This week, we're joined by Dr. Anna Colton, a clinical psychologist and eating disorder specialist passionate about helping families to prevent passing on food and body image struggles to the next generation. She's the author of How to Talk to Children About Food, recently featured in The Times and ITV’s This Morning.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating parenting, recovery, or both to learn how we can break the cycle of disordered eating by fostering healthier food narratives for the next generation.

Whether you're in recovery or supporting someone who is, this conversation is a powerful reminder that healing is possible and essential when raising children.

Key Takeaways:

• How childhood messaging about food and body image influences long-term beliefs
• Supporting recovery as a parent while protecting your children from harmful narratives
• Why the “good vs. bad food” binary causes harm, especially in schools
• How to navigate food talk with children if you're struggling yourself
• How to create age-appropriate, inclusive, and curious conversations about nutrition
• The reality of recovery: why motivation doesn’t always start with self
• The cultural pressure of “clean eating,” GLP-1 medications, and the impact on children

Timestamps:

• 02:00 – The story behind Anna's book
• 05:30 – Where food beliefs begin in childhood
• 11:10 – The harms of diet culture in schools
• 17:20 – Healing when you’re still struggling yourself
• 23:00 – Recovery as a form of parenting
• 30:00 – Why disordered eating is often overlooked
• 33:40 – The danger of unregulated weight loss meds

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of eating disorders, disordered eating, and weight loss medication, which may be triggering for some listeners.

Resources & Links:

• Book: How to Talk to Children About Food Book
• Connect with Anna via: Website | Instagram

Connect with Us:

• Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
• Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
• Read our latest blog here

Thank you for listening and being part of this important conversation!

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Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