Food Psych Podcast with Christy Harrison

#331: How Is Your Relationship with Alcohol? Ft. Jenna Hollenstein

9 snips

Jan 23, 2025

Jenna Hollenstein, an anti-diet dietitian and author, shares her journey through alcoholism and recovery while exploring the connections between disordered eating and drinking. She discusses the cultural push for sobriety and the impact of mindfulness on one’s relationship with alcohol. Jenna reflects on her personal battles with loneliness and anxiety, advocating for emotional healing through self-kindness. The conversation also critiques how wellness culture can sometimes overshadow authentic emotional understanding, offering a fresh perspective on sobriety and wellness.

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ANECDOTE

Early Drinking and Disordered Eating

Jenna Hollenstein started drinking at 12 to cope with anxiety and depression.
This continued through high school, college, and early adulthood, intertwining with disordered eating.

INSIGHT

Questioning Alcohol's Role

Jenna questioned alcohol's positive portrayal after 15 years of drinking.
Standard quizzes and social normalization delayed her recognizing a problem.

ANECDOTE

Quitting Alcohol

Jenna's breaking point involved a serious relationship ending and a new job starting.
She quit drinking on her 33rd birthday after a three-week intensive outpatient program (IOP).

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Dietitian and author Jenna Hollenstein joins us to discuss her experience with alcoholism and recovery, the intersection of disordered eating and disordered drinking, the sobriety trend in wellness culture, Dry January, mindful drinking, “food addiction,” and more. (This episode is cross-posted from our other podcast, Rethinking Wellness.)

Paid subscribers can hear the full interview, and the first half is available to all listeners. To upgrade to paid, go to rethinkingwellness.substack.com.

Jenna Hollenstein, MS, RDN, CDN, is an anti-diet dietitian-nutritionist, certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, speaker, meditation teacher, and author of five books, including Eat to Love and Intuitive Eating for Life. She blends Intuitive Eating with mindfulness to help people transform food and body shame into joyful eating and movement.

Jenna received a BS in nutrition from Penn State University and an MS in nutrition from Tufts University. She has trained in numerous integrative modalities, including polyvagal theory, somatic self-compassion, trauma-sensitive mindfulness, and embodied social justice.

Jenna has spoken at universities, retreat centers, and extensively online for both consumer and clinician audiences. Her work has been featured in the The New York Times, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, Yoga Journal, Health, Self, Lion’s Roar, Mindful, Vogue, Elle, Glamour, and Women’s World. Learn more about her work at jennahollenstein.com.

Check out Christy’s three books, Anti-Diet, The Wellness Trap, and The Emotional Eating, Chronic Dieting, Binge Eating & Body Image Workbook for a deeper dive into the topics covered on the pod.

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 more critical thinking and compassionate skepticism about wellness and diet culture, check out Christy’s Rethinking Wellness podcast! You can also sign up to get it in your inbox every week at rethinkingwellness.substack.com.

Ask a question about diet and wellness culture, disordered-eating recovery, and the anti-diet approach for a chance to have it answered on Rethinking Wellness. You can also subscribe to the Food Psych Weekly newsletter to check out previous answers!