It is normal to experience food shaming comments from our inner food critique, or from others- in the form of words or looks. But how does this impact your experience over the holidays? Is this ultimately a healthy relationship with food and a healthy way to be?
Happy New Year! Every year as we enter dieting month, there always seems to be even more pressure than ever to “lose weight and get healthy.” While I understand the sense that we have a fresh start and the surge of motivation that comes with that, dieting research and peoples’ personal experiences both indicate this is short-lived. If you are struggling with the desire to lose weight despite previous unsuccessful attempts, or even weight gain after previous attempts, then I have a few things I would like to share with you. In this article, you will find information that I wish everyone knew about dieting, weight loss and health.
As we approach 2025, many of us are reflecting on the past year and setting our sights on new resolutions and health goals. It’s that time when we commit to improving our physical and mental well-being, two of the most important aspects of our lives. After all, when we prioritize our health, it leads to better relationships, longer lifespans, and a higher quality of life overall.
Having a challenging time thinking of new snacks or adding snacks that are satisfying or enjoyable to the routine? Dietitian-to-be, Emmye Conway, breaks this process into three categories to help you think through new, creative snack ideas that will leave you feeling your best!
Have you considered where you're getting your nutrition information and if this information is trustworthy? Whether it comes from a gossip column, a viral video, a celebrity, or a physician, there will be no better expert to obtain nutrition advice from than a registered dietitian. Read why and how a dietitian can help you!
It is almost 2020 and with it, the rise in diet culture and weight loss advertisements. Practicing intuitive eating may seem not so intuitive when going through the holiday season. When we are surrounding by diet messaging and comments on weight, health, fitness, and food, it is hard to remain mindful and confident in what you’re currently doing.
Are you wanting to work with a personal trainer but poor experiences in the past prevent you from seeking another trainer? Is weight stigma or fear of being encouraged to lose weight standing in your way? Finding a weight-neutral personal trainer is possible! Read here 5 questions to ask a personal trainer to make sure you find the right trainer for you.
ADHD diagnosis and stimulant medication prescription is slowly increasing overtime. Most of these diagnoses and prescriptions come from the pediatrician. The FDA approved the minimum age for most stimulants is 6 years old.
Mental health diagnoses in the pediatric population commonly included ADHD, Depression, and Anxiety. Although Depression and Anxiety are treated with SSRI’s rather than a stimulant medication as in ADHD, children may still have side effects pertaining to their nutritional intake.
Joey, a 6-year-old, 20-kg boy, presents to his pediatrician, Dr Smith, with complaints of significant hyperactivity, impulsivity, and defiance that are problematic in the classroom and at home. Presentation in the office and parent and teacher Vanderbilt rating scale scores* are consistent with a diagnosis of ADHD, and other medical, psychiatric, and learning issues are ruled out. Dr Smith provides psychological education about ADHD, refers for parent management training, and recommends school accommodations for classroom symptoms. After ensuring no contraindications, he prescribes dexmethylphenidate extended release (ER) (Focalin XR) 5 mg every morning (qAM).
At subsequent weekly or biweekly follow-ups, the dose is titrated to 10, 15, and 20 mg qAM based on parent and teacher Vanderbilt scores demonstrating little or no improvement. At the fourth follow-up, Dr Smith switches to amphetamine/dextroamphetamine ER (Adderall XR) 20 mg, after which parent and teacher report notable improvement in hyperactivity and impulsivity, although Joey experiences appetite suppression. Dr Smith counsels on high-protein and high-calorie nutrition, but Joey’s weight decreases to the point of crossing a weight percentile. The amphetamine/dextroamphetamine ER dose is decreased to 15 mg then to 10 mg over subsequent visits; although Joey’s appetite and weight improve toward baseline, Vanderbilt scores demonstrate return of hyperactivity and impulsivity, although not to the degree of severity of initial presentation. Dr Smith augments amphetamine/dextroamphetamine ER 10 mg qAM with guanfacine ER (Intuniv) 1 mg at bedtime (qHS).
