The Embodied & Well Mom Show: Motherhood, Wellness, Body Image and Intuitive Eating with Lindsay Stenovec

We all want our kiddos to feel comfortable in their bodies, but we can’t always protect them from the cultural messaging and outside voices implying that there is a right and wrong way to eat. And for those of us who struggle with eating and body image disorders ourselves, there is the added worry that we might pass these issues on to our children. So, what can we do to raise body positive children with the confidence and autonomy to practice intuitive eating?

Karen Diaz is a registered dietitian certified in intuitive eating. She earned her BS in Dietetics from James Madison University in 2001 and completed her internship at the Cornell Campus of New York—Presbyterian Hospital in 2003. Karen spent several years working as a clinical dietician in the nutrition department at The Renfrew Center, one of the leading centers for eating disorder treatment on the East Coast, before creating The Free Life, a platform designed to support women in overcoming eating and body image disorders. She is also the author of Within: Making Peace with Food and Body Image to Create a Healthy Family and Home.

On this episode of The Embodied & Well Mom Show, Karen joins us to discuss the challenges moms (and parents) face in judging ourselves when it comes to body image and food. She shares the two overarching themes from her book on confronting eating and body image disorders, building yourself up first—and then opening a dialogue with your children. Karen also describes the value in developing a Family Manifesto around food and learning to practice ‘appreciative looking.’ Listen in for Karen’s insight on talking to your kids about cultural messaging and learn her top strategies for raising body positive children!

Key Takeaways

What inspired Karen to specialize in eating disorders

• Addiction issues in family, friend with eating disorder
• 8 years in nutrition department at eating disorder clinic

How we judge ourselves around body image + food

• Rules make it hard to be active participant in relationship
• Remove mom-guilt that we caused child’s issues

The two overarching themes in Karen’s book Within

1. Build self up so strong that diet culture crumbles at feet
2. Open dialogue in home to address struggles

Karen’s Family Manifesto around food

• Set of beliefs, e.g.: food shouldn’t be reward
• Don’t judge other families for different values

The value in facilitating an open dialogue on body image

• Ask questions to let kids be heard
• Avoid bringing own worries into conversation

The concept of appreciative looking

• Look at photographs 3X, find something like
• Learn to see self in different way

Karen’s advice on shifting negative cultural messages

• YOU determine your environment
• Choose foods that taste good, feel good for you

How to educate your kids on cultural messaging

• Point out lack of size diversity
• Discuss shows with personality based on body size

Karen’s insight on talking to preteens about body image

• Proactive strategies (i.e.: write letters to parts of body)
• Don’t panic about phases, doctor’s comments

Connect with Karen

The Free Life

Karen on Facebook

Karen on Twitter

Karen on Pinterest

Within: Making Peace with Food and Body Image to Create a Healthy Family and Home by Karen Diaz RD

Connect with Lindsay

Intuitive Eating Moms

Embodied & Well Mom Show on Facebook

Lindsay on Instagram

Lindsay on Pinterest

Lindsay on Twitter

Lindsay on LinkedIn

Resources

Wendy Yalom Photography

Dr. Marianne Miller specializes in eating disorder treatment for adults and teens. Marianne has been a practicing therapist for more than 20 years, earning her master’s in marriage and family therapy from Abilene Christian University and her doctorate from Texas Tech. In addition to being a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California, she is a member of The International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals Foundation and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. Marianne is committed to helping clients with all types of food and body anxiety through her private practice in San Diego.

On this episode of The Embodied & Well Mom Show, Marianne joins us to share the definition of binge eating disorder and discuss its prevalence in the US. She walks us through her approach to working with a client with binge eating disorder, describing several of the coping strategies she teaches to manage emotions and anxiety. Marianne also explains the spiritual aspect of her work with the clients as well as her support of clients in the LGBTQ+ community. Listen in for Marianne’s insight around the impact of weight discrimination and learn why she is an advocate for Health at Every Size!

