This episode kicks off the first of a three part series all about intuitive eating. Intuitive eating is a self-care framework for nutrition that helps you let go of dieting and make peace with food. Research shows us that dieting doesn't work long-term (and may even harm health), and intuitive eating offers an alternative option for those who are ready to step out of the yo-yo diet cycle. Many people with PCOS are made to feel like they cannot be intuitive eater because of hormone imbalances, and this could not be further from the truth! 

Join me as I explain the 10 principles to intuitive eating, and be sure to continue listening to parts 2 and 3 as we  can utilize intuitive eating in our PCOS journey.

Tune in to hear:

• The importance of rejecting the diet mentality
• Recognizing the different purposes that foods serve
• The difference between fullness versus satisfaction
• How to practice body respect 
• Honoring your health with gentle nutrition

CONNECT WITH SAM:
Follow Sam on Instagram
Download her free Intuitive Eating Workbook for PCOS
Learn more about the Nourished with PCOS Program

✨ Resources & Links ✨

🎉 Join the waitlist for Nourished with PCOS. Registration will open in mid-September! https://pcosnutritionco.com/nourished-waitlist/

Follow Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pcos.nutritionist/

Today’s guest is Kimmie Singh, a self-proclaimed fat Registered Dietitian based in New York City. She is the owner of Body Honor Nutrition, a nutrition private practice that supports individuals to heal their relationships with food and body. Kimmie supports her clients with a fat-positive and anti-oppressive framework and has a special passion for working with people that have polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Kimmie first shares how her practice helps clients honor their needs and checking in with what they are, and practicing from a Health at Every Size (HAES) approach. She then shares the effects of diet culture that she has seen in practice as well as what to look for when considering if someone has disordered eating. Kimmie also answers some listener questions, including her  suggestions to finding a balance between managing PCOS, Health at Every Size, and not yo yo dieting. Last, Kimmie announces how to get involved with National Association for the Advancement of Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) and the upcoming vote to make weight discrimination illegal in New York.

Today’s episode includes:

• What is Health At Every Size (HAES) and what does it mean?
• The increased risk of eating disorders
• It’s possible to have a healthy life with PCOS
• How do you find a balance between HAES and PCOS?
• Why weight is not important vs other health data metrics
• Anti-weight discrimination in New York City

Links:
https://naafa.org/sizefreedom

CONNECT WITH KIMMIE:
Website: www.bodyhonornutrition.com
IG: @bodyhonornutrition
Twitter: @kimmiesinghrd

CONNECT WITH SAM:
Follow Sam on Instagram
Download her free Intuitive Eating Workbook for PCOS
Learn more about the Nourished with PCOS Program

✨ Resources & Links ✨

🎉 Join the waitlist for Nourished with PCOS. Registration will open in mid-September! https://pcosnutritionco.com/nourished-waitlist/

Follow Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pcos.nutritionist/

Brittany Modell joins me for today’s episode. Brittany is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, co-host of Food Therapy Podcast, and founder of Brittany Modell, Nutrition and Wellness, INC, a virtual nutrition and body image coaching practice. Brittany uses a non-diet approach to nutrition and health and practices from a HAES (Health at Every Size) perspective. 

Brittany is currently planning her wedding, and shares how she is not letting diet culture as a bride-to-be steal her joy from this experience as well as her journey as a weight inclusive dietician. She also shares about diet culture in our everyday lives, including “wellness” apps, social media, and influencers. She also unpacks a lot of great advice for what to do when you have a family and support system who don’t understand your journey of finding peace with food and your body, which can be an obstacle to truly moving on from disordered eating. 

Tune in to hear:

• How diet culture steals from life experiences
• The importance of authenticity and core values.
• The problem with disordered eating being normalized by society
• How to validate your own body
• Weight bias and discrimination and its impact on health
• The disturbing truth about funding weight loss research
• Brittany’s advice for building a safe community of support

CONNECT WITH BRITTANY:
Instagram @nofoodfears
Tiktok @nofoodfears
Website: https://www.brittanymodellrd.com/
Course: https://www.brittanymodellrd.com/the-course

CONNECT WITH SAM:
Follow Sam on Instagram
Download her free Intuitive Eating Workbook for PCOS
Learn more about the Nourished with PCOS Program

✨ Resources & Links ✨

🎉 Join the waitlist for Nourished with PCOS. Registration will open in mid-September! https://pcosnutritionco.com/nourished-waitlist/

Follow Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pcos.nutritionist/

I'm really excited to be answering a couple of listener questions in today’s episode. I answer four questions related to intuitive eating and health conditions, supplements, understanding PCOS after your diagnosis, and tips for getting diagnosed with PCOS when symptoms are being treated by various doctors. I had a lot of fun answering your questions, and I am looking forward to answering more in future episodes.

