Can Functional Nutrition & Body Neutrality Coexist? | Ep 236

For the last podcast of the year, we’re bringing you an unscripted conversation between two friends and colleagues.

Erin and Michelle are two nutritionists who exist in the gray area - the messy middle - of nutrition and wellness. They both live and practice in the space that requires nuance, context, critical thinking, compassion…and conversation.

Today’s episode is a convo between two wellness professionals who work with people to help them feel better, who don’t swear allegiance to any ONE dietary paradigm or methodology, and whose primary focus is to advocate for the needs of their clients. Because it’s their clients who suffer when they try to adhere to the dichotomous “THIS OR THAT” food, nutrition, diet & health rules that run rampant in the wellness space.

Michelle Shapiro is an Integrative Functional Registered Dietitian from NYC with 8+ years of experience serving over 1000 clients to reverse their anxiety, heal longstanding gut issues and approach weight loss lovingly and in a body neutral way. Michelle, in her work, aims to bridge the gap for clients between functional nutrition and body positivity. And that’s exactly what we’re chatting about in today’s show.

In this episode:

What’s the difference between the “diet industry” and “diet culture”? [6:31]

Erin’s 6 minute rant to summarize what she has seen in nutrition over the past decade plus [8:34]

Michelle’s weight loss story [13:22]

Physiological drivers of anxiety & panic attacks [16:28]

The role of self-betrayal in our health [18:12]

Autonomy of thought - the most powerful healing tool you have? [21:48]

The entry point to listening to yourself [23:10]

Intersection between functional nutrition and body neutrality: can they coexist? [29:15]

What’s a consent-based approach to nutrition? [31:09]

Hear why Michelle and Erin get fired up about “conventional medicine disguised as functional medicine” [32:36]

Integration between the physical and the psychological - and why this at the heart of functional medicine [35:42]

Okay I left diet culture…now what?! [38:47]

How pushing through discomfort can mute your body’s signals (and what The Biggest Loser can teach us) [42:07]

When ancient practices become trends - and the problems that can arise [46:50]

The 3Cs that MUST be brought into nutrition [54:50]

Take-away summary of our discussion [55:43]

The one question to ask yourself with all material you read and every interaction with a practitioner [1:00:48]

FOR OUR FULL LIST OF LINKS + RESOURCES, HEAD TO: https://www.thefunktionalnutritionist.com/podcast/236-functional-nutrition-body-neutrality