk about how our thoughts and conditioning shape our the experience we have in our body. We discuss the impact of body comments on body image, why dieting and body control can feel like a form of safety, how diet culture keeps us from living an authentic life, and what we can do to begin challenging the negative beliefs we hold about our bodies. 

Time for some holiday Q&A! In this episode, Abbie answers two listener questions relating to food guilt, over-eating, and general anxiety about holiday food festivities. You'll hear about common causes of guilt with eating and how to rethink guilt in the context of diet culture. These questions also take us on a bit of a road trip through mental restriction and physical restriction and how those impact our experience of over-eating.

Get ready because this is a good one! First, Abbie and Diane talk about some changes to the pod in the What's New With You segment. Then Abbie introduces us to her favorite (yes, she has a lot of favorites) way to approach food choices. It's something that will help you tune into what you really want to eat as well as how to eat in a more peaceful way.

In this episode, we explore the nuances surrounding the distinction between a “food rule” and a true food preference. This can be a tricky distinction to make when you are ditching diet culture, healing from chronic dieting, or recovering from an eating disorder / more generalized disordered relationship with food.

We’re tackling another common misconception about anti-diet culture: Is the anti-diet movement anti-nutrition? We discuss how diet culture frames nutrition as a personal responsibility, how class and privilege are involved, what impact nutrition actually has on our well-being, and how we can start to explore it for ourselves without the rigidity and rules.

In this episode, we explore a common fear: the fear of endless weight gain when moving away from dieting, disordered eating, or other restrictive behaviors with food and / or exercise.