Full Transcript for Mindful Eating: A Functional Approach to Food and Emotions with Elizabeth Dall

carrying years of stress, perfectionism and diet culture expectations into our mealtime decisions. 00:03:34.275 --> 00:03:49.430 So in this episode, we're going to explore why following the plan isn't as simple as it sounds, how emotions like stress and burnout impact your eating habits, what mindful eating actually means and how to start even when you're busy. 00:03:49.950 --> 00:03:56.070 This one's for the woman who's tired of trying harder and ready to try differently. 00:03:56.070 --> 00:03:56.953 Listen in. 00:03:56.953 --> 00:04:03.631 So, Elizabeth, thank you for joining us on Pivoting Pharmacy with Nutrigenomics. 00:04:03.631 --> 00:04:04.942 I'm so happy to have you here today. 00:04:04.942 --> 00:04:06.567 Yes, thanks for having me. 00:04:06.567 --> 00:04:08.213 You are welcome Now. 00:04:08.213 --> 00:04:12.525 I know your approach is deeply personal and rooted in both science and empathy. 00:04:12.525 --> 00:04:18.286 To kick things off, can you share what first led you to focus on mindful eating and behavior? 00:04:18.305 --> 00:04:18.627 change. 00:04:18.627 --> 00:04:28.549 Yeah, so you know, I started in this industry as a personal trainer and I would give my clients the quote textbook perfect plans, right, follow this, do this. 00:04:28.549 --> 00:04:34.334 And a lot of times they would come back and they weren't getting results because they weren't following the plan. 00:04:34.334 --> 00:04:38.807 And you know my limited knowledge at that time was well, why aren't you following it? 00:04:38.807 --> 00:04:40.221 If you follow it, you'll get the results. 00:04:40.221 --> 00:04:54.961 And what I learned as I kind of dug deeper was that you know, these women that I was working with were trying to fit these perfect plans into imperfect lives and didn't know how to navigate behavior change in ups and downs and all of that. 00:04:54.961 --> 00:05:03.386 So that's what really led me into realizing that you know, change is more about following a very step-by-step plan right, a perfect plan. 00:05:03.386 --> 00:05:08.153 It's more about learning how to implement health into your lifestyle. 00:05:12.920 --> 00:05:15.987 I like that because everyone's different and you can have a plan, but it's general and doesn't necessarily work for everybody. 00:05:15.987 --> 00:05:18.134 I love that because that's what I'm all about too. 00:05:18.134 --> 00:05:28.086 There's this terminology of food freedom, so what does it mean to be a food freedom expert, and why is that so needed today? 00:05:28.947 --> 00:05:56.935 That's a good question and there are a lot of definitions out there or understandings of food freedom, and what I personally believe in the way that I teach my clients is that food freedom is having a good, not perfect, relationship with food, where you are able to eat food that satisfies your body and also feels good and satisfies your life, your lifestyle. 00:05:56.935 --> 00:06:04.021 There's a lot of misconception that food freedom is a free-for-all, where it's okay, I have food freedom so I can do whatever I want. 00:06:04.021 --> 00:06:22.307 But food freedom really is a sign of of health recognizing that I can have these foods and have boundaries around, foods that help my body feel its very best without having so much restriction or free-for-all, that middle. 00:06:23.088 --> 00:06:26.463 I love that because many people think that it's restrictive. 00:06:26.463 --> 00:06:28.046 When you have to change how you eat. 00:06:28.046 --> 00:06:30.392 So why can't I just eat whatever? 00:06:30.392 --> 00:06:39.514 But being able to hone in on what your body actually needs, what makes you feel good, you realize very quickly that you do have a lot of options. 00:06:39.514 --> 00:06:42.646 It's not as restrictive as you thought it would be. 00:06:43.046 --> 00:06:57.784 Yeah, and if we have been living in that diet culture for so long, we're kind of programmed with that restriction mindset and food freedom brings in like yeah, you can still enjoy the foods that serve your body without feeling like it's restrictive. 00:06:58.406 --> 00:07:15.889 Right, and talking about restrictive, I know we touched on a little bit, but I wouldn't be surprised if people who are starting out and changing how they eat for healthy habits feel that things are restrictive, and that might be another key component as to why they have difficulty. 00:07:15.889 --> 00:07:18.593 Let's say, air quotations following the plan, right? 