Food Psych Podcast with Christy Harrison

Katie Dalebout guest-hosts the show to interview Christy about her new book, The Wellness Trap! Christy shares why she wanted to write a book about wellness, the potential harms of integrative and functional medicine (and why we’re understandably attracted to these approaches), the connections between wellness culture and diet culture, the legacy of the “hysteria” diagnosis and why women are still having to push back against the idea that symptoms are all in our heads, the role of social media in spreading wellness mis- and disinformation, and more. This episode first ran on our new podcast, Rethinking Wellness. Subscribe there for ongoing content! Christy Harrison, MPH, RD, is a registered dietitian nutritionist, certified intuitive eating counselor, and journalist who has been covering food, nutrition, and health for more than 20 years. She is the author of two books, The Wellness Trap and Anti-Diet, and the producer and host of the podcasts Rethinking Wellness and Food Psych, which have helped tens of thousands of people around the world think critically about diet and wellness culture and develop more peaceful relationships with food. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, SELF, BuzzFeed, Refinery29, Gourmet, Slate, the Food Network, and many other publications, and her work is regularly featured in national print and broadcast media. Learn more about Christy and her work at christyharrison.com. Katie Dalebout is a writer who produces and hosts podcasts. Her weekly interview show, Let It Out, began in 2013 and now has over 400 episodes. In 2019 she started producing Spiraling, a mental health show she co-hosts with Serena Wolf. In 2016, she published her book Let It Out, an interactive book about using writing for emotional wellness. She now teaches writing workshops, consults with individuals and brands on creative strategy, and writes a weekly newsletter. She lives in Los Angeles where she walks everywhere like she still lives in New York. If you like this conversation, subscribe to hear lots more like it! You can also sign up to get it in your inbox each week (with a full transcript) at rethinkingwellness.substack.com. Pre-order Christy's new book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 25 release, and get access to an exclusive webinar discussing the book by submitting your proof of purchase at christyharrison.com/bookbonus! If you're looking to make peace with food and break free from diet and wellness culture, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course.

In the penultimate episode of Food Psych, Christy answers an audience question about the wellness-culture trend of monitoring every bodily function, and whether it’s compatible with intuitive eating. Pre-order Christy's upcoming book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 25 release! If you're ready to break free from diet culture and make peace with food, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. For lots more on diet and wellness culture, check out the new Rethinking Wellness podcast! Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or sign up to get it in your inbox each week at rethinkingwellness.substack.com. Ask your own question about intuitive eating and the anti-diet approach at christyharrison.com/questions.

Nutritionist and author Laura Thomas joins us to discuss what it’s like for kids living in the long shadow of “clean eating,” the “almond mom” trend on TikTok, the "wellness to woo pipeline," how parents and caregivers can let go of wellness-culture beliefs about food for themselves and their kids, and more. Laura Thomas is an anti-diet Registered Nutritionist. Her clinical work focuses on supporting parents and families to end intergenerational dieting and body shame, and work towards a greater sense of embodiment and ease in their relationship with food. She supports families of children experiencing a wide range of feeding and eating challenges, such as concerns with weight, very selective eating, food preoccupation, and other feeding and eating differences. Laura also runs the newsletter, podcast, and community Can I Have Another Snack? on Substack, where she is exploring bodies, appetite, and identity with a focus on parenting. She is the author of two books: Just Eat It and How To Just Eat It. If you like this conversation, subscribe to hear lots more like it! You can also sign up to get it in your inbox each week (with a full transcript) at rethinkingwellness.substack.com. Pre-order Christy's upcoming book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 25 release, and get access to an exclusive webinar discussing the book by submitting your proof of purchase at christyharrison.com/bookbonus. If you're looking to make peace with food and break free from diet and wellness culture, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course.

Christy answers a listener question about Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonist drugs, and why we all should be extremely wary of any new diet drug being hailed as a "miracle." Pre-order Christy's upcoming book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 25 release! If you're ready to break free from diet culture and make peace with food, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. For lots more on diet and wellness culture, check out the new Rethinking Wellness podcast! Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or sign up to get it in your inbox each week at rethinkingwellness.substack.com. Ask your own question about intuitive eating and the anti-diet approach at christyharrison.com/questions.