Questions answered on today's Q&A

•  How do you practice intuitive eating with PCOS when you can't eat certain foods, or you know restricting or eliminating foods will make you feel better?
•  Any tips for getting diagnosed when symptoms of pcos have been treated seperately by physician? (Birth control for no periods, acne cream for acne, ssri for mood etc.) What tests can I ask for?
• Are there any supplements that I recommend as a PCOS registered dietitian?
• I got my PCOS diagnosis awhile ago but still feel depressed about it. I think it’s all of the ”what ifs” and information out there that gets me overwhelmed. What if I struggle with secondary infertility? What if I can’t get my insulin resistance under control? Why should I use Ovasitol instead of metformin? What advice do you have if someone is feeling this way?

CONNECT WITH SAM:
Follow Sam on Instagram
Download her free Intuitive Eating Workbook for PCOS
Learn more about the Nourished with PCOS Program

✨ Resources & Links ✨

🎉 Join the waitlist for Nourished with PCOS. Registration will open in mid-September! https://pcosnutritionco.com/nourished-waitlist/

Follow Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pcos.nutritionist/

Beth Rosen joins me for today’s episode. Beth is a weight-inclusive Registered Dietitian specializing in GI nutrition and disordered eating. Through her virtual private practice, she helps clients with digestive disorders such as IBS and Celiac disease, as well as education for other health professionals.

Beth first shares her personal journey to specializing in gut health after her own IBS diagnosis as well as using a weight inclusive approach with her clients. We then spend our time together talking about IBS and food restriction, respecting our bodies, as well as some specific questions from my audience about bloating, gluten, and dairy, which are big conversation topics in the PCOS space.

Tune in to hear:

• Beth’s journey with gut health
• The connection between gut health and eating disorders
• What are the recommended steps to take after an IBS diagnosis?
• The importance of knowing the root cause of health issues
• When does bloating become concerning?
• The four reasons to avoid gluten

CONNECT WITH BETH:

Instagram: @bethrosenrd

Twitter: @bethrosenrd

Website: www.BethRosenRD.com

Download Beth’s free IBS organizer: https://bethrosenrd.com/its-time-you-owned-your-ibs/

CONNECT WITH SAM:

 Follow Sam on Instagram

 Download her free Intuitive Eating Workbook for PCOS

 Learn more about the Nourished with PCOS Program

✨ Resources & Links ✨

🎉 Join the waitlist for Nourished with PCOS. Registration will open in mid-September! https://pcosnutritionco.com/nourished-waitlist/

Follow Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pcos.nutritionist/

Today’s guest is Danny Shapiro, a Dutch trained Physical Therapist who specializes in manual and movement therapy. Danny believes that everyone who wants to stay active, mobile, and retain their independence should have access to care that focuses on education, empowerment, and long-term healing.

Over the next 40 minutes, Danny and I discuss helping patients feel empowered in their bodies, the individualized nature of therapy exercises, myths and misconceptions from old medicine practices, and Danny’s motto of motion is lotion, and movement is medicine.  

Today’s episode includes:

• When to seek a physical therapist for pain
• Why Danny says weight has never been a topic of conversation
• Identifying the difference between discomfort and pain
• The power of the brain as it pertains to movement

CONNECT WITH DANNY:

IG: @OfficialDannyShapiro

https://projectphysicaltherapy.com/free-discovery-session/ (for people in NY/FL)

CONNECT WITH SAM:

Follow Sam on Instagram

 Download her free Intuitive Eating Workbook for PCOS

 Learn more about the Nourished with PCOS Program

✨ Resources & Links ✨

🎉 Join the waitlist for Nourished with PCOS. Registration will open in mid-September! https://pcosnutritionco.com/nourished-waitlist/

Follow Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pcos.nutritionist/

Finding another dietitian in the PCOS space who fully supports Health at Every Size (HAES), intuitive eating, and takes a non-diet approach is rare and also very exciting. I loved chatting with Kirsten, a registered dietitian who specializes in PCOS as well as binge eating disorders. Kirsten uses her own experiences as an eating disorder survivor and PCOS warrior to help others build a positive relationship with food while balancing hormones.

Kirsten shares her PCOS journey and how she was able to reshape the way she wanted to manage her health and relationship with food while studying to become a dietitian, including intuitive eating and gentle nutrition. She then discusses how intuitive eating can be very successful for someone with a medical condition, and provides advice for people who are fearful they may feel out of control or not sure where to start. 

It was such a pleasure to chat with Kirsten, and I know you will love her story, advice, and tips as well!