00:07:18.593 --> 00:07:25.134 So can we dive a little bit deeper on that, retouching back on why some people fail at following the plan? 00:07:25.134 --> 00:07:29.971 Is there anything else that you feel contributes to that as well? 00:07:30.860 --> 00:07:32.007 Yeah, I want to give you an analogy. 00:07:32.007 --> 00:07:33.939 I think this might help drive home the point. 00:07:33.939 --> 00:07:37.485 So think about a swing as you pull back the swing. 00:07:37.485 --> 00:07:42.355 The farther you pull back the swing, the further it's going to go in the other direction. 00:07:42.355 --> 00:07:46.243 Pull back the swing, the further it's going to go in the other direction, right. 00:07:46.243 --> 00:07:55.411 And so what happens a lot of times and we're fed this by society and the health and wellness culture sometimes is that the more restrictive we go right, the more strict those results like all of that. 00:07:55.411 --> 00:07:56.921 So we pull that swing back really far. 00:07:56.921 --> 00:08:04.459 We got to be really, really restrictive, but as soon as we do that, we set ourselves up for a really big swing in the other direction. 00:08:04.920 --> 00:08:18.262 And anyone that has experienced this all or nothing, thinking right, this extreme restriction has also experienced that swing to the screw it mentality, the oh well, I've already screwed up, I might as well keep going. 00:08:18.262 --> 00:08:30.608 You know I'm a failure, I don't have any willpower, and it's because we

wind ourselves up so tightly we pull that swing back so tight to say all of these things are off limits. 00:08:30.608 --> 00:08:42.086 And there's this book called Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tripoli and she talks about as soon as you eliminate a food, it builds up a craving for that food and it's very much a similar thing. 00:08:42.086 --> 00:08:52.624 As soon as we start restricting, the more likely we are to then swing the other direction and overeat because, human nature, we don't want to feel that restriction. 00:08:53.085 --> 00:08:54.889 Right, that's a great analogy. 00:08:54.889 --> 00:09:10.652 I love it and so true, so factual, because I know when you get clients who their body is so used to being exposed to certain foods, eating certain foods, taking in certain foods, so yeah, naturally you're going to have that craving for it. 00:09:10.652 --> 00:09:18.481 It's like withdrawals withdrawal from that particular food, or whether it's the salt or the carbs or the sugars. 00:09:18.481 --> 00:09:25.264 You're going to have that and to compensate, you can tend to overdo it and that's where the emotions come in as well. 00:09:25.264 --> 00:09:32.783 So, from your perspective, how do emotions, stress or even perfectionism interfere with lasting habit changes? 00:09:33.564 --> 00:09:41.024 yeah, emotions is a big one, and what I like to tell people is we don't always have control over what emotions we feel. 00:09:41.024 --> 00:10:11.394 We, we can do some proactive things, but life is life and it causes emotions, and so what I like to remind people is that we're allowed to feel the feelings, you're allowed to have those feelings, you're allowed to have stressful days, and I actually invite people to look at emotional eating emotional like emotions as a good thing, because it's your body's way of signaling to you that something is off, something needs to be addressed. 00:10:11.394 --> 00:10:20.643 So, if you are stressed, there's something in your body that is saying, hey, I need some help here, I need some stress management, I need some calm. 00:10:20.643 --> 00:10:23.912 If you're tired, your body's saying, hey, I need some rest. 00:10:24.820 --> 00:10:30.471 And so a lot of people look at emotions as, oh bad, I want to avoid it. 00:10:30.471 --> 00:10:43.903 But I want to kind of flip the script a little bit and switch our mindset to say, okay, these emotions are good because it's what allows me to reconnect with my body, and that's what we need to do in order to have a good relationship with food. 00:10:43.903 --> 00:10:46.226 We need to have a good mind-body connection. 00:10:46.226 --> 00:10:51.124 So if we look at emotions as, hey, this is part of life. 00:10:51.124 --> 00:11:01.953 I can't have a textbook, perfect plan that doesn't ever include emotions, right, if it's part of life, then I can lean into it and say, oh, I see that this is happening. 00:11:01.953 --> 00:11:06.825 Can lean into it and say, oh, I see that this is happening.

