Behind The Bite

By Cristina CastagniniHealth & Fitness Education

Behind The Bite episodes

January 08 Ep 268 Stop Waiting to Be “Thin Enough”: How Diet Culture Puts Your Life on Hold (and Why Losing Weight Isn’t the Answer) with Holly Toscanini
In this insightful episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini sits down with Holly Toscanini, a former weight loss expert turned intuitive living coach, to dismantle the "someday" myth. Holly shares her powerful pivot from running medical weight loss programs to realizing that chasing a number on the scale was actually shrinking her life, not expanding it. Together, they pull back the curtain on the toxic business model of the diet industry, discuss why waiting to be "thin enough" is actually a form of self-abandonment, and how women can reclaim their confidence through self-trust and intuitive eating—especially while navigating the changes of midlife and menopause.
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39 min
January 01 Ep 267 Prescribed to Be Small: Gender, Bodies, and the Trauma Behind “Health” With Wednesdae Reim Ifrach
In this powerful episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini sits down with Wednesdae Reim Ifrach to dismantle the toxic "New Year, New You" narrative and explore the deep intersections between eating disorders, gender identity, and medical trauma. Wednesdae shares their harrowing story of being "prescribed" an eating disorder by a pediatrician at age 10 and how the pursuit of thinness masked a deeper struggle with gender dysphoria. Together, they discuss the current landscape of GLP-1 agonists, the dangers of bariatric surgery, and why healing isn't about fixing yourself—it's about finally being allowed to exist as you are. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone feeling the pressure to shrink themselves to fit into a system that wasn't built for them.
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49 min
December 25, 2025 Ep 266 The BMI Illusion: Praised as “Healthy,” Sicker Than Ever, With Zoe Harwood
In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini sits down with Zoe Harwood to dismantle the dangerous myths surrounding the BMI and the concept of "clean eating." Zoe shares her personal journey from a professional dancer praised for her "discipline" to a woman battling severe Orthorexia—a condition often hidden behind a mask of health and wellness. They discuss how the medical community frequently overlooks eating disorders in individuals who sit within a "healthy" weight range, the toxic grip of social media algorithms, and the frightening reality of navigating pregnancy while fearing medical intervention. This conversation challenges the definition of health, proving that well-being is about far more than a number on a scale or the "purity" of the food on your plate.
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44 min
December 18, 2025 Ep 265 The Anti-Aging Trap: How Diet Culture Keeps Midlife Women Stuck With Debra Benfield
This impactful episode features Debra Benfield sharing her expertise and personal journey through diet culture, ageism, and self-acceptance. The conversation, hosted by Dr. Cristina Castagnini, delves into the pervasive cultural pressures surrounding aging, food, and body image. Debra explains how undernourishment is often disguised as discipline, urges listeners to question “anti-aging” marketing, and offers guidance to reclaim trust and compassion for their changing bodies.
SHOW NOTES: Click here
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Visit the website: www.behindthebitepodcast.com

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49 min
December 11, 2025 Ep 264 Strong Isn’t Starving: Rethinking What It Means to Be a ‘Dedicated’ Athlete With Greta Jarvis
For nearly a decade, Greta was told by doctors, coaches, and the sports culture around her that losing her period as an athlete was just part of the game—a sign of dedication and discipline. It wasn't until after college, when she discovered research on relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S), that she realized her body had been screaming for help all along.
Through her personal recovery and professional training, Greta learned that underfueling is one of the most overlooked issues in athletics—and that what looks like peak performance on the outside can mask serious health consequences on the inside. Together, Dr. Castagnini and Greta explore the dangerous normalization of disordered eating in sports, the signs coaches and athletes need to watch for, and how to create a culture that prioritizes long-term health over short-term performance.
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44 min
December 04, 2025 Ep. 263 From Runway to Recovery: Model Nikki DuBose on Trauma, Body Image, and Healing
In this powerful and deeply vulnerable episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini welcomes Nikki DuBose, a model, author, advocate, and PsyD student, who shares her courageous journey from childhood trauma and eating disorders to a thriving modeling career that masked deep internal struggles, and ultimately to full recovery and healing.
For years, Nikki lived the life everyone envied—gracing magazine covers, walking runways, and embodying what society calls "perfection." But behind the flawless images was a young woman falling apart inside, battling an eating disorder that began at age eight and a relentless pursuit of external validation that could never fill the void within.
Through therapy, spirituality, and profound self-discovery, Nikki learned that the most beautiful transformation doesn't happen on the outside—it happens when you finally come home to yourself. Together, Dr. Castagnini and Nikki explore the reality behind the glamorous facade, the pressures of the modeling industry, and what it truly means to find peace from the inside out.
SHOW NOTES: Click here
Follow me on Instagram @behind_the_bite_podcast
Visit the website: www.behindthebitepodcast.com