Tune in to hear:

• How intuitive eating puts you on the same team as your body, allowing you to work together
• Advice for people who struggle with disordered eating
• Nutrition advice that is misleading and problematic for someone with PCOS
• How to add in foods that are beneficial

CONNECT WITH SAM:
Learn more about the Nourished with PCOS Program and apply here: https://pcosnutritionco.com/nourished-with-pcos/
Follow Sam on Instagram
Download her free Intuitive Eating Workbook for PCOS
Learn more about the Nourished with PCOS Program

✨ Resources & Links ✨

🎉 Join the waitlist for Nourished with PCOS. Registration will open in mid-September! https://pcosnutritionco.com/nourished-waitlist/

Follow Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pcos.nutritionist/

Raise your hand if you’ve been curious about how you can have more flexibility with food and PCOS. One of my former clients, Veronica, joins me for today’s episode about how she wanted to have a better relationship with food, finding food freedom, and how she is now approaching nutrition with the care of a specialist to manage her gestational diabetes.

Veronica begins with sharing her personal PCOS story, learning that nutrition is connected to so many things that affect our well being, and shifting to supporting herself with a non diet nutrition approach has improved her quality of life. Then, Veronica shares about being diagnosed with gestational diabetes, where some of the recommendations from her specialist are rigid, and how she has learned to manage what her body is needing and communicating. Last, Veronica gives very thoughtful advice for anyone who is feeling fear around pregnancy and gestational diabetes.

Not interested in pregnancy or gestational diabetes? You’ll still want to tune in to hear about living life with PCOS and having less restriction around food.

Today’s episode covers:

• How Veronica’s diagnosis of PCOS began
• Integrating nutrition, your body, and quality of life 
• Health isn’t just about PCOS
• Veronica’s pregnancy experience with gestational diabetes
• How to trust your body
• The importance of knowing what’s best for you
• Managing feelings of fear around pregnancy and gestational diabetes

Veronica U. is a past client in my nutrition coaching program and she does not have a bio or contact information to share.

CONNECT WITH SAM:
Follow Sam on Instagram
Download her free Intuitive Eating Workbook for PCOS
Learn more about the Nourished with PCOS Program

✨ Resources & Links ✨

🎉 Join the waitlist for Nourished with PCOS. Registration will open in mid-September! https://pcosnutritionco.com/nourished-waitlist/

Follow Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pcos.nutritionist/

Lauren Leavell joins me for today’s episode. She is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and fitness instructor with a mission to make fitness and movement more inclusive and accessible. She believes that movement should be enjoyed and used as a way of reconnecting with your body.

Lauren talks about why finding a form of movement that is health promoting is important, myths in the fitness industry about forms of exercise, and shares her advice for someone who wants a better relationship with movement. Then, Lauren provides first steps for someone who is starting to increase their movement and finding what works for their lifestyle to ensure they have a positive experience. Last, Lauren describes situations where body movement should not be incorporated in someone’s wellness journey and how to identify red flags when searching for a fitness program, trainer, or gym.

If you currently or have previously struggled with body movement, don’t feel connected to a gym in your area, or can’t find the motivation, this episode is a must listen!

In this episode, we cover:

• The fitness industry and health promoting movement
• Cardio vs strength training
• The importance of not comparing yourself
• Restructuring your expectations
• Motivation and accountability
• How to identify red flags when finding a program, trainer, or gym

CONNECT WITH LAUREN:
Website: https://www.laurenleavellfitness.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenleavellfitness/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laurenleavellfit

CONNECT WITH SAM:
Follow Sam on Instagram
Download her free Intuitive Eating Workbook for PCOS
Learn more about the Nourished with PCOS Program

✨ Resources & Links ✨

🎉 Join the waitlist for Nourished with PCOS. Registration will open in mid-September! https://pcosnutritionco.com/nourished-waitlist/

Follow Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pcos.nutritionist/

Join me for today’s episode for a recap of PCOS Advocacy Day, which took place a few weeks ago on Capitol Hill. This was my fourth year attending, and I begin by sharing about my first experience attending Advocacy Day. I then describe the three “asks” that were on our list this year for PCOS efforts, legislation, and funding. I also share how you can find out more about your legislators and how they are supporting PCOS issues. Progress is being made, and it is truly remarkable to witness this first hand.

Tune in to hear:

• My experience with Advocacy Day
• Specific appropriations and report language requests 
• Co-sponsoring 2023 PCOS Awareness Month
• Joining the Bipartisan Congressional PCOS caucus
• How to get involved in advocacy

Get involved in PCOS advocacy:

Follow PCOS Challenge on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pcoschallenge

CONNECT WITH SAM:
Follow Sam on Instagram
Download her free Intuitive Eating Workbook for PCOS
Learn more about the Nourished with PCOS Program

✨ Resources & Links ✨

🎉 Join the waitlist for Nourished with PCOS. Registration will open in mid-September! https://pcosnutritionco.com/nourished-waitlist/

Follow Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pcos.nutritionist/