00:11:06.845 --> 00:11:07.928 Now I can identify it and do something about it. 00:11:07.928 --> 00:11:12.186 I like that, that mind to body experience, and I guess that's where mindful eating comes into correct. 00:11:12.186 --> 00:11:19.188 So let's transition into that, let's shift into mindful eating, because it isn't just about food, as you're telling us. 00:11:19.188 --> 00:11:23.549 It's about how we relate to our bodies, especially in time, to stress or transition. 00:11:23.549 --> 00:11:27.912 So, elizabeth, tell us exactly what is mindful eating? 00:11:27.912 --> 00:11:30.548 How is it different from simply eating healthy? 00:11:31.379 --> 00:11:35.552 Yeah, we're probably unaware of how chaotic of eaters we are. 00:11:35.552 --> 00:11:48.331 We eat on the go a lot, and so mindful eating really is about kind of like what I mentioned before, this reconnecting of your body and your brain and having an experience with food. 00:11:48.331 --> 00:12:02.527 If we are in diet culture or we've been taught to eliminate foods, we've been taught to turn off or ignore those signals of our body saying we're hungry, we're full, eat this, stop here, right. 00:12:02.527 --> 00:12:07.687 At some point in life we've learned to kind of ignore or turn those signals off. 00:12:07.687 --> 00:12:20.362 And so what mindful eating really is at the core is reigniting those signals, to recognize that you have the ability to know and meet the needs of your own body. 00:12:20.362 --> 00:12:23.650 We've just got to learn to reconnect. 00:12:23.811 --> 00:12:28.735 It's kind of like a plug, right, we're plugging it back in and saying, okay, I'm listening to my body. 00:12:28.735 --> 00:12:32.725 What it physiologically needs, right, it needs nutrients. 00:12:32.725 --> 00:12:33.766 That serves me. 00:12:33.766 --> 00:12:36.812 And also, food is an experience. 00:12:36.812 --> 00:12:58.615 Food is an experience in so many different areas of our life, right, own, in groups, in events, and so when we're creating a good experience with food and our bodies being nurtured physiologically, physically that's where the mindful eating comes in is we're capturing both of those okay, I love that. 00:12:58.975 --> 00:13:05.684 Now is it possible to achieve optimal nutrition without tracking or counting like calories or tracking what you eat? 00:13:05.684 --> 00:13:07.110 What do you recommend? 00:13:08.033 --> 00:13:19.003 Yeah, that can seem like a very foreign concept for some, especially if you have tracked for a long time, but I'm going to give you another analogy, because this is what I do. 00:13:19.003 --> 00:13:21.086 I think about a baby. 00:13:21.086 --> 00:13:29.628 I have a toddler right now and she knows exactly how much food she wants, she knows when to stop, she knows what she wants. 00:13:29.628 --> 00:13:31.952 And we have that gift in our body. 00:13:31.952 --> 00:13:32.702 We were born with it. 00:13:32.702 --> 00:13:38.881 Every single person was born with their

body saying I have the gift of knowing what my body wants and needs. 00:13:38.881 --> 00:13:45.090 I know how to start, I know how to stop and at some point in our life, kind of like I mentioned, we lose that connection. 00:13:45.090 --> 00:13:46.211 We lose that. 00:13:46.211 --> 00:13:48.394 But the cool thing is is it's still there. 00:13:48.394 --> 00:13:50.403 The gift is still there. 00:13:50.403 --> 00:13:52.229 It's just about refinding it. 00:13:52.309 --> 00:14:04.633 And so people that have relied on tracking for a long time, it can take a little bit of time to transition to this concept of mindfully eating our foods. 00:14:04.633 --> 00:14:15.272 But as you learn the skill and the practice of mindful eating, you go from being someone that might be like, well, my body mindfully wants all the cookies all day. 00:14:15.272 --> 00:14:30.470 Right, I mean, that's what we usually start with because it makes sense, but you do transition to a place where, oh, I recognize that my body feels better with this and that, and I know that these nutrition guidelines are here for a reason. 00:14:30.470 --> 00:14:31.639 They don't have to be restrictive. 00:14:31.639 --> 00:14:36.868 But, yeah, we understand what proteins and fats and carbohydrates do for our body. 00:14:36.868 --> 00:14:41.327 When we understand that, we can learn then how to put it in balance. 00:14:41.327 --> 00:14:42.350 I like that. 00:14:42.419 --> 00:14:46.051 So let's see how this can be applied, Elizabeth. 00:14:46.051 --> 00:14:51.085 So what are two or three simple ways to begin eating more mindfully, especially for busy women? 00:14:51.486 --> 00:14:59.268 Yeah, the first thing that I would suggest is picking one meal a day to start, if you can even just do one. 00:14:59.268 --> 00:15:11.793 I know we have busy lives, but if you can sit down for maybe 10 of 15 minutes with a meal per day and you start by asking yourself what am I feeling right now? 00:15:11.793 --> 00:15:17.344 So you're checking in with your body, you're creating that plug, right, you're plugging in and you're saying, okay, I'm checking in, what am I feeling? 