Key Takeaways

The definition of binge eating disorder

• Eat excessive amount of food regularly
• Feel shame, regret + distress

The prevalence of binge eating disorder

• Became official diagnosis on DSM-5 in 2013
• Impacts 6% of population (more men than women)
• Common in pregnancy, postpartum

Marianne’s approach to supporting someone with binge eating disorder

• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Dialectical behavior therapy (emotion, anxiety management)
• Family of origin work
• Refer to dietician who specializes in eating disorders

The spiritual aspect of Marianne’s work with clients

• Tap into client’s faith, spiritual beliefs as resource
• Address harmful beliefs (i.e.: body = shameful)

Marianne’s approach to working with LGBTQ clients

• Validate experiences of discrimination
• Understand coming out journey, build chosen family

Why there’s a higher prevalence of eating disorders in the LGBTQ community

• Gender dysphoria in trans individuals (effort to change body)
• Stress from discrimination triggers eating disorder

Marianne’s insight on the impact of weight discrimination

• Some clients shamed by physician
• Work toward self-acceptance (Health at Every Size)
• Think critically about messages you receive

Connect with Marianne

Marianne’s Website

Marianne’s Blog

Marianne on Facebook

Marianne on Instagram

Connect with Lindsay

Intuitive Eating Moms

Embodied & Well Mom Show on Facebook

Lindsay on Instagram

Lindsay on Pinterest

Lindsay on Twitter

Lindsay on LinkedIn

Resources

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Dr. Marsha Linehan

Health at Every Size

Linda Bacon

Association for Size Diversity and Health

Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight by Linda Bacon

Body Respect: What Conventional Health Books Get Wrong, Leave Out, and Just Plain Fail to Understand about Weight by Linda Bacon and Lucy Aphramor

Center for Discovery

Parents receive conflicting messages about feeding. We’re told that getting the right nutrients is incredibly important to our child’s health and wellbeing. Then, we’re told that we should simply offer our kids food and let them decide whether and how much to eat. So, how do we follow both sets of advice? The fact is, nutrition is the result of a trusting feeding relationship, and if you can learn to appreciate your kiddo’s presentation and respond to their cues, you can achieve a stress-free mealtime.

Grace Wong is a certified eating disorder registered dietitian with 15 years of clinical experience in mental health and pediatric nutrition. Grace works with a diverse presentation of feeding and eating disorders and supports children with co-existing conditions like ADHD, autism, sensory processing challenges, anxiety, depression, addiction and trauma. She is committed to helping clients uncover their family feeding history and establish a comfortable environment at mealtime. Grace’s practice is based in Calgary, and she does online coaching through her Facebook business page.

Today, Grace joins us to explain how she supports parents whose kids have complex feeding presentations. She discusses the concept of food acceptance, sharing her aim to get children to a place where variety is not disruptive and her approach to establishing a peaceful mealtime. Listen in for Grace’s insight on the challenges of parenting neuro-diverse kiddos and learn how to appreciate your child’s feeding presentation and build a trusting feeding relationship!

Key Takeaways

How Grace supports parents whose kids eat differently

• Don’t treat child as ‘problem’
• Learn story, family feeding history
• Identify cause of current challenges
• Move child closer to natural trajectory

The tenets of division of responsibility in feeding

• Parents responsible for when, what and where
• Children responsible for whether, how much

The concept of responsive eating

• Relationship rather than set of rules
• Read child’s cues, respond appropriately

Grace’s insight on the idea of food acceptance

• Limited diet grows with experience
• Get to a place where variety not disruptive

The conflicting message parents receive re: feeding

• Nutrition important, necessary for wellbeing
• Offer children food and let them decide

How Grace works to establish a peaceful mealtime

• Collect story and identify stressors
• Give child autonomy to choose or remove
• Address concerns (e.g.: anxiety, appetite)
• Make meals safe + comfortable

The challenges of parenting neuro-diverse children

• Shaming or judgment from friends, family
• Kids employ masking to appear normal
• Increases anxiety, creates more aversion

Grace’s advice on appreciating your child’s presentation

• Develop trusting feeding relationship
• Outcome = nutrition, peace with food

Connect with Grace

Grace on Facebook

Connect with Lindsay

Intuitive Eating Moms

Embodied & Well Mom Show on Facebook

Lindsay on Instagram

Lindsay on Pinterest

Lindsay on Twitter

Lindsay on LinkedIn

Resources

Ellen Satter’s Division of Responsibility

Dr. Katja Rowell

If you have a child with a newly diagnosed food allergy, you are likely consumed with learning as much as you can to keep your kiddo safe and healthy. This may also mean that you are neglecting your own self-care in order to take on the extra responsibility of eliminating allergens from your home and meeting with daycare providers and school administrators to develop a plan for your child. What can you do to take care of yourself during this challenging time?

