Welcome to our annual best books episode! This year we're switching things up and doing book awards and superlatives for each category, like best book of the year, best series, biggest gut punch, etc. We hope you get lots of recommendations from this episode, and send us your recommendations with favorites from this year too!

Full list of recommendations here: https://www.realfoodwithdana.com/best-books-of-2025/

Find your hosts:

• @danamonsees_cns
• @kara_mccartney

Why "healthy habits" can make us feel like we're failing — and how body image, perfectionism, and all-or-nothing wellness get tangled together.

Feel like you need to earn body acceptance through your healthy habits? Let's talk about the all-too-familiar spiral—when the things we do to support our health start to feel like they're never enough… and our body image takes the hit. In this episode, we're unpacking what happens when body image struggles get wrapped up in our "healthy habits"—and how easy it is to feel like we're failing when those routines shift.

What we cover:

• Why tying health behaviors to body changes can backfire
• How to spot all-or-nothing thinking in your routines - and how to build in flexibility instead
• What acceptance-based therapy actually means
• Boundaries, balance, and the beauty of ebb and flow

If you've felt this way, you're definitely not alone - listen in!

Find your hosts:

• millennialbodyimageproject.com
• @millennialbodyimageproject
• @danamonsees_cns

As the new year begins, many people want to support their health with nutrition — without falling back into rigid resets, rules, or diets. But if you've spent time in the non-diet space, you've likely heard the advice: "Just listen to your body." What happens when that advice feels confusing, overwhelming, or even shame-inducing?

In this episode, we unpack why "just listen to your body" often doesn't work for people recovering from disordered eating, chronic dieting, or managing chronic illness. We explore why hunger and fullness cues can feel unreliable or nonexistent, what actually builds body trust, and how to use gentle structure and support — without returning to diet culture — to nourish your body in a sustainable way.

Episodes mentioned:

• "Why can't I stop eating?" Real talk on overeating, binge eating, and scavenger eating
• So you broke up with dieting…now what?
• Overcoming new year body image sunday scaries
• When you know too much about diet culture (and don't know what to do now)

Find your hosts:

• millennialbodyimageproject.com
• @millennialbodyimageproject
• @danamonsees_cns
• @cristinahoytnutrition

What's the difference between being "just bendy" and hypermobile EDS? Dietitian Cheryl Harris joins us to bust hypermobility myths, explain why diagnosis is so difficult, and talk through connections with the gut, nervous system, POTS, mast cells. Plus, how do hypermobility and hEDS impact nutrition and our relationship with food?

Cheat sheet:

• EDS = ehlers danlos syndrome
• HSD = hypermobility spectrum disorder
• hEDS = hypermobile EDS
• POTS = post orthostatic tachycardia syndrome

Find our guest:

• Cheryl Harris - https://www.harriswholehealth.com/

Find your hosts:

• millennialbodyimageproject.com
• @millennialbodyimageproject
• @danamonsees_cns

A few studies referenced:

• Garcia-Fischer I, Abber SR, Silvernale C, Rodis J, Burton-Murray H, Staller K. Exploring Transdiagnostic Eating Disorder Symptoms and Disorder of Gut-Brain Interaction Symptoms in Individuals With Connective Tissue Disorders. Int J Eat Disord. 2025 Oct 20. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24576 Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41116197.
• Pollack B, von Saltza E, McCorkell L, et al. Female reproductive health impacts of Long COVID and associated illnesses including ME/CFS, POTS, and connective tissue disorders: a literature review. Front Rehabil Sci. 2023;4:1122673. Published 2023 Apr 28. doi:10.3389/fresc.2023.1122673
• Monaco A, Choi D, Uzun S, Maitland A, Riley B. Association of mast-cell-related conditions with hypermobile syndromes: a review of the literature. Immunol Res. 2022;70(4):419-431. doi:10.1007/s12026-022-09280-1

If you've ever felt like emotional eating is a moral failing, this episode is for you! This week we're unpacking emotional eating myths, stigma, and why some approaches to "healing" emotional eating are actually making the problem worse. We'll also talk about how improving your relationship with food shouldn't hinge on weight loss - and what you can do instead.

Check out our holiday food & body image support series here! You'll get 9 short episodes & 3 pdf resources designed to support your nutrition and your relationship with food through the festive season.

Find your hosts:

• millennialbodyimageproject.com
• @millennialbodyimageproject
• @danamonsees_cns
• @cristinahoytnutrition
• patreon.com/millennialbodyimageproject for additional episodes & resources!