00:15:17.344 --> 00:15:18.404 Am I feeling hungry? 00:15:18.404 --> 00:15:19.947 Am I feeling like I want a snack? 00:15:19.947 --> 00:15:20.769 Do I want a meal? 00:15:20.769 --> 00:15:23.313 Right, I'm sitting down, checking in. 00:15:23.313 --> 00:15:30.206 What do I feel right now, how do I want to feel when I'm done? 00:15:30.206 --> 00:15:48.072 So you're creating some of those boundaries for yourself of how do I feel right now and how do I want to feel when I'm done with this meal, and then spend 10 minutes calmly you know, not chaotically, which we're so used to doing sitting down with that meal and and paying attention, paying attention to that bite, paying attention to those signals. 00:15:48.072 --> 00:15:52.385 And as you do that, you'll start to, you'll start to recognize those signals. 00:15:52.385 --> 00:15:54.191 Oh, this is a fullness

signal. 00:15:54.191 --> 00:15:57.288 This is a signal that says, oh, I feel satisfied. 00:15:57.288 --> 00:16:10.312 And when we're not paying attention, we often go past satisfied because we're so chaotic about it, let's get another one, okay, yeah, the second one from there that I that I usually tell people is we. 00:16:10.941 --> 00:16:18.241 In order for our body to rely on those hunger and fullness signals, we need to give it the right nutrients. 00:16:18.241 --> 00:16:27.205 We can't really rely on the signals if we're just eating like bagels and cookies all day right, because it's not telling our body what it needs. 00:16:27.205 --> 00:16:34.668 And so I like to have a very basic setup of do you have some protein in your meal? 00:16:34.668 --> 00:16:41.121 I like to say about a palm size portion of protein, so you don't have to weigh or measure, but just look at your palm. 00:16:41.121 --> 00:16:43.102 That's about what fits your needs. 00:16:43.604 --> 00:16:45.945 Do you have a palm-sized portion of protein? 00:16:45.945 --> 00:16:46.625 Great. 00:16:46.625 --> 00:16:51.830 What about a fist-sized portion of veggies? 00:16:51.830 --> 00:16:53.130 Those are our fibers. 00:16:53.130 --> 00:16:55.852 Those are a little bit of carbohydrates as well, right. 00:16:55.852 --> 00:17:00.876 Do you have a hand-cup size of carbohydrates? 00:17:00.876 --> 00:17:08.227 This could be fruits, this could be higher fiber carbohydrates you know your height like whole grains and things like that. 00:17:08.227 --> 00:17:12.804 And do you have some fats, maybe about a thumb size amount of fat? 00:17:12.804 --> 00:17:24.893 And if we can put those all together in a meal which isn't as hard as you think, it's pretty simple then we can, from there, rely on those hunger and fullness cues. 00:17:24.893 --> 00:17:35.132 So I like to tell people start getting mindful with your meals and then let's start adjusting your nutrition so that we can give that your body the right nutrients. 00:17:35.132 --> 00:17:40.967 That then can help you listen, because protein is a fullness macronutrient. 00:17:40.967 --> 00:17:43.051 It helps you feel full and satisfied. 00:17:43.051 --> 00:17:48.254 If you have some protein, your body's going to say, great, I feel full and satisfied, I can stop eating. 00:17:48.254 --> 00:17:54.067 So each macronutrient plays a role in helping our body hear that signal. 00:17:54.449 --> 00:18:08.581 Yeah, that's a great way to imagery for clients to really understand how much the portions that they should be eating of certain classes or groups of foods right. 00:18:08.581 --> 00:18:13.238 And I think what could resonate most with our audience, especially the practitioners who are listening, is that your approach goes beyond nutrition facts and protocols. 00:18:13.238 --> 00:18:17.035 And so many of us in healthcare we're trained to deliver evidence-based recommendations. 00:18:17.035 --> 00:18:33.054 But, as we mentioned earlier, we often see that

patients and clients, they struggle to implement those recommendations, those guidelines, and I remember looking up and seeing that in studies nearly 80% of people already know what they should be doing for their health. 00:18:33.054 --> 00:18:36.789 But knowledge doesn't always translate to action. 00:18:36.789 --> 00:18:40.982 And that's the gap where real coaching and behavior change come in. 00:18:40.982 --> 00:18:48.867 And that's where your work really stands out, elizabeth, blending that science of nutrition with the human side of change. 00:18:48.867 --> 00:18:51.492 So let's dive into that, into science. 00:18:51.492 --> 00:18:56.291 How do you bring the science and the soul together in a way that creates lasting transformation? 