While the song says, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”, it might not always feel that way. Especially when it comes to food, body, and exercise. Whether you have a challenging relationship with these three areas or a positive one, it can be tricky to navigate holiday meals and festivities. Today, we are sharing the Intuitive Eaters Bill of Rights and hope that it can help give you some insights into how to advocate for yourself during this season.

Have you ever heard the phrase, food habituation? If you work with a practitioner who practices Intuitive Eating, if you practice it yourself, or if you are interested in practicing Intuitive Eating someday, you have might heard this phrase. But what does it mean? Check out today’s post to learn more!

Have you ever started your therapy session and when your therapist asks what you want to discuss that day, you say ‘I don’t know.’ Or, ‘I’m not sure.’ Or, ‘Nothing much.’ You are not alone! In today’s Ask the Team, we are diving into some topics of conversation when you don’t know what to talk about.

The assumption that weight is the primary—or only—factor in many health conditions stems from longstanding biases which are deeply ingrained in the healthcare system. Studies show that patients in bigger bodies are often viewed as lazy, non-compliant, or even undeserving of care due to assumptions about their lifestyle choices. We know that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Do you listen to the food police? Have you ever labeled foods as “good” or “bad”? Have you ever wondered at what point these negative internal thoughts around eating and food became ingrained in your psyche? Today, Christine Soviak, RD is talking all about the food police and sharing 8 ways to challenge that voice. Take it away, Christine!

For many people recovering from eating disorders, meal plans offer structure, balance, and a pathway toward physical and emotional healing. But the reality is not everyone can easily afford their meal plan. 

Food insecurity is a real issue affecting many people. Factors like income, access to affordable food options, and the high cost of living significantly influence someone’s ability to meet nutritional needs in recovery. 

Oftentimes, “wellness” culture can add even more stress. Wellness influencers promote organic, specialty, or “clean” foods that appeal to those with eating disorders (especially for individuals whose ED stems from an obsession with “healthy” eating). These items are usually expensive and add little real value in terms of recovery or overall health (and at their core, are just more processed products..!). Worse, pressure to buy into these trends can lead to feelings of guilt, while the stigma against processed foods adds another layer of shame for people working to embrace balanced eating. 

Sleep is a cornerstone of overall health, impacting everything from metabolic function to mental clarity. One of the clearest examples is the role sleep plays in regulating hunger hormones, like ghrelin and leptin. Sleep deprivation throws these hormones out of balance, often leading to increased appetite and cravings. It’s not just about feeling groggy or sluggish after a bad night’s sleep; sleep disruptions can alter your metabolism and affect overall health.

Weekends tend to be very chaotic for people when it comes to eating. Do you struggle with overeating? Let me guess when you overeat you beat yourself up for it? Feeling extra full or even just a little full has the ability to ruin your mood and maybe your day? I am hoping what I have to say about overeating with ease your mind a bit and offer you a better understanding of why you are overeating. Here are 5 things you need to know about “over” eating.

What contributes to the development of an eating disorder? As mental health awareness becomes more prominent and ED research is on the rise, we are finding that many factors are responsible for the development of eating disorders. Some may argue that eating disorders are a lifestyle choice. This is not true at all! Understanding how eating disorders develop is a crucial part to identifying the contributing cause, and is helpful for navigating individualized treatment and recovery.

It’s Friday night—maybe even Thursday—and you're getting ready to head out with friends. You haven’t eaten since lunch, maybe skipped dinner on purpose, and squeezed in a quick workout before hitting the bars. It’s just another night out, right?

It might feel like that, but this pattern of behavior is actually known as "drunkorexia," a term used to describe the practice of restricting food, over-exercising, or purging to compensate for the calories in alcohol. Although not an official diagnosis, it’s a form of disordered eating that essentially prioritizes alcohol over nutrition. It’s become so common, especially in college, that it can be easy to overlook how harmful it really is.

Is this a burning question in your mind; does everyone feel like they have to work out? Why does exercise feel like such a chore? What will happen if I don’t exercise on a regular basis? 

Here are a few things that a positive relationship with movement IS...

What’s diabulimia? This is a term you may not be familiar with, but it’s a dangerous issue that affects individuals with diabetes. People with diabetes are already at higher risk for developing eating disorders (up to 20% of type 1 diabetics will develop an eating disorder in their lifetime). So, what is diabulimia and why is it a problem? 

You might have heard that restriction is the number one driving force behind feeling out of control with food. Feeling out of control with food can play out in various ways such as binge eating until you feel physically uncomfortable, feeling like you can't keep certain foods in the house because you will eat it ALL (GASP), and/or thinking about food all day. Not to mention did you know that restiction of food mimics addiction? Yes, read that again. So generally the people that have rules around food and/or are micromanaging food feel addicted to food. But what does it mean to “restrict”?

Here at Collaborative Counseling and Nutrition we are passionate about helping others create a positive relationship with food and body. We talk a lot about what an unhealthy relationship with food looks like but do you know what a healthy/positive relationship with food looks like?

It has been all the buzz lately with eating disorder treatment research; if you can and how much you should allow exercise while engaging in eating disorder treatment. We have come a long way in understanding the impact of engaging in exercise + eating disorder treatment simultaneously. The biggest thing that stood out to me from the get go is if we are going to intentionally work on our relationship and beliefs around food and body image, why can’t we also do the same thing with our relationship to exercise?

Today, we are sharing an introduction post to eating disorders in marginalized, minoritized, and underrepresented communities. We will cover statistics, stereotypes, and barriers to diagnosis and treatment. Keep an eye out for upcoming posts covering eating disorders in these groups (ie. EDs in the Black Community; EDs in the LGBTQIA2+ Community, etc.).

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number that must tell us a great deal about our health, right? After all, it’s printed at the top of the page, right next to your name and DOB on most medical records, so it must be important!

But what does it really tell us? At its core, BMI only reflects two things: a person’s weight relative to their height. Yet, for reasons that are more historical than scientific, this simplistic metric is widely used by healthcare systems to define health.

Today’s post is inspired by my Intuitive Eating coaching clients. While the Intuitive Eating principles can appear pretty straightforward in the books, in practice, it’s not always smooth sailing. Grab 6 of my favorite practical tips for making your intuitive eating journey just a little easier.

Athletes are not immune from the impact of diet culture. In fact, athletes are 2-3 times more likely to develop an eating disorder compared to non-athletes. Up to 45% of female athletes and 19% of male athletes struggle with disordered eating. Additionally, 84% of female college athletes report having disordered patterns of eating or have engaged in unhealthy weight control practices at one time.

Today, we are talking about different ways of rigid thinking that can show up in our relationship with food and ways to shift to more flexible and fluid ways of thinking.