Three weeks later, parent and teacher Vanderbilt scores endorse satisfactory ADHD symptom management, which is maintained through the remainder of the school year, and Joey’s weight gain follows an age-appropriate trajectory.
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Cases like Joey’s are very common when first addressing the mental diagnosis with medication. Finding what medication best suits your needs is a slow process to ensure the side effects are minimized. One of the side effects evident in Joey’s case was suppressed appetite. During a period in Joey’s life where he is still growing and developing, it is extremely important for him to follow his natural weight/height trajectory. When children are growing, they should not be losing weight. Weight loss can lead to developmental delays, including delayed onset of puberty, stunted growth, and stagnant bone growth. To prevent these serious symptoms from occurring, it is important to discuss intake and nutrition with your pediatrician and psychiatrist. If needed, get a registered dietitian involved in your child’s care to address strategies to ensure your child is eating enough to follow their age-appropriate trajectory.
[1] Southammakosane, C., & Schmitz, K. (2015). Pediatric Psychopharmacology for Treatment of ADHD, Depression, and Anxiety. Pediatrics, 136(2), 351–359. doi: 10.1542/peds.2014-1581
“You’re the apple of my eye”“You’re so cute, I could just eat you up!”“There's nothing like Grandma’s cooking”“You’re sweeter than pie”Food is everywhere. Its in our stores, on our commute to work, people eat every day, its on our billboards, in our sayings, in songs and advertisements. Just like I tell my clients, the hardest part of seeing a dietitian when you are someone who is struggling in their relationship with food is having to face the fact that food is everywhere. It is hard to sit in a room with a dietitian and talk about food for the entire hour. Eating disorders and disordered eating is a huge burden on individuals. Food is not something you can escape, avoid or ignore.
I suppose some of you reading this could look out your window and see a restaurant, grocery store or food stand a stones throw away. The war we let our emotions set on food is a war without an ending. Spoil alert, your emotions will lose eventually.
Food is neutral. It is not intentionally trying to harm you, give you a chronic disease or alter all the work you put into changing or maintaining your appearance. Your emotions and beliefs that you cast on food is what is effecting those things. Food is actually trying to help you! To keep you alive, to feed your organs and keep you young. Food is not the enemy.
Food is the scapegoat. Society tells us over and over “carbohydrates will give you diabetes.” Or shouting diet statements at you such as “Lose weight quick by participating in a 20 hour fast!” - surely we all can understand the concept of starving ourselves by not eating for 20 hours can cause weight loss… because you’re not eating!! But does fasting work for everyone? Not really, no. Because no matter how hard we try to fight our biology, our body will do whatever it can to protect us and get the energy it needs during the other 4 hours your emotions allow it to eat.
Ok, i’m off my soapbox now.
You all know this. I’m not telling you anything new. I may be telling you something you don’t want to hear, and that is, you can not escape food.
But really! Why would you want to escape food?! How amazing and easy life would be if you could walk into Panera and not immediately have to think about calories, what else you ate today, what is the “cleanest”, what is balanced, etc. I have had almost everything on Panera’s menu and I can tell you, you will survive. Your body is much stronger, much more resilient than you think. When was the last time you gave your body the chance to prove to you it can handle all the foods in the world? (Minus those with allergies of course :P).
Think of your body as the sweet, precious child you are too afraid to let grow up. Would you starve that child? Keep them isolated and unable to try new things? Eventually all you are doing is causing the child more harm in the long run. Give the child some of their own control. Its ok to start small so you can learn one step at a time that the child can handle the power it is given. Eventually the trust will come and the burden will be lifted from your shoulders. Your relationship with the child will be that much stronger and trust will come easily.
If this is too hard to do on your own, that is where a dietitian, a therapist, a doctor, significant other, etc. comes into play. Everyone needs support and that is what we are here to provide. To help your body win the war.
Food may feel like the enemy right now, and that’s ok. But you can’t escape it, so lets first learn how to live with it.