00:18:56.900 --> 00:19:00.386 Yeah, that's a good question and I think a lot of people have the science right. 00:19:00.386 --> 00:19:03.392 We're told, like, these are good foods for you. 00:19:03.392 --> 00:19:05.581 I think there's a lot that you know. 00:19:05.581 --> 00:19:10.252 Oh, this study showed that this nutrient or this program worked. 00:19:10.252 --> 00:19:12.201 Right, we have that science. 00:19:13.424 --> 00:19:25.444 The second layer here with this is a lot of times when we're approaching change, it can come for a lot of people from a place of shame. 00:19:25.444 --> 00:19:46.172 Um, you know, if you go to your doctor, if you are a practitioner, you maybe have taken their biometric numbers and it's come into some red zones or whatever, and you're telling your patients, hey, you need to change this and you need to change this, and even the kindness words can still feel very much shame based. 00:19:46.172 --> 00:19:54.880 Right, I need to change these, I have to shift this and I like to invite people to again kind of flip that script. 00:19:54.880 --> 00:20:03.224 Instead of trying to escape our bodies because that's what shame leads to, this desire to I've got to get out of my body, I've got to escape this. 00:20:03.224 --> 00:20:04.826 It's wrong, right, it's wrong. 00:20:04.847 --> 00:20:09.023 Yeah, can we shift to say you know what? 00:20:09.023 --> 00:20:17.927 I'm here, I have these numbers, I recognize it, but can I instead create change from a place of nurture and nourishment? 00:20:17.927 --> 00:20:19.992 This this is the body I have right now. 00:20:19.992 --> 00:20:29.403 And when we approach it from change, we tend to go into that all or nothing cycle, the restriction, you know all of that. 00:20:29.403 --> 00:20:37.829 But when we approach it from a place of my body is worthy of nurture and nourishment, no matter where it is, no matter what my results say. 00:20:37.829 --> 00:20:55.784 When I start to shift that perspective and say, okay, I can start giving it food that serves my body, I can start moving in a way that serves my body as soon as I've entered into a place of I'm worthy of being nourished, that's when real change happens. 00:20:57.067 --> 00:20:59.873 And we definitely

want to see that real change. 00:20:59.873 --> 00:21:02.266 Wow, that's really good. 00:21:02.266 --> 00:21:13.234 So still along the topic of the science behind mindful eating what exactly does the science say about metabolism, weight or hormones? 00:21:13.234 --> 00:21:14.676 Yeah, that's a good question. 00:21:15.520 --> 00:21:36.688 The science is that when we restrict, our bodies adjust, and so the more that you're putting yourself in restrict and binge cycles, your body gets out of whack because your metabolism is going to adjust to what you tell it to do. 00:21:37.409 --> 00:21:49.865 If're in a really negative, like in a high calorie deficit, your metabolism is going to drop because it's going to say, oh, you're not fueling me, so I'm not necessarily going to use those calories. 00:21:49.865 --> 00:21:50.246 And I was. 00:21:50.246 --> 00:22:07.084 I was just thinking I don't know why this came to my mind, but there was a starvation study where there was a bunch of men that were starved I want to say it was like in Nazi Germany, but I could be a little bit wrong but they were very, very, very malnourished and it was really interesting because they followed them. 00:22:07.084 --> 00:22:19.648 You know, after the fact, once they were refed, and so many of these men had so many struggles with binge eating and like overeating because they were restricted for so long and that. 00:22:19.648 --> 00:22:33.734 I know that was an older study, but it is a really valuable information to say the more that we restrict, the more likely we are to be affected with more binge eating behaviors later on. 00:22:34.420 --> 00:22:42.080 Yeah, so definitely mindful eating affects the hormones because that comes down to an imbalance of the appetite hormones. 00:22:42.080 --> 00:22:44.266 We want to do that binge eating. 00:22:44.266 --> 00:22:53.594 Mindful eating definitely helps with that and it supports the blood sugar regulation and definitely reduces that crash dieting, that crash dieting effect. 00:22:53.594 --> 00:23:05.411 And you mentioned metabolism because you have this rest and digest mode that you put the body in because you're not like overeating, you're not continuously eating, so you're going to improve digestion Right. 00:23:05.411 --> 00:23:07.300 And also we talked about those nutrients. 00:23:07.300 --> 00:23:22.226 We want those nutrients to be absorbed and, of course, with the weight regulation, so studies definitely support the effects, those benefits of mindful eating when it comes to how those hormones and metabolism and digestion even are weight management. 00:23:22.226 --> 00:23:24.532 So it's definitely backed by science. 