Diana Rice, RD, is a nationally recognized nutrition professional and family health expert. She is passionate about communicating effective and evidence-based strategies that incorporate good nutrition into the challenges of modern-day life. Prior to launching her consultancy, Diana served as the Associate Director of Nutrition Communications at The Monday Campaigns, where she spearheaded the Kids Cook Monday initiative. Now she focuses on perinatal, infant and child nutrition, and food allergies, working directly with families to implement practical strategies for improved health. Diana is also a frequent contributor to national media publications, including Parents, The Huffington Post, and Everyday Health, among many others.

Today, Diana joins us to describe how a child’s food allergy diagnosis impacts the entire family. She shares the professional advice around introducing allergens early and often, explaining the ‘mom guilt’ she felt for not doing everything she could to reduce her own child’s risk. Diana also walks us through the steps she took to manage her daughter’s allergy to peanuts and tree nuts and offers advice for parents on reaching out for the support you need. Listen in for Diana’s insight into why food allergies are so much more complex than simply eliminating a particular food from your diet—and learn how to advocate for your child AND take care of yourself as an allergy mom!

Key Takeaways

Diana’s transition to motherhood

• Smooth process with first daughter (support network)
• Relocated when second daughter just 3 weeks old
• Started to slack on self-care, developed anxiety

Diana’s second daughter’s health issues

• Introduced potential allergens ‘early and often’
• Diagnosis of allergy to peanuts and tree nuts

How Diana responded to her daughter’s food allergies

• Eliminate foods manufactured on shared lines
• Meetings with daycare providers, school
• Research around brands with dedicated facilities

The professional advice around introducing allergens

• Prompted by study of Israeli kids in UK and Israel
• Introduce potential allergens early to reduce risk

Diana’s mom guilt around her daughter’s allergies

• Couldn’t say ‘did everything I could’
• Tell self that your best is enough

The responsibility of managing a child’s food allergies

• Challenge usually falls to mom
• Focus on child’s needs AND own self-care

Diana’s insight on navigating your child’s food allergies

• Recognize that diagnosis affects whole family
• Get support you need (e.g.: therapist, dietician)

Diana’s advice for parents of children with allergies

• Identify anxiety triggers (i.e.: grocery shopping)
• Connect with other allergy parents
• Set aside time to dig through info
• Talk through concerns with partner

How parents of kids without allergies can provide support

1. Understand risks of cross-contamination
2. Respect school policies re: outside food
3. Cultivate empathy for families with food allergies
4. Don’t give child food without parent permission
5. Celebrate with non-food alternatives (e.g.: stickers)

Diana’s top tip for food allergy moms

• There’s no shame in being ‘that mom’
• You deserve to advocate for family’s health

Connect with Diana

Diana’s Website

Diana on Instagram

Diana on Twitter

Diana on Pinterest

Diana on Facebook

Connect with Lindsay

Intuitive Eating Moms

Nutrition Instincts - San Diego Nutrition Therapy

Embodied & Well Mom Show on Facebook

Lindsay on Instagram

Lindsay on Pinterest

Lindsay on Twitter

Lindsay on LinkedIn

Resources

Born to Eat: Whole, Healthy Foods from Baby’s First Bite by Wendy Jo Peterson and Leslie Schilling

Peanut Allergy Study in Israel vs. the UK

Diana’s Halloween Food Allergy Article

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/Food-Allergies-in-Children.aspx

https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/aap-press-room-media-center/Pages/Food-Allergies-Babies-at-High-Risk.aspx

https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/Approximately-8-Percent-of-Children-are-Diagnosed-with-Food-Allergies.aspx

SIGN UP FOR LINDA'S FREE ONLINE SUMMIT TODAY!

IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BABY WEIGHT - RECOVERY MAMA SUMMIT

During pregnancy and postpartum, your relationship with food changes and your body transforms. This shift is challenging for nearly all new moms, but if you have a history of anxiety, depression, or an eating disorder, that adds another layer of complexity to an already difficult process. So, what kind of support do you need if you are in recovery as you transition into motherhood?

