279. Can Growing Up with an Almond Mom Affect Your Relationship with Food? with Dr. Katia Arroyo-Carrion

“An unhealthy relationship with food, it’s a mask. It’s covering everything. And we remove that, it’s going to show all of the cracked foundations, and then that’s when the real work begins.”What if your struggles with food are connected to your relationships and experiences, not a lack of willpower? In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Katia Arroyo-Carrion, a licensed clinical psychologist and trauma specialist, to talk about relational trauma and how it can shape your relationship with food and your body. We explore how early relationships, “almond moms,” and diet culture can contribute to food struggles like restriction, emotional eating, and binge eating. Dr. Katia also shares how to reframe these behaviors as coping tools rather than personal failures, approach shame with more compassion, and find the right support to begin healing your relationship with food.✅ What You'