00:23:24.532 --> 00:23:33.852 But yeah, that study is interesting because you would think calorie deficit and that's what a lot of people focus on when they want to lose weight is that calorie deficit? 00:23:33.852 --> 00:23:41.168 But in extremes, not realizing that the long-term effects is going to have, the backfire effect is going to have towards your weight loss goals? 00:23:41.600 --> 00:23:44.390 Yeah, I like to tell people your body will usually match your habits. 00:23:44.390 --> 00:23:50.733 So if you create some of those good habits, your body is naturally going to get to that place. 00:23:50.733 --> 00:23:52.363 And cool isn't that? 00:23:52.363 --> 00:23:55.732 Like that sounds so much easier than all the restriction methods. 00:23:56.140 --> 00:23:57.367 Yes, it doesn't have to be that complicated. 00:23:57.367 --> 00:23:58.996 Yeah, Now I know there have to be that complicated. 00:23:58.996 --> 00:24:02.173 Yeah, Now I know there's some myths out there. 00:24:02.173 --> 00:24:03.260 Can we talk about those? 00:24:03.260 --> 00:24:07.164 What myths about mindful eating or food freedom do you often need to correct? 00:24:07.865 --> 00:24:08.886 Oh, that's a good question. 00:24:08.886 --> 00:24:18.453 Probably the first is that, you know, going away from restriction and tracking, people often think that means I can do whatever I want. 00:24:18.453 --> 00:24:42.168 Or you know, I can eat whatever I want because I have this food freedom and and I like to think of it kind of we could kind of think of it like the swing again, or the or the, like a pendulum, where you, where you know, on one extreme we have extreme restriction, right, we cut foods out, we track them, we drop calories, and then on the other end, oh, I'll eat whatever I want whenever I want. 00:24:42.168 --> 00:24:45.635 Well, food freedom exists in the middle. 00:24:45.635 --> 00:24:48.126 It's okay to have some boundaries. 00:24:48.126 --> 00:25:02.508 I like to say boundaries are good, right, having things like yeah, maybe one of my boundaries or protocols that I follow is that I try to get protein with every meal because I know how it makes my body feel. 00:25:02.508 --> 00:25:05.895 So that has nutrition science behind that boundaries. 00:25:05.895 --> 00:25:08.849 But I also get to choose what that looks like. 00:25:08.849 --> 00:25:20.710 Or, you know, I don't necessarily have all the treats in my house all the time, but I know they're available to me if I want to go to the store and I'm craving a treat In fact, one of my favorite things. 00:25:20.850 --> 00:25:22.696 I used to really struggle with M&M's. 00:25:22.696 --> 00:25:27.708 If they were around me, I just ate them all the time and it was like really stressful and I made peace with M&M's okay. 00:25:27.708 --> 00:25:32.237 But it's so fun because M&M's is my road trip snack. 00:25:32.237 --> 00:25:33.659 Every time we go on a little road trip. 00:25:33.659 --> 00:25:42.741 I always go to the gas station when we like fill up with gas and I get like a little bag of M&M's and it's so enjoyable for me and it's available all the time. 00:25:42.741 --> 00:25:45.768 I could go to the store anytime and get a bag of M&M's. 00:25:45.768 --> 00:25:48.512 But it's that pendulum balance right. 00:25:48.512 --> 00:26:00.058 I

know when it fuels my body and I don't want to eat it all day long and every day, but I do enjoy it occasionally and most of the time I'm still following those nutrition principles. 00:26:00.058 --> 00:26:10.746 So that's really what brings the balance together, so that we're not visualizing it as a free-for-all right, and I love that you brought up the boundaries. 00:26:11.386 --> 00:26:24.392 Not having those foods that are tempting or weaknesses or kryptonite in the house is a great method because, yes, you can always go to the store and get it, but if it's there all the time, what are you likely going to do? 00:26:24.392 --> 00:26:25.973 Why be tempted? 00:26:25.973 --> 00:26:28.234 Right, why be tempted? 00:26:28.234 --> 00:26:34.956 Yeah, mine is Starbucks Skittles ice cream, so they're not in the house on a regular basis at all. 00:26:34.956 --> 00:26:37.598 And with a six-year-old, you know I have to have some goodies. 00:26:38.098 --> 00:26:39.238 But some healthy ones yeah. 00:26:40.219 --> 00:26:40.939 So I love sharing. 00:26:40.939 --> 00:26:43.880 Thanks for sharing that very useful point with the boundaries. 00:26:43.880 --> 00:26:50.163 I would love to hear some client success stories, or at least one if you are able to share with us. 00:26:50.163 --> 00:26:51.283 Yeah. 00:26:51.303 --> 00:26:51.944 I'd love to share. 