

Food Psych Podcast with Christy Harrison
Christy Harrison, MPH, RD, CEDS
Helping people make peace with food since 2013. Registered dietitian nutritionist, certified intuitive eating counselor, and journalist Christy Harrison, MPH, RD, CEDS talks with guests and answers listener questions about making peace with food, healing from disordered eating, learning body acceptance, practicing intuitive eating, escaping harmful wellness culture, and more--all from a body-positive, anti-diet perspective. Along the way, Christy shares her own journey from disordered eater and dieter to food writer and anti-diet dietitian. This podcast challenges diet culture in all its forms--including the restrictive behaviors that often masquerade as wellness and fitness. Food Psych® is designed to offer safe and non-triggering support for listeners in recovery from eating disorders, weight stigma, and body shame. Subscribe for new anti-diet inspiration every week! Learn more and get full show notes and transcripts at christyharrison.com/foodpsych
(Disclaimer: All content in this podcast, including medical opinion and any other health-related information, is for informational purposes only and should not be considered to be a specific diagnosis or treatment plan for any individual situation. Use of the information contained in this podcast does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship.)
(Disclaimer: All content in this podcast, including medical opinion and any other health-related information, is for informational purposes only and should not be considered to be a specific diagnosis or treatment plan for any individual situation. Use of the information contained in this podcast does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship.)
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 26, 2020 • 1h 36min
#257: Body Image Beyond Weight, How to Push Back Against Body Ideals, and Unintentional Restriction with Nadia Craddock, Body-Image Researcher
Body-image researcher Nadia Craddock joins us to discuss body image beyond body size and weight, her experiences in inpatient eating-disorder treatment, colorism and its harmful effects on body image, how to push back against body ideals, and so much more. Plus, in Ask Food Psych, Christy answers a listener question about how to talk to a doctor who put you on an elimination diet that triggered an eating disorder. TW: This episode includes descriptions of Nadia’s traumatic experiences in long-term inpatient eating-disorder treatment, including mentions of self-harm. If this subject matter is likely to be troubling to you, please listen to the introduction for Christy's recommendation of sections to skip. Nadia Craddock is a body-image researcher. She is Research Fellow at the Centre for Appearance Research, at the University of the West of England in Bristol and is a member of the Dove Self Esteem Project partnership team. Nadia is currently leading the development and evaluation of a school-based body image intervention in Indonesia in collaboration with UNICEF Indonesia, the Dove Self Esteem Project, researchers at the University of Indonesia and the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture. Nadia co-hosts the Centre for Appearance Research's podcast, 'Appearance Matters' with Jade Parnell and co-costs 'The Body Protest' podcast with Honey Ross. Find her online at people.uwe.ac.uk/Person/NadiaCraddock. 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 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. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating, Health at Every Size, or eating disorder recovery at christyharrison.com/questions.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Oct 19, 2020 • 1h 14min
#256: How Trauma and Shame Affect Our Relationships with Food and the Body with Judith Matz & Amy Pershing, Anti-Diet Therapists
Anti-diet therapists and authors Judith Matz and Amy Pershing return to the podcast to discuss their latest project, The Body Positivity Card Deck; how trauma and shame affect our relationships with food and the body; intersectionality in body-acceptance work; the role of self-compassion in eating-disorder recovery; and so much more. Plus, in Ask Food Psych, Christy answers a listener question about whether a particular fad diet is misusing the term “intuitive eating.” Judith Matz, LCSW is a therapist, author and nationally recognized speaker on the topics of diet culture, binge eating, emotional eating, body image, and weight stigma. She is co-author of The Diet Survivor's Handbook and Beyond a Shadow of a Diet, and the author of Amanda's Big Dream. Her work has been featured in the media including NPR, The New York Times, and Psychotherapy Networker. Judith has a private practice in Skokie. She recently co-authored The Body Positivity Card Deck (PESI, 2020). Find her online at JudithMatz.com. Amy Pershing LMSW, ACSW, CCTP-II is the Founding Director of Bodywise Binge Eating Disorder Treatment Program, and the Clinical Director of the Center for Eating Disorders in Ann Arbor. She is also the creator of Hungerwise™, an online 9-week program for ending chronic dieting and weight cycling. Based on 30 years of clinical experience, Amy has pioneered a powerful treatment approach for binge eating that incorporates Internal Family Systems theory and the latest somatic techniques for healing trauma. Amy's treatment program also integrates a non-diet “attuned eating and movement" approach and a Health At Every Size philosophy. Pershing lectures internationally and writes extensively on the treatment of BED and her own recovery journey for both professional and lay communities. She has been featured on radio, podcast, and television speaking about BED treatment and recovery, relapse prevention, weight stigma, and attuned eating and movement. She is the winner of BEDA’s 2016 Pioneer in Clinical Advocacy award, and has served on a variety of professional boards. She is the Past Chair of the Binge Eating Disorder Association, and the author of the book Binge Eating Disorder: The Journey to Recovery and Beyond (Routledge, 2018). Amy maintains a clinical practice treating binge eating disorder both virtually and in Ann Arbor. Find her online at TheBodyWiseProgram.com. 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 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. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating, Health at Every Size, or eating disorder recovery at christyharrison.com/questions.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Oct 12, 2020 • 1h 14min
