Thoughtful Nutrition

02/27/2026

Eating disorders are often misunderstood as a "choice" or a "phase," but the numbers tell a different story.

They are complex, life-threatening mental illnesses that don't have a look.

​If you are struggling today, please know that you are more than a number and you are not alone in this fight.

The rise in prevalence isn't just a data point, it’s a call for us to be louder with our support.

​Recovery is possible! 🫶🏻

​

02/18/2026

Health is shaped by many things.

This includes genetics, environment, stress, access to care, medications, mental health, social factors, the resources available to you, and so much more.

Body size is not a behavior.

And it’s not a reliable measure of how healthy someone is.

You can nourish your body, move in ways that feel sustainable, manage health conditions, and show up for yourself, without your body changing size.

When we treat weight as the main indicator of health, we miss the bigger picture.

Health is complex. It deserves more than a weight-focused conversation.

02/16/2026

If you've dabbled with the thought of Intuitive Eating, it's possible you've heard:

🥑 “It’s just another diet.”

🥑 “It’s just eating based on instinct.”

🥑 “It’s not evidence-based.”

🥑 “It’s only for thin people.”

These myths keep a lot of people from exploring a way of eating that’s actually designed to move them away from dieting.

But here's the thing... Intuitive Eating isn’t a plan, a set of rules, or a free-for-all.

It’s a structured, evidence-based framework that helps you unlearn diet culture, reconnect with your body, and build a more peaceful relationship with food.

And it’s not limited to a certain body size, identity, or background.

If diet culture has made you feel like you need more control, more rules, or a different body to be healthy, then Intuitive Eating might be a great choice for you! 🫶🏻

02/13/2026

Weight stigma isn’t just hurtful, it's a health risk.

Research shows that experiencing weight discrimination is associated with a significantly higher risk of early death.

Here’s why👇🏻

🥑 Chronic stress affects the body.

Weight stigma puts the body into a chronic stress state.

Over time, this repeated stress increases cortisol and inflammation and raises what’s known as allostatic load, which is the accumulated strain on the body that is linked to higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic health conditions.

🥑 Stigma changes behavior and access to care.

Experiences of weight bias are associated with:
• Avoiding or delaying medical care
• Skipping preventive screenings
• Avoiding gyms or movement spaces
• Increased depression, anxiety, and loneliness
• Disordered eating, binge eating, and chronic dieting

Over time, these behaviors contribute to poor health outcomes.

Despite what most people think, many large population studies show that people in the “overweight” BMI category have similar, or sometimes lower, mortality risks compared to those classified as “normal weight.”

If we truly care about health, the evidence points to the fact that shame and stigma don't improve health but access, safety, and respectful care do.



References:

Sutin, A. R., & Terracciano, A. (2015). Perceived weight discrimination and mortality. Psychological Science, 26(11), 1803–1811.

Tomiyama, A. J. (2014). Weight stigma is stressful: A review of evidence for the cyclic obesity/weight-based stigma model. Appetite, 82, 8–15.

Puhl, R. M., & Heuer, C. A. (2010). Obesity stigma: Important considerations for public health. American Journal of Public Health, 100(6), 1019–1028.

Flegal, K. M., Kit, B. K., Orpana, H., & Graubard, B. I. (2013). Association of all-cause mortality with overweight and obesity using standard BMI categories: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA, 309(1), 71–82.

02/11/2026

If you've heard of or read about Intuitive Eating, then you've probably heard some of these statements:

🥑 “You’ll only eat junk.”

🥑 “It ignores nutrition.”

🥑 “It’s just about hunger and fullness.”

🥑 “You’ll gain weight.”

These myths keep a lot of people stuck in diet culture and afraid to trust their bodies.

However, these statements just aren't true.

When you stop restricting, your choices don’t spiral out of control, they become more balanced.

When you remove food rules, nutrition doesn’t disappear, it becomes more gentle and sustainable.

Intuitive Eating isn’t about controlling your weight. It's about improving your relationship with food, your body, and your health.

Truly embracing Intuitive Eating can help you heal. 🫶🏻

02/09/2026

New article! Check it out👇

Explore the pros and cons of fitness trackers, uncover how they may reinforce diet culture, and learn strategies to use them mindfully.

Explore the pros and cons of fitness trackers, uncover how they may reinforce diet culture, and learn strategies to use them mindfully.

02/09/2026

I'm no therapist... But I am a dietitian🤗

And I care about your health!

That means...

🥑 Eating carbs at pretty much every meal (our body's main and preferred source of energy)

🥑 Exercising because it feels good, not just to burn calories

🥑 Eating more than 1200 calories

🥑 Measuring health based on how you feel instead of a number on the scale

🥑 Not skipping breakfast

🥑 Throwing away your scale

🥑 A social media cleanse or break

🥑 Actually eating enough instead of getting by on the bare minimum

🥑 Wearing clothes that make you happy (and confident)

🥑 Enjoying life now instead of waiting until you lose weight

02/09/2026

How can we expect our bodies to operate on as little food as possible?!

That's like driving a car around with the low fuel light always on or expecting a fire to keep burning without adding enough wood.

It's incredible how our bodies can feel when they're properly fueled and nourished!

Our minds are sharper. Our moods are boosted. Our muscles can recover and get stronger. Our energy levels rise. Our bodies are more resilient. Overall, we just feel better!

So please stop getting by on the bare minimum. 🫶🏻

01/26/2026

New article! Check it out👇

Discover the truth behind common Intuitive Eating myths. Learn what Intuitive Eating really is, debunk misconceptions, and start building a healthier, more balanced relationship with food.

Discover the truth behind common Intuitive Eating myths. Learn what Intuitive Eating really is and debunk these misconceptions.

01/26/2026

Things I really don't care about as a dietitian of 6+ years👇🏻

🌲BMI or body weight

Neither reliably reflects health, behaviors, or long-term outcomes.

🌲Protein at every meal and snack

Adequacy matters. Rigid rules don’t.

🌲Whether a food is labeled “processed”

Processing alone is not a meaningful indicator of nutritional value or health impact.

🌲Daily step counts

Movement cannot be reduced to a single number.

🌲Only eating carbohydrates when “paired”

This recommendation is often unnecessary and can increase food anxiety.

🌲Intentional weight loss over sustainable habits

Weight-focused interventions consistently fail to support long-term health.

🌲Diet soda consumption

Single food or beverage choices do not determine health status.

🌲Perfectly “balanced” meals

Nutrition adequacy is assessed over time, not meal by meal.

🌲Glucose response to one meal

Isolated data points do not accurately display health.

If you’ve been told these things are the foundation of “good nutrition,” it may be worth asking who actually benefits from that narrative. 🤔

01/26/2026

Before & after photos are often framed as motivation, but they leave out most of the context.

They reduce health and progress to appearance while reinforcing the idea that smaller or more toned bodies are inherently better.

What isn’t shown matters: genetics, access to care, mental health, medical conditions, time, money, and the behaviors required to maintain the “after.”

These images also ignore outcomes that can’t be seen in a photo such as sleep, energy, strength, stress levels, or someone’s relationship with food and movement.

When we focus on visible change, comparison and shame tend to increase. Health is more complex than a side-by-side image.

For a more in-depth read, check out my full article! To read it, click the |ink in my bi0 ➡️ recent articles.