We're diving into how to navigate holiday food noise and diet talk during the holidays! With Thanksgiving and the December holidays coming up, conversations around diet and body image can be triggering and pervasive. This episode offers tips and scripts for responding to diet talk, creating boundaries, and protecting your mental health. Whether you choose to engage or step away, we've got practical advice and a downloadable PDF guide to help you handle these situations with confidence - or avoidance!

Download the guide: Navigating Diet Talk at Holiday Events

...or Grab our full holiday food & body image support series (including the PDF above) on Patreon

In our holiday support series, you'll learn how to reframe your mindset, set boundaries, and ensure you can enjoy the holiday season without letting food noise or body image issues disqualify you from the joy and connection that this time of year brings. This includes 9 episodes and 3 PDF resources, including a holiday recipes ebook!

Find your hosts:

• millennialbodyimageproject.com
• @millennialbodyimageproject
• @danamonsees_cns
• @cristinahoytnutrition

If you don't know what "normal" eating feels like any more, or you're confused about how much you "should" be eating, this episode is for you.

Let's talk about overeating, binge eating, and binge eating disorder — and what actually separates them. We'll explore the spectrum of eating experiences — from neutral or emotional eating all the way to diagnosable binge eating disorder — and why understanding the why behind your behaviors matters more than slapping on a label. If you've ever felt confused, ashamed, or stuck in patterns with food, this one's for you.

Holiday food & body image support series - https://www.patreon.com/collection/873080

Find your hosts:

• millennialbodyimageproject.com
• @millennialbodyimageproject
• @danamonsees_cns
• @cristinahoytnutrition

In today's episode, we're talking about why fullness can feel so triggering, whether you're in eating disorder recovery or not. From the fear of "eating too much" to nervous system dysregulation, we break down why satisfaction gets interpreted as danger—and how diet culture plays a major role. You'll hear real client stories, practical tools, and honest insights into how to reframe fullness as safe and necessary, even when your brain is sounding the alarm.

We cover:

• Why being full can feel unsafe
• How restriction shows up in sneaky ways, even in "intuitive eating"
• What to do in the moment when you're starting to freak out
• Nervous system regulation tools to make meals less overwhelming

Listen in for practical tools, real talk, and a big reminder: fullness is not a failure.

✨ Download our free Food Thought Filter tool at millennialbodyimageproject.com/freeresources to start tuning out the food noise and reconnecting with your body.

Resources mentioned:

• Episode: Pitfalls of the hunger-fullness scale
• Resource: the Hunger-Fullness Scale (2025 Edition! With emotional eating cues added)

Find your hosts:

• millennialbodyimageproject.com
• @millennialbodyimageproject
• @danamonsees_cns
• @cristinahoytnutrition

If you've ever stood in front of the fridge wondering what or how much to eat — you're not alone. You're not out of control, you're just tired of the food noise. This episode is part 3 in our Debunking Food Noise series! In this episode, we unpack how food noise, fear-mongering, and perfectionism make you overthink every bite, and how to finally quiet it down. Learn practical tools to rebuild trust with your hunger cues, challenge food rules, and make eating feel simple again.

✨ Download our free Food Thought Filter tool at millennialbodyimageproject.com/freeresources to start tuning out the food noise and reconnecting with your body.

Resources mentioned:

• Burnout recovery and recharging your "body battery" with Dr. Crystal Frazee
• Episode: Pitfalls of the hunger-fullness scale
• Resource: the Hunger-Fullness Scale (2025 Edition! With emotional eating cues added)

Find your hosts:

• millennialbodyimageproject.com
• @millennialbodyimageproject
• @danamonsees_cns
• @cristinahoytnutrition

Where did your food noise start? And is all food noise bad? Welcome back to part two of our debunking Food Noise series! In this episode, we're going deeper into the confusing world of 'food noise' to discuss where food noise comes from. We also talk about its connection with physical hunger, emotional eating, the restriction obsession loop, and the Nutrition Jungle. Because it shouldn't feel like a full time job to feed yourself every day!

Don't miss the first episode in this series, Debunking food noise in the ozempic era

✨ Download our free Food Thought Filter tool at millennialbodyimageproject.com/freeresources to start tuning out the food noise and reconnecting with your body.

Resources mentioned:

• Episode: "Why can't I stop eating?" A deep dive on overeating, binge eating and scavenger eating - https://www.patreon.com/posts/134874056/
• Episode: What to do when listening to your body doesn't work - https://www.patreon.com/posts/134874898/
• Episode: Hack your Health - Secrets of Your Gut {deep dive} - https://www.patreon.com/posts/104743159

Find your hosts:

• millennialbodyimageproject.com
• @millennialbodyimageproject
• @danamonsees_cns
• @cristinahoytnutrition