Dr. Linda Shanti is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in San Francisco. She specializes in recovery from eating disorders, body image challenges, anxiety, postpartum depression, and new mom support. Linda is also a well-known speaker and author of the book The Recovery Mama Guide to Your Eating Disorder Recovery in Pregnancy and Postpartum. With 20 years of experience in the realm of compulsive eating, emotional eating, binge eating, bulimia, and anorexia, she is committed to helping women leverage expressive arts, mindfulness, and compassionate mirroring to support recovery in pregnancy and postpartum.

On this episode of The Embodied & Well Mom Show, Linda joins us to explain the proactive approach she took to get support during her own pregnancy, discussing the way her anxiety presented as irritability, anger and hypervigilance. She shares her experience with both food and body image during pregnancy and postpartum and describes how she supports women in decoding the myths around ‘getting your body back.’ Listen in to understand Linda’s approach to working with new moms in recovery—and learn to quiet your overdeveloped self-critic in favor of self-compassion!

Key Takeaways

Linda’s proactive approach to getting support during her own pregnancy

• Brought up history of anxiety, eating disorder at first appointment
• Surprised by irritable depression, rage and hypervigilance

The challenge of supporting a partner with irritable depression

• Looks like pushing away, want to be alone

Linda’s experience with food during pregnancy and postpartum

• Disconcerting ravenous hunger
• Nausea in first trimester (calmed by eating)

Linda’s experience with body image during pregnancy

• Drastic hormonal shifts led to BIG feelings
• Fun to have baby bump in middle of process
• Very rough at end, ‘carting around boulder’

How Linda supports clients around postpartum body image

• Work through grief process
• Decode myths re: diet culture, getting body back

How Linda works with moms in recovery from eating disorders

• Reframe independence as interdependence
• Address overdeveloped self-critic
• Reassess schedule, lower the bar on expectations

Linda’s advice for overachieving first-time moms

• You will come back, have time to self again

Connect with Linda

Linda’s Website

Recovery Mama on Instagram

Recovery Mam on Facebook

Connect with Lindsay

Intuitive Eating Moms

Embodied & Well Mom Show on Facebook

Lindsay on Instagram

Lindsay on Pinterest

Lindsay on Twitter

Lindsay on LinkedIn

Resources

The Recovery Mama Guide to Your Eating Disorder Recovery in Pregnancy and Postpartum by Linda Shanti McCabe

We all want to be good moms, so we set the bar high. In fact, our expectations are SO elevated that we end up neglecting ourselves in order to put the baby first. But what if the moments we think of as mom fails are actually beneficial to our kiddos? What if ‘good enough mothering’ is a good thing for our families? What if—sometimes—it’s okay just to show up?

Today, Jessica Foley and Corinne Crossley join us to explain how they came to work with moms and share the common struggles among their client base. They discuss how guilt and perfectionism lead moms to neglect themselves—especially when it comes to eating. Jessica introduces the concept of ‘good enough mothering’ and Corinne offers insight around giving yourself permission to do less. Listen in for advice on reassessing your basic needs and learn how failing in manageable ways can actually benefit your kids!

Check out Momma Bites!

Show Notes

Intuitive Eating Moms Club

Every mom needs more help than we get. But if you’re a new mom struggling with anxiety and depression, it can be difficult to reach out for support. With or without a diagnosis of PMADs, you deserve help—and yoga therapy may provide just the tools you need to address any physical or emotional imbalances you are experiencing. The best part? Much of it can be done while you’re holding a baby or lying down. No mat required.

Connect with Suzannah 

Suzannah’s Website

Suzannah on Facebook

Suzannah on Twitter

Suzannah on Instagram

SPONSOR:

Intuitive Eating Moms Club

Non-diet wellness made simple for moms.

December's Topic:

A Mindful You! 

A month dedicated to establishing a mindfulness practice and using it to support your eating (and life) experiences.