00:26:51.944 --> 00:26:57.167 So I had one client this this might be a good one. 00:26:57.167 --> 00:27:09.990 Um, she for 30 years dieted restricted sugars, restricted carbohydrates, was afraid of them for 30 years of her life. 00:27:09.990 --> 00:27:23.762 And this is the the cool part six months of working together, she was able to shift that fear of food to being able to enjoy food again. 00:27:23.762 --> 00:27:29.677 And it was really exciting because she would send me pictures of her meals and she said I love food again. 00:27:29.677 --> 00:27:34.549 And then look at the colors on my plate and she's like I avoided sandwiches for 30 years. 00:27:34.549 --> 00:27:37.095 And she's like look, I'm eating a sandwich for the first time. 00:27:37.095 --> 00:27:38.646 And this is the cool thing. 00:27:38.747 --> 00:27:50.774 Okay, she was in menopause first of all, which is a unique transition in a woman's life, and she was able to lose weight and she didn't restrict. 00:27:50.774 --> 00:28:02.441 She learned how to listen to her body, support her body's needs, give it the food that felt good to her, that she enjoyed, and she was able to change her body. 00:28:02.441 --> 00:28:13.672 And before, for 30 years, she was taught that she had to be so low, like, so restricted, and not enjoy food in order to maintain, you know, her body weight. 00:28:13.672 --> 00:28:17.394 And she was able to, like you know, drop weight if she would be more strict. 00:28:17.394 --> 00:28:20.225 Right, those things happened, but she was in prison. 00:28:20.566 --> 00:28:36.743 She was in prison for so long and, as she started to learn how to eat mindfully, enjoy foods that satisfied her body, without tracking them, weighing them them she was able to find the balance that her body needed and she didn't gain a ton of weight. 00:28:36.743 --> 00:28:38.366 She didn't lose control. 00:28:38.366 --> 00:28:47.536 I think a lot of people are really afraid that they'll go from restriction to losing control, and that can happen if you have been highly restrictive throughout your life. 00:28:47.536 --> 00:28:49.309 Like we have to work on that balance. 00:28:49.309 --> 00:28:56.432 But it can come, and that's a really one of my favorite success stories that it really is possible. 00:28:57.045 --> 00:29:15.650 That's a great experience and story to bring out because, especially with that fear of food, I think many more people are out there with that than we know and healthcare practitioners, who see their patients on a regular basis, are in the ideal position to be able to pick up on that. 00:29:15.650 --> 00:29:18.737 But I think many of them don't know the signs. 00:29:18.737 --> 00:29:31.416 So would you be able to maybe point out some red flags or signals that a patient may be stuck in this toxic food belief or diet mentality that practitioners could pinpoint or questions that they could ask? 00:29:31.416 --> 00:29:32.879 Yeah, that's a good question. 00:29:33.646 --> 00:29:37.717 You know, I would probably just go right in and say how do you eat? 00:29:37.717 --> 00:29:40.854 Ask them, you know, do you track your calories? 00:29:40.854 --> 00:29:43.032 Do you follow a particular plan? 00:29:43.032 --> 00:29:56.892 Because that will give you kind of a first step insight in their behavior, right, what they generally do, and then you could ask them a little bit of their eating behavior history, right, what has that looked like for you? 00:29:56.892 --> 00:30:06.206 And that can guide you into asking some more specific questions, right, and sometimes some of these are sensitive and we have to be very sensitive. 00:30:06.206 --> 00:30:24.034 But, you know, asking them how they're feeling about their relationship with their body and their relationship with food, and you can usually get a lot of information when you start to see what their food behaviors are, because it's usually tied to how they feel about their body, right, is it? 00:30:24.034 --> 00:30:35.758 I'm trying to escape, I'm being restrictive, I'm tracking because this is the only way and as soon as you identify some of those behaviors, you can then identify, kind of, where they're at in the diet cycle. 00:30:36.345 --> 00:30:38.051 Okay, those are great points. 00:30:38.051 --> 00:30:39.375 Thank you for sharing that, elizabeth. 00:30:39.375 --> 00:30:43.974 Now for those women you and I both work with our clients. 00:30:43.974 --> 00:30:45.658 They're women burnt out. 00:30:45.658 --> 00:30:49.776 You know, they're professionals working, they're burnt out and they're dieting. 00:30:49.776 --> 00:30:52.233 What's the first thing you