#255: Diet Culture, Dysfunctional Relationships, and Decolonizing the Body with Health At Every Size Social Worker Noel Ramirez
Anti-diet social worker Noel Ramirez joins us to discuss the parallels between disordered eating and dysfunctional relationships, the intersection of eating disorders and substance abuse, creating a sense of home in our bodies, how diet culture shows up in queer male culture, and so much more. Plus, in Ask Food Psych, Christy answers a listener question about whether there’s truly such a thing as “diet-related illness.” Dr. Noel Ramirez is a Philly-based licensed clinical social worker and public health professional. Informed by Immigrant-Filipino parents who love through a sense of home, a chosen Queer family who resist subjugation, and a public health community that seeks to honor social and environmental context, his approach is relational, inter-subjective and grounded in love, honor and respect. Dr. Ramirez received his graduate training in social work from the University of Pennsylvania and his graduate public health training from Drexel University. He recently completed his Doctorate in Behavioral Health from Arizona State University and focused his academic work in developing programing in patient-centered medical homes, integrated-health, recovery oriented primary care and body-positive behavioral interventions. He is a licensed anger management treatment professional, compassion fatigue educational professional, and has a certificate in Clinical Social Work supervision. Currently, Dr. Ramirez teaches a wide range of graduate courses that invite an intersectional approach to social work practice at Columbia University and West Chester University. He is also a project director for medicated assisted recovery initiatives across a network of federally qualified health centers and is a behavioral health consultant for patients in primary care. He is deeply honored to be doing this work and to be in community with caring and compassionate colleagues and social workers. Find him online at NoelBRamirez.com. 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 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. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating, Health at Every Size, or eating disorder recovery at christyharrison.com/questions.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Oct 5, 2020 • 1h 26min
#254: Diet Culture in Yoga Culture with Anti-Diet Yoga Teacher Fiona Flynn, and How to Navigate Orthorexic Thoughts Around Vegetarianism and Veganism with Co-Host Christyna Johnson
Anti-diet yoga teacher and body image coach Fiona Flynn joins us to discuss how yoga philosophy has been co-opted by diet culture, how having “forbidden” foods keeps us stuck in the restrict-binge cycle, how confronting her own weight stigma helped to heal her relationship with her body, bringing an anti-diet approach to the yoga community, and so much more. Plus, Ask Food Psych guest co-host Christyna Johnson answers a listener question about how to navigate orthorexic thoughts around veganism. Fiona Madhuri Flynn E-RYT 500, YACEP, founder and director of Body Wisdom Intuition, is a Health At Every Size® and Anti-Diet advocate, an Intuitive Eating Guide and a Nutrition and Body Image Coach and has been offering support in attuned eating since 2011. Having lived in an ashram for 16 years and taught yoga consistently in the Bay Area since the 1990s, she has experienced the problems with disordered eating and exercise behaviors in the world of yoga, and she is now on a mission to awaken the yoga community to the harmful effects of co-option by diet culture. Her passion and specialty is guiding and supporting people in recovering an easeful and satisfying relationship with food, body and mind. Fiona offers a free monthly “Good Newsletter” with tips and inspiration, one on one guidance, group programs and Yoga Alliance approved continuing education, both in-person and virtually. Believing that compassionate embodiment and empowerment are for EVERY-BODY, scholarships are available for all her offerings. Find her online at BodyWisdomIntuition.com. Christyna Johnson (she/her) is a registered dietitian working with eating disorders and intuitive eating. She provides education on food insecurity, food apartheid, and racial inequity as it relates to health, well-being, and our relationship with food. She works in private practice to support her clients in their journeys towards a peaceful relationship with food and body. In her free time she reads books, takes care of her plant babies, and is slowly learning to explore the outdoors. Find her online at EncouragingDietitian.com. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating, Health at Every Size, or eating disorder recovery at christyharrison.com/questions. Christy's 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 some ideas of how to get started on the anti-diet path. If you're ready to break free from diet culture once and for all, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Sep 28, 2020 • 1h 22min
#253: Diet Culture in Black Communities and in the Church with Joy Cox, Author of FAT GIRLS IN BLACK BODIES