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52 min
November 27, 2025 Ep. 262 You Can’t Hate Your Body Into Healing: Heidi Dueweke's Journey Out of Food Rules and Self-Doubt
In this heartfelt and deeply relatable episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini welcomes Heidi Dueweke, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Personal Trainer, who shares her powerful journey from years of self-criticism and rigid food rules to true healing and self-acceptance.
For much of her life, Heidi believed discipline, control, and self-denial would finally bring her peace. Instead, those beliefs led her down a path of perfectionism, food obsession, and shame. Through therapy, education, and self-discovery, she came to understand that you can’t hate your body into healing—and that real change begins when we shift from control to compassion.
Together, Dr. Castagnini and Heidi explore the cultural pressures that normalize disordered eating, the hidden links between anxiety, ADHD, and food behaviors, and the freedom that comes from redefining “healthy” on your own terms. This episode offers hope for anyone stuck in the cycle of self-doubt, restriction, or comparison.
SHOW NOTES: Click here
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48 min
November 20, 2025 Ep. 261 You Can’t See an Eating Disorder: Atypical Anorexia, Weight Stigma & The Care Gap with Dr. Erin Harrop
In this powerful and eye-opening conversation, Dr. Cristina Castagnini welcomes Dr. Erin Harrop (they/them) — a licensed medical social worker, assistant professor at the University of Denver, and leading researcher on eating disorders, weight stigma, and inclusive healthcare.

Dr. Harrop brings both professional expertise and personal lived experience to the discussion, shedding light on how systemic biases and cultural myths about body size shape who receives care — and who gets ignored.

Together, they explore the harmful message that some people are “not sick enough” for treatment and the devastating effects of weight stigma in the medical system. Through compelling real-life examples and research insights, Dr. Harrop helps listeners understand how eating disorders present across diverse bodies, why atypical anorexia remains misunderstood, and what needs to change in healthcare.
SHOW NOTES: Click here
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Visit the website: www.behindthebitepodcast.com

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50 min
November 13, 2025 Ep. 260 Eating Disorder Care, Simplified: How to Understand Levels of Care and Find the Right Fit With Expert Jillian Lampert
In this enlightening episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini welcomes Dr. Jillian Lampert, one of the nation’s leading experts in eating disorder treatment and policy. Together, they unpack the complexities of navigating eating disorder care—from identifying the right level of treatment to understanding how virtual care has reshaped access in the modern era.

Dr. Lampert blends three decades of professional expertise with her personal journey of recovery, offering both compassion and clarity for anyone facing the confusion and stigma that often surround eating disorders. Listeners will gain valuable insights into what “the right level of care” means, why weight bias continues to impact diagnosis, and how hybrid and virtual treatment options are improving accessibility nationwide.
SHOW NOTES: Click here
Follow me on Instagram @behind_the_bite_podcast
Visit the website: www.behindthebitepodcast.com

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45 min
November 06, 2025 Ep. 259 Food, Body & Identity: Untangling the Hidden Layers of Eating Disorders with Psychotherapist Asher M. Seruya
In this insightful and deeply personal episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini sits down with Asher M. Seruya, a psychotherapist whose lived experience with eating disorders, neurodivergence, and Jewish identity informs their clinical practice and advocacy work.

Together, they unpack the complex intersections of culture, family, identity, and neurodiversity that shape how we experience food and body image. Asher shares their powerful story of struggling with restriction, bingeing, and perfectionism—alongside the deep healing that came from understanding how trauma, cultural messaging, and ADHD influenced their relationship with food.

This episode explores how shame and self-judgment evolve through family systems, religious traditions, and social pressures, and how recovery means learning to exist more fully and compassionately in one’s own body.
SHOW NOTES: Click here
Follow me on Instagram @behind_the_bite_podcast
Visit the website: www.behindthebitepodcast.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
44 min