Food Psych Podcast with Christy Harrison

#333: Blood-Sugar Myths and Intuitive Eating for Diabetes with Janice Dada

Mar 27, 2025

Janice Dada, a weight-inclusive registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, joins the discussion to tackle the stigma surrounding diabetes. She debunks the myth that sugar causes diabetes and argues against the wellness culture's approach to reversing the condition through drastic diets. Janice emphasizes intuitive eating as a key to managing blood sugar, promoting a balanced relationship with food. She also critiques the erroneously simplistic view that weight loss solves diabetes, advocating for individualized dietary support and understanding.

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ANECDOTE

Janice's Food Relationship Journey

Janice Dada grew up with a good relationship with food influenced by her non-dieting mom and grandparents who celebrated food despite traumatic pasts.
Her college years as a nutrition major were the worst for her eating due to diet culture pressures and being scrutinized for food choices.

ANECDOTE

Breaking From Cookie-Cutter Care

Janice started her dietitian career with weight-centric practices but found cookie-cutter diabetes advice ineffective.
In private practice, she embraced intuitive eating and adapted care to individuals, allowing personalized diabetes management.

INSIGHT

Myth: No Sugar or Carbs With Diabetes

The myth that people with diabetes can't eat sugar or carbs is false and causes harmful quality of life restrictions.
People should enjoy food socially and not feel excluded or fearful to eat when dining out with diabetes.

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Dietitian and diabetes educator Janice Dada joins us to discuss why there’s so much stigma and blame on people with diabetes, the wellness-culture belief that people can “reverse diabetes” by restricting foods and taking a bunch of supplements, why people don’t “give themselves diabetes” by eating too much sugar, the myth that people with diabetes can’t eat sugar or carbs, her new book on intuitive eating for diabetes, and more. Behind the paywall, we get into the myths about diabetes and body size, the harms of trying to lose weight with diabetes, issues with the “prediabetes” label, the GLP-1 craze, and how to practice intuitive eating with diabetes. This episode is cross-posted from our other podcast, Rethinking Wellness.

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

Janice Dada is a weight-inclusive registered dietitian with a private practice in Newport Beach, CA. She is a certified intuitive eating counselor, certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES), and certified eating disorders specialist (CEDS). She is passionate about simplifying and destigmatizing the nutrition- and weight-based discourse around diabetes. Intuitive Eating for Diabetes: The No Shame, No Blame, Non-Diet Approach to Managing Your Blood Sugar is her first book.

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!

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