Researcher and author Joy Cox returns to the podcast to discuss her new book, Fat Girls in Black Bodies; diet culture in Black communities and in the church; her evolving relationship with movement, and how it inspired her to co-create the Jabbie app; how to respond to internalized weight stigma and bias; and so much more. Plus, Christy answers a listener question about how to deal with your disordered-eating past following you around the internet. Joy Arlene Renee Cox is an ordinary person who has been given an ordinary opportunity to share stories about people much more fabulous than herself. She is a Philadelphia native, born on the blessed thirty-first day of December. Joy is a claircognizant Capricorn that thrives through connection and love, rooting for the underdogs in life to take their rightful place as overcomers. She is also a doctor, receiving her PhD from Rutgers University–New Brunswick in 2018. Her field of work is centered on fatness, identity, and social change. Reflective of the name she bears, Joy has the cheeks to out smile her detractors. Reflective of her work in print, she has the research to back up her claims. While the spotlight has never been a position she’d prefer to stand in, Joy does believe in speaking up and advocating for what’s right. She is the author of Fat Girls in Black Bodies: Creating Communities of Our Own, published through North Atlantic Books, and the host of the pro-fat, pro-Black podcast Fresh Out the Cocoon. Joy has been featured in articles by the Huffington Post and SELF magazine. Joy has also been on several podcasts, such as Positive Nutrition with Paige Smathers and Food Psych with Christy Harrison. Dr. Cox is simply a conduit through which love, wisdom, and justice flow. Her pride is in her people and her values. Her strength is in her disposition and her intuition. Find her online at DrJoyCox.com. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating, Health at Every Size, or eating disorder recovery at christyharrison.com/questions. Christy's 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 some ideas of how to get started on the anti-diet path. If you're ready to break free from diet culture once and for all, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Sep 21, 2020 • 1h 28min
#252: Why Diet Culture Starts in Infancy, How to Raise an Intuitive Eater, and the "Big Fat Lies" About Body Size with Leslie Moniot
Certified lactation counselor and writer Leslie Moniot joins us to discuss diet culture in the infant-nutrition field, trying to raise an intuitive eater, the difference between intuitive eating in children and adults, why we shouldn’t judge people regardless of how they choose to feed themselves or their kids, and so much more. Plus, Christy answers a listener question about how to talk to diet-culture-entrenched family members about Health At Every Size. Leslie Moniot is a Certified Lactation Counselor and single mother of a 5-year-old daughter, who writes about motherhood, breastfeeding, body liberation, food and more as The Way At Home Mom. After getting pregnant, Leslie moved back to her hometown on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and through a winding road began working for a government program that serves low-income families, where she does prenatal counseling, breastfeeding classes, and peer support for breastfeeding mothers. Leslie has been living the Intuitive Eating and Health At Every Size life for several years after struggling with dieting and disordered eating for too long. Leslie's parenting, dating, and pregnancy pieces have been published on Momtastic.com. She was also the New York contributor for the now shut-down entertainment blog Allie is Wired, may it rest in peace, where she covered pop culture, movies, TV, fashion, beauty, and celebrities. She will probably always be most proud of, for a brief time, writing, producing, and directing her own plays at The People’s Improv Theater in New York. Find her online at WayAtHomeMom.com. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating, Health at Every Size, or eating disorder recovery at christyharrison.com/questions. Christy's 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 some ideas of how to get started on the anti-diet path. If you're ready to break free from diet culture once and for all, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Sep 14, 2020 • 1h 20min
#251: Anti-Diet Pregnancy and Body-Image Resources with Summer Innanen, Plus the State of the Science on COVID-19 and Weight
Body-image coach Summer Innanen returns to the podcast to discuss weight-inclusive pregnancy and postpartum resources; raising socially conscious, anti-diet children; her experiences returning to work from maternity leave; why she rebranded her body-image course; and so much more. Plus, Christy answers a listener question about the current state of the science on COVID-19 and weight. Summer Innanen is a professionally trained coach specializing in body image, self-worth and confidence who helps people all over the world to stop living behind the numbers on their scales through her private and group coaching. She is the best-selling author of Body Image Remix, the creator of the flagship You, On Fire – a 3 month online program to help women break free from body shame and live life on their own terms. And, she is the host of Fearless Rebelle Radio - a podcast about body image, anti-dieting, self-help and feminism. Find her online at SummerInnanen.com. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating, Health at Every Size, or eating disorder recovery at christyharrison.com/questions. Christy's 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 some ideas of how to get started on the anti-diet path. If you're ready to break free from diet culture once and for all, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Sep 7, 2020 • 1h 37min