Alan Levinovitz, religious-studies scholar and author of Natural and The Gluten Lie, joins us to discuss the problems with framing eating and wellness practices as “natural,” the weird parallels between gun culture and wellness culture, the tricky balance between empathizing with why people are driven to harmful wellness practices and being clear in calling out misinformation, the need for nuance when discussing the connection between physical and psychological issues, and more. Alan Levinovitz is associate professor of philosophy and religion at James Madison University, and the author, most recently, of Natural: How Faith In Nature's Goodness Leads to Harmful Fads, Unjust Laws, and Flawed Science. Rethinking Wellness now has its own feed! If you like this conversation, subscribe to the new podcast to hear lots more like it! You can also sign up to get it in your inbox each week (with a full transcript) at rethinkingwellness.substack.com. Pre-order Christy's upcoming book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 25 release, and get access to an exclusive webinar discussing the book by submitting your proof of purchase at christyharrison.com/bookbonus.

We discuss whether autoimmune diets really work, placebo effects and the problem with anecdotal evidence about diets, and the harmful side effects that can come from restricting what you eat. For lots more on wellness culture, check out the new Rethinking Wellness podcast! Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or sign up to get it in your inbox each week at rethinkingwellness.substack.com. Pre-order Christy's upcoming book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 25 release! If you're ready to break free from diet culture and make peace with food, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Ask your own question about intuitive eating and the anti-diet approach at christyharrison.com/questions.

Jenée Desmond-Harris, Slate Magazine's Dear Prudence advice columnist, joins us to discuss her path toward making peace with food and realizing she didn’t have food sensitivities, how infertility can make people desperate enough to try dubious wellness-culture treatments, the harmful wellness messages she’s gotten while navigating her son’s sensitive stomach as a breastfeeding parent, how social media influences our relationships with food and body, and lots more. Jenée Desmond-Harris is a Slate staff writer and editor. She writes the Dear Prudence advice column and previously worked at the New York Times, Vox.com and the Root. Find her work at slate.com. If you like this conversation, you can hear lots more like it on the new Rethinking Wellness podcast! Just search for Rethinking Wellness with Christy Harrison wherever you get your podcasts, or sign up to get it in your inbox each week at rethinkingwellness.substack.com. Pre-order Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 25 release! If you're ready to break free from diet culture and make peace with food, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course.

Christy answers an audience question about what to do if you feel out of control with certain foods. We discuss the many reasons why you might feel compelled to eat to the point of discomfort, why you’re not “wrong” or “bad” for doing it, and how to reduce the restrictions that often drive this kind of eating, so that you can feel more at peace with food. (This episode originally aired on June 27, 2022.) Pre-order Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 25 release! If you're ready to break free from diet culture and make peace with food, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Christy's first book, Anti-Diet, is available wherever you get your books. Order online at christyharrison.com/book, or at local bookstores across North America, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Grab Christy's free guide, 7 simple strategies for finding peace and freedom with food, for help getting started on the anti-diet path. Subscribe to our newsletter, Food Psych Weekly, for weekly Q&As and more. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating and the anti-diet approach at christyharrison.com/questions.

Christy answers an audience question about how to avoid eating too little throughout the day and ending up in an unintentional restrict-rebound cycle. We discuss how to reframe the issue so that you’re not forcing yourself to eat or demonizing “overeating,” and explore why tuning into subtle signs of hunger is essential for self-care. (This episode originally aired on June 20, 2022.) Pre-order Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 25 release! If you're ready to break free from diet culture and make peace with food, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Christy's first book, Anti-Diet, is available wherever you get your books. Order online at christyharrison.com/book, or at local bookstores across North America, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Grab Christy's free guide, 7 simple strategies for finding peace and freedom with food, for help getting started on the anti-diet path. Subscribe to our newsletter, Food Psych Weekly, for weekly Q&As and more. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating and the anti-diet approach at christyharrison.com/questions.

Are you “doing intuitive eating wrong” if you find yourself eating just because you feel bored/tired/sad/otherwise emotional, or just because you *want* to eat, without being hungry per se? Christy responds, with 5 key ideas to consider. (This episode originally aired on June 13, 2022.) Pre-order Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 25 release! If you're ready to break free from diet culture and make peace with food, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Christy's first book, Anti-Diet, is available wherever you get your books. Order online at christyharrison.com/book, or at local bookstores across North America, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Grab Christy's free guide, 7 simple strategies for finding peace and freedom with food, for help getting started on the anti-diet path. Subscribe to our newsletter, Food Psych Weekly, for weekly Q&As and more. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating and the anti-diet approach at christyharrison.com/questions.

Casey Gueren, award-winning health journalist and author of It's Probably Nothing, joins us to discuss how to deal with health anxiety, strategies for recognizing and avoiding wellness misinformation online, how to develop greater media literacy, and more. Pre-order Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 25 release! If you're ready to break free from diet culture and make peace with food, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Christy's first book, Anti-Diet, is available wherever you get your books. Order online at christyharrison.com/book, or at local bookstores across North America, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Grab Christy's free guide, 7 simple strategies for finding peace and freedom with food, for help getting started on the anti-diet path. Subscribe to our newsletter, Food Psych Weekly, for weekly Q&As and more. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating and the anti-diet approach at christyharrison.com/questions.

We discuss why intuitive eating is NOT the hunger-and-fullness diet, the real reason many of us eat when we’re “not hungry,” setting boundaries on food talk in a 12-step alcohol-recovery program, how to transition clients from weight loss to intuitive eating, and more. Pre-order Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 25 release! If you're ready to break free from diet culture and make peace with food, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Christy's first book, Anti-Diet, is available wherever you get your books. Order online at christyharrison.com/book, or at local bookstores across North America, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Grab Christy's free guide, 7 simple strategies for finding peace and freedom with food, for help getting started on the anti-diet path. Subscribe to our newsletter, Food Psych Weekly, for weekly Q&As and more. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating and the anti-diet approach at christyharrison.com/questions.

Fitness and wellness historian Natalia Mehlman Petrzela joins Christy to discuss her new book, Fit Nation; the historical shifts that made fitness go from being viewed as a narcissistic practice to being seen as a good thing across the political spectrum; why so many people are disillusioned with our medical system and looking for answers and validation in the alternative medicine space; how people can be critical consumers of online wellness content; and more. (Content warning: discussions of fitness and the food environment.) Natalia Mehlman Petrzela is a historian of contemporary American politics and culture. She is the author of FIT NATION: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession (University of Chicago Press, 2023) and Classroom Wars: Language, Sex, and the Making of Modern Political Culture (Oxford University Press, 2015). She is co-producer and host of the podcast WELCOME TO YOUR FANTASY, from Pineapple Street Studios and Gimlet – and recognized as the “best of 2021” by Vogue, Esquire, the New York Times, and Vulture – and the co-host of Past Present Podcast. Her work has been supported by the Spencer, Whiting, Rockefeller, and Mellon Foundations. Natalia is a frequent media guest expert, public speaker, and contributor to international and domestic news outlets, from the New York Times to the Washington Post to CNN to the Atlantic. She is Associate Professor of History at The New School, co-founded and directed the wellness education program Healthclass 2.0, and is a Premiere Leader of the mind-body practice intenSati. She holds a B.A. from Columbia and a master’s and Ph.D. from Stanford and lives with her husband and two children in New York City. Learn more about her and her work at NataliaPetrzela.com. Pre-order Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 25 release! If you're ready to break free from diet culture and make peace with food, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Christy's first book, Anti-Diet, is available wherever you get your books. Order online at christyharrison.com/book, or at local bookstores across North America, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Grab Christy's free guide, 7 simple strategies for finding peace and freedom with food, for help getting started on the anti-diet path. Subscribe to our newsletter, Food Psych Weekly, for weekly Q&As and more. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating and the anti-diet approach at christyharrison.com/questions.

Christy answers audience questions about how to deal with diet culture in the workplace, whether “lifestyle medicine” is compatible with an anti-diet approach, and whether she thinks diet foods should be forbidden. If you're ready to break free from diet culture once and for all, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Pre-order Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 2023 release! Christy's first book, Anti-Diet, is available wherever you get your books. Order online at christyharrison.com/book, or at local bookstores across North America, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Grab Christy's free guide, 7 simple strategies for finding peace and freedom with food, for help getting started on the anti-diet path. Subscribe to our newsletter, Food Psych Weekly for weekly Q&As and more. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating and the anti-diet approach at christyharrison.com/questions.

Christy answers an audience question about how elimination diets can do damage to your mental and physical well-being, and how/whether to tell a doctor who put you on an elimination diet that it was harmful. If you're ready to break free from diet culture once and for all, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Pre-order Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 2023 release! Christy's first book, Anti-Diet, is available wherever you get your books. Order online at christyharrison.com/book, or at local bookstores across North America, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Grab Christy's free guide, 7 simple strategies for finding peace and freedom with food, for help getting started on the anti-diet path. Subscribe to our newsletter, Food Psych Weekly for weekly Q&As and more. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating and the anti-diet approach at christyharrison.com/questions.

We consider whether labeling some foods as “fun”—and limiting their consumption—is compatible with intuitive eating and diet-culture recovery. If you're ready to break free from diet culture once and for all, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Pre-order Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 2023 release! Christy's first book, Anti-Diet, is available wherever you get your books. Order online at christyharrison.com/book, or at local bookstores across North America, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Grab Christy's free guide, 7 simple strategies for finding peace and freedom with food, for help getting started on the anti-diet path. Subscribe to our newsletter, Food Psych Weekly for weekly Q&As and more. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating and the anti-diet approach at christyharrison.com/questions.

Christy offers 5 tips for dealing with diet evangelists and diet-culture messaging this time of year. If you're ready to break free from diet culture once and for all, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Pre-order Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 2023 release! Christy's first book, Anti-Diet, is available wherever you get your books. Order online at christyharrison.com/book, or at local bookstores across North America, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Grab Christy's free guide, 7 simple strategies for finding peace and freedom with food, for help getting started on the anti-diet path. Subscribe to our newsletter, Food Psych Weekly for weekly Q&As and more. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating and the anti-diet approach at christyharrison.com/questions.

Christy answers an audience question about processed foods, unpacking flawed research and common assumptions about how the food environment interacts with our ability to trust our cravings and internal cues. If you're ready to break free from diet culture once and for all, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Pre-order Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 2023 release! Christy's first book, Anti-Diet, is available wherever you get your books. Order online at christyharrison.com/book, or at local bookstores across North America, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Grab Christy's free guide, 7 simple strategies for finding peace and freedom with food, for help getting started on the anti-diet path. Subscribe to our newsletter, Food Psych Weekly for weekly Q&As and more. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating and the anti-diet approach at christyharrison.com/questions.

We discuss how to avoid falling prey to wellness-culture pressures this holiday season, especially when you’ve had an identity as “the healthy one” in your family. If you're ready to break free from diet culture once and for all, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Pre-order Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, for its April 2023 release! Christy's first book, Anti-Diet, is available wherever you get your books. Order online at christyharrison.com/book, or at local bookstores across North America, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Grab Christy's free guide, 7 simple strategies for finding peace and freedom with food, for help getting started on the anti-diet path. Subscribe to our newsletter, Food Psych Weekly for weekly Q&As and more. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating and the anti-diet approach at christyharrison.com/questions.

What was once called “clean eating” is now being rebranded as “anti-inflammatory.” This week we unpack the evidence behind this wellness-culture trend—and discuss what to do if it’s harmed your relationship with food. Subscribe to our newsletter, Food Psych Weekly for weekly Q&As and more. If you're ready to break free from diet culture once and for all, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Christy's first book, Anti-Diet, is available wherever you get your books. Order online at christyharrison.com/book, or at local bookstores across North America, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Get updates about Christy's second book, The Wellness Trap, which will be available for pre-order soon! Grab Christy's free guide, 7 simple strategies for finding peace and freedom with food, for help getting started on the anti-diet path. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating and the anti-diet approach at christyharrison.com/questions.