LEARN MORE

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

Awake at 3 a.m.: Yoga Therapy for Anxiety and Depression in Pregnancy and Early Motherhood by Suzannah Neufeld

Body Full of Stars: Female Rage and My Passage into Motherhood by Molly Caro May

Nancy Bardacke

Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body, and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond by Nancy Bardacke

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Yoga Rising: 30 Empowering Stories from Yoga Renegades for Every Body by Melanie C. Klein

Yoga and Body Image Coalition

Yoga and Body Image: 25 Personal Stories About Beauty, Bravery & Loving Your Body by Melanie C. Klein

No matter what holiday you're celebrating this season, food will be part of it. I know this because across the world, food is used to connect us to each other and our celebration - oftentimes providing symbolic meaning.

So, how did something so meaningful become a source of stress and worry? We'll be diving into that in this episode!

This episode is actually the first of a 5 part audio series to help you find peace with food this holiday season.

Each audio will be short and to the point, because I know that time isn't exactly plentiful around this time of the year (less than 20 min each).

We'll be covering the following...

-Why food is so tough during the holidays and what you can do about it

-Steps to finding peace with food during the holidays

-What happens if you overdo it? 

-How to determine if you're eating emotionally or emotionally eating

-How to know when to say yes and no + cope ahead

SIGN UP FOR THE SERIES HERE --> https://www.intuitiveeatingmoms.com/holidayfoodpeace/

We'll be continuing the conversation in the Embodied and Well Mom Show Playground so if you aren't already a member, make sure you join today so you don't miss out!

Intuitive Eating Moms Club November Topic:

Family Feeding Strategies to Decrease Mealtime Chaos!

Learn more and sign up today!

MEET THE GUEST:

Lauren Sharifi is the mom of a toddler and a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, with a passion for helping others find joy out eating and cooking. Lauren works in private practice in the Boston area where she provides nutrition coaching services for individuals and families with an intuitive eating and health at every size (HAES) approach. She also teaches children's cooking classes with a local cooking program called Kid's Test Kitchen.

Lauren shares her joy for cooking and helping families plan meals on her blog, biteofhealthnutrition.com, and on social media. There you can find easy-to-make, family-friendly recipes and tips for feeding and cooking with kids.

WHERE TO FIND LAUREN ONLINE: Website(s): www.biteofhealthnutrition.com www.asfpeakhealth.com - nutrition coaching services

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/BiteofHealthNutrition/ https://www.instagram.com/laurensharifird/ https://twitter.com/LaurenSharifiRD

EPISODE SUMMARY:  -Lauren Sharifi shares tips on how to encourage kids to get involved in the kitchen without adding stress to the meal prep experience.

-She shares tips and tricks in planning meals for the family while considering their meal preferences.

-She also discusses how to avoid hunger meltdowns right before dinner and what you can do to avoid them.

Lindsay's Links:

www.intuitiveeatingmoms.com (my new website url)

Get your all-access pass to the Intuitive Eating for Moms Starter Series here --> https://www.intuitiveeatingmoms.com/intuitive-eating-for-moms/

Free facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nurturedmamacommunity/

BRAND NEW: Uplevel your intuitive eating and motherhood journey by joining the Intuitive Eating Moms Club. Non-diet wellness made simple for moms. Learn more about it here--> www.intuitiveeatingmoms.club

• In this episode, Valerie shares about her transition into motherhood, learning how to seek help and support and how her professional journey supported her transition into parenthood.
• Valerie talks about how oftentimes the lens we see our experiences through are what define our experiences and impact our decisions. She encourages moms to get in touch with their values, step out of overwhelm and define what their lives will look like when they're living in alignment with their values.

Website: www.theunlimitedmom.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUnlimitedMom/

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/TheUnlimitedMom/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheUnlimitedMom/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/TheUnlimitedMom/

Freebie! The Mommy Pacifier - 5 Simple Steps to Create More Calm http://theunlimitedmom.pages.ontraport.net/mommypacifier

www.intuitiveeatingmoms.com (my new website url)

Get your all-access pass to the Intuitive Eating for Moms Starter Series here --> https://www.intuitiveeatingmoms.com/intuitive-eating-for-moms/

Free facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nurturedmamacommunity/

BRAND NEW: Uplevel your intuitive eating and motherhood journey by joining the Intuitive Eating Moms Club. Non-diet wellness made simple for moms. Learn more about it here--> www.intuitiveeatingmoms.club