#250: Body-Image Healing and Body Grief with Brianna Campos, Plus How to Handle Scarcity Mentality Around Special Foods with Savala Trepczynski
SEASON 8 PREMIERE! Therapist and body-image coach Brianna Campos joins us to discuss how to improve body image and fight internalized weight stigma, her concept of “body grief,” how body image is connected to what’s going on in the world around you, and so much more. Plus, Ask Food Psych co-host Savala Trepczynski answers a listener question about how to handle scarcity mentality with special-occasion foods that are typically served at holidays or parties. Brianna Campos is a fat-positive, Health At Every Size provider. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of NJ and also does virtual body image coaching sessions, groups, and workshops. Find her online at BodyImageWithBri.com. Savala Trepczynski is a writer, teacher, and social justice attorney. She is the Executive Director of the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice at UC Berkeley School of Law, convening scholars, activists, lawyers, and community members at the best public law school in the country to tackle social justice problems. Savala and her writing about race, gender, bodies and culture have been featured in/on Time, NPR, Forbes, Bust, The Nation, Detroit Free Press, San Francisco Chronicle, and more. She is a regular keynote speaker and panelist on social justice issues, including body-based bias, implicit bias, structural racism, and understanding Whiteness. She has practiced law in San Francisco and Detroit, MI, and was a law clerk in the Obama Administration’s Office of White House Counsel, where she focused on constitutional law. Before becoming a lawyer, Trepczynski worked at the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Find her online at SavalaT.com and on Instagram @notquitebeyonce. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych. Ask your own question about intuitive eating, Health at Every Size, or eating disorder recovery at christyharrison.com/questions. Christy's 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 some ideas of how to get started on the anti-diet path. If you're ready to break free from diet culture once and for all, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Aug 31, 2020 • 1h 38min
[Repost] #175: The Truth About Digestion and Gut Health with Marci Evans, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and Eating-Disorder Dietitian
Fellow anti-diet dietitian Marci Evans is back! We discuss the intersection of digestive disorders and eating disorders, the risks associated with elimination diets, the role of the gut microbiome in digestion and health, the importance of consistency in self-care and well-being, and so much more! Plus, Christy answers a listener question about why she as a dietitian doesn’t advise people to shift their food choices to less-processed foods. This episode was originally published on November 26, 2018. Marci is a Food and Body Image Healer™. She has dedicated her career to counseling, supervising, and teaching in the field of eating disorders. She is a Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian and Supervisor, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and Certified ACSM personal trainer. In addition to her group private practice, Marci launched an online eating disorders training platform for dietitians in 2015 and co-directs a specialized eating disorders dietetic internship at Simmons College. She volunteers for a number of national eating disorder organizations and has spoken locally and internationally at numerous conferences and media outlets. She loves social media and you can find her on all outlets @MarciRD. Find her online at MarciRD.com. Christy's 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 some ideas of how to get started on the anti-diet path. If you're ready to break free from diet culture once and for all, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Ask your own question about intuitive eating, Health at Every Size, or eating disorder recovery at christyharrison.com/questions. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Aug 24, 2020 • 1h 6min
[Repost] #148: Disability and Diet Culture with Rebekah Taussig, Disability-Rights Advocate and Writer
Disability-rights advocate and writer Rebekah Taussig joins us to talk about why body positivity needs to be a radical and intersectional movement, the connection between body acceptance and disability rights, the many ways in which diet culture has infiltrated disability culture and affects people in disabled bodies, embracing all the emotions that surface when doing anti-oppression work, and so much more! Plus, Christy answers a listener question about quick ways to respond when a friend says something diet-y or body-shaming. This episode was originally published on March 19, 2018. Rebekah Taussig is a Kansas City writer and teacher with her PhD in Creative Nonfiction and Disability Studies. She is interested in the powerful connection between the stories we tell and the world we live in, from physical spaces and economic opportunities to social roles and interpersonal relationships. Her writing contributes to the collective narratives being told about disability in our culture -- empowering, mundane, wild, heart-breaking, exhilarating, ordinary stories of her life lived through a paralyzed body. Find her online at RebekahTaussig.com. Christy's 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 some ideas of how to get started on the anti-diet path. If you're ready to break free from diet culture once and for all, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Ask your own question about intuitive eating, Health at Every Size, or eating disorder recovery at christyharrison.com/questions. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy


