If you’ve spent some time in mental health focused spaces, you may have heard providers emphasizing the importance of ‘somatics’, ‘embodiment’, or ‘the mind-body connection’. As a counselor and dance/movement therapist, I am no stranger to these buzz words but I also recognize that it is difficult to capture the value of this work in a word. Many may find themselves wondering, what are we really talking about when we talk about the Body-Mind Connection?

A common question we receive from partners, spouses, parents and caregivers is: how can I support my loved one with an eating disorder? Whether your person is in treatment for anorexia, binge eating or bulimia, it is hard to watch them struggle. While most people can certainly lend a listening ear or a shoulder to lean on, maybe you’re looking for more actionable things to do. Here’s a quick list on how you can help your loved one. 

Our culture has a tendency to romanticize dieting, often leaving out the drawbacks of food restriction. Today, I’ll be stopping by to do a quick overview on the physical risks of dieting.

Today I will share some back to basics ideas about healing your relationship with food that are relevant whether you would like to engage with intuitive eating or not. It is important to acknowledge that we are all different and there is not one right way to eat or to heal. For this reason, I have included reflection questions to help clarify your food and eating needs.

Today’s topic is Intuitive Eating (abbreviated IE from here on out). Often held up as the gold standard in the realm of healing one’s relationship with food, there is a lot of buzz about IE. Eating intuitively certainly does offer benefits, and many people find it healing. However, dialogues on IE often gloss over or completely leave out important contextual nuances that might impact a person’s desire or ability to engage with IE. Today we will examine the benefits IE brings to the table, as well as who and what is often overlooked in the IE space.

Given the rather grim and abundant nature of body shame, you may be asking yourself, “How could I ever feel better about my body? Will this ever feel different?” The honest answer is that changing your experience in your body, and specifically the experience of shame takes time. We are talking about unpacking and shifting your entire worldview and self perception, which is no small feat. Not to mention that oppressive body dynamics will continue to exist in the world until injustice is addressed. 

What is body shame? Existing in a human body is a wild ride. It can be wondrous and enjoyable in some moments, weird at others, and at times downright painful. At some point in life, most of us will encounter body shame. What exactly is body shame, you ask? The Oxford English Dictionary defines shame as “a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior.” Synonyms include; humiliation, indignity, and discomfort.

You’ve been thinking about reaching out for professional nutrition support, but aren’t quite sure if it’s for you. Let’s take a look at some signs that professional support might be a helpful next step in your food and body journey.

The body positivity movement has been gaining momentum in recent years, once again opening up a much-needed conversation about fatphobia, racism, and oppression. Advertisements, social media, the fashion industry, movies and TV shows, sports/athletics, healthcare - We are surrounded by content, protocols, and recommendations that promote negative body image and diet culture.

Intuitive Eating is a holistic, anti-diet approach to eating that emphasizes listening to your body’s natural needs, including hunger and fullness cues. The primary goal of Intuitive Eating is to cultivate a positive relationship with food that is free from rules and restrictions.

You’ve decided that you're done with chronic dieting. You’re tired of pinning your self-worth to the number on the scale, and you are physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted from obsessively monitoring what you eat and restricting your food intake. You are ready to move on to a different way of relating to food. Maybe you are not sure where to go from here, and maybe you’re also a little afraid, because you aren’t sure of what eating without restriction or dieting would be like.

It may surprise you to learn that dieting is a form of disordered eating, and the most common form at that. Dieting is defined as the restriction of certain foods or quantities of food with the goal of achieving a smaller body.

Let’s talk about Binge Eating Disorder (BED). I’m so glad you’re here, and I want you to know that you are not alone. I repeat: You are not alone. In fact, did you know that BED is the most common eating disorder? This might be surprising since it isn’t as talked about or depicted in pop culture as other eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia. BED is also relatively new to the ED diagnoses, as it was added to the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition (aka the DSM-5) in 2013.

Sunrise Nutrition is happy to welcome guest blogger, Jaike SpottedWolf, to share her experience as a Native, the continued trauma and oppression faced by Natives in this country, and the place for Native lives in the current, heightened focus on systemic oppression and racism. Jaike, we welcome your voice!

Boundaries are a super popular topic at Sunrise Nutrition, especially in the context of eating disorders, intuitive eating and body image. We often talk about boundaries with others, ourselves, our relationship with food, movement and our bodies. However, we don’t come across the topic of working from home and boundaries. With so many of us working remotely now, I thought it’d be a nice blog topic to talk about!

At Sunrise Nutrition, we recognize that a large barrier to communities of color seeking food and body care is the lack of representation in the field. In an effort to make health care more accessible and to put black, indigenous and POC voices in the forefront, we will be featuring healers of color who believe strongly in the power of Health of Every Size. Today, we are featuring Niashay Whitaker, who practices in Tacoma. Read on about her personal journey with her body and how HAES has helped:

At Sunrise Nutrition, we recognize that a large barrier to communities of color seeking food and body care is the lack of representation in the field. In an effort to make health care more accessible and to put black, indigenous and POC voices in the forefront, we will be featuring healers of color who believe strongly in the power of Health of Every Size.

Our first feature is Heather Lowrey, MS, LMHC who practices out of Seattle. Read below to meet Heather and learn about why HAES is important in her therapeutic work:

’Tis the season! It’s about that time where I get lots questions about how best to eat for the upcoming celebrations; how to “not cheat on diets,” “stay trim through the holidays,” “beat the holiday bloat,” etc. 

Here’s my advice: 

Don’t worry about it.

I often hear this in my practice: 

“I just need more discipline so I can eat better.” 

“All I need is more discipline to get moving.” 

“If I could just figure out how to have more discipline, I’d be better about food.” 

While these statements comes from a well-intentioned desire for self care, I always try to discourage my clients from doubling down on discipline. For many, it carries a lot of emotional baggage and is often associated with negativity, such as feelings of failure and inadequacy.