want her to know today? 00:30:52.233 --> 00:30:59.708 Oh, that's such a good question because we know they're tired. 00:30:59.728 --> 00:31:04.156 If she's burnt out and dieting she's tired, yeah, and that's a bad combination for your body, right? 00:31:04.156 --> 00:31:09.074 Physiologically, your body is worn out and so it's going to be really hard to give those signals. 00:31:09.074 --> 00:31:19.242 And so I guess I just want to give anyone listening permission to slow down a little bit and to build that relationship with your body again. 00:31:19.242 --> 00:31:32.539 Clearly, it's been burned out for a reason and we've kind of ignored some of those signals, and so let's invite ourselves to start reconnecting, as if you would a relationship with a significant other, right? 00:31:32.539 --> 00:31:42.748 Hey, we need to improve this relationship, we need to communicate, we need to be kinder to each other, we need to have a conversation about what needs to stay and what needs to go in order for this relationship to thrive. 00:31:43.609 --> 00:31:51.072 And I always tell women you are worthy of time, so you're worthy of the time your body needs to be taken care of. 00:31:51.072 --> 00:31:53.578 We have unique needs as women especially. 00:31:53.578 --> 00:31:59.356 Like that's really important and you are worthy of it taking time. 00:31:59.356 --> 00:32:12.754 We live in a society where everything is fast and quick results, you know, and these changes take time and you are worthy of it taking time to make those changes. 00:32:12.754 --> 00:32:27.558 But it comes down to first really identifying where that relationship is in dissonance and how can we start building it back up, and what needs to go and what needs to stay so that you can put priority on your health. 00:32:28.566 --> 00:32:31.794 Wow, that is great advice, elizabeth. 00:32:31.794 --> 00:32:32.897 Thank you for sharing that. 00:32:32.897 --> 00:32:42.533 Now can you tell us where listeners can find you, where they can listen to you, because you have your podcast, the woman of wellness podcast they can tune into that. 00:32:42.533 --> 00:32:43.858 How else can they get in touch with you? 00:32:44.481 --> 00:32:45.806 yeah, the podcast is a great place. 00:32:45.806 --> 00:32:49.856 I mean that we talk a ton about relationship with food and body and healthy habits. 00:32:49.856 --> 00:32:52.618 I'm on instagram at a woman of wellness. 00:32:52.618 --> 00:32:55.189 I'll actually make sure you have this link. 00:32:55.189 --> 00:33:03.767 I have a free mindful eating audio meditation and if we want to include it in the show notes and you can just download it, it's like six minutes long where you just sit down. 00:33:03.767 --> 00:33:10.373 It helps you reconnect with the food, helps you create that skill right, that practice of mindful eating. 00:33:10.373 --> 00:33:16.072 So if anyone wants that, I can, I can make sure you have that and just my website owenofwellnesscom. 00:33:16.794 --> 00:33:17.896 That will be great. 00:33:17.896 --> 00:33:19.206 Thank you so much, elizabeth. 00:33:19.206 --> 00:33:20.971 It's been a pleasure having you on the show. 00:33:20.971 --> 00:33:21.793 Thanks for joining us. 00:33:21.793 --> 00:33:25.730 Thank you, wasn't that such a refreshing conversation? 00:33:25.791 --> 00:33:32.857 Friend Elizabeth really brought it home the reminder that our relationship with food isn't just about discipline or willpower. 00:33:32.857 --> 00:33:40.889 It's about awareness, connection and giving ourselves permission to slow down and listen to what our bodies need. 00:33:40.889 --> 00:33:49.335 If her mindful approach resonated with you, feel free to check out her Women in Wellness podcast or download her free mindful eating meditation. 00:33:49.335 --> 00:33:51.328 We've linked all of that in the show notes. 00:33:51.328 --> 00:34:00.750 But if you're ready to go deeper, if you're thinking this is what I need, not just another plan, but something tailored to how my body actually works. 00:34:00.750 --> 00:34:05.949 That's exactly what we do inside the Life Balance and Hergalo Health Empowerment Program. 00:34:05.949 --> 00:34:14.568 We use your genetic blueprint to create personalized nutrition, movement and supplement strategies that fit your life, not the other way around. 00:34:14.568 --> 00:34:23.338 So whether you're trying to get off the roller coaster of restriction, optimize your metabolism or just feel better in your body again, we've got a roadmap for that. 00:34:23.338 --> 00:34:37.561 Head to wwwthelifebalancecom that's wwwthelifebalancecom to learn more, or tap the link in the show notes to book a free clarity call. 00:34:38.505 --> 00:34:39.827 Coming up next week on the show. 00:34:39.827 --> 00:34:45.639 We're talking to Jason Ott, integrative health educator and author of no Cure no Problem. 00:34:45.639 --> 00:34:55.831 He's sharing how to layer food, herbs and medical care into a practical system so you can navigate chronic illness or complex symptoms without losing hope or burning out. 00:34:55.831 --> 00:34:57.295 Talk to you next Friday. 00:34:57.295 --> 00:35:04.005 Until then, always remember to raise the script on health, because together we can bring healthcare to higher levels. 00:35:04.005 --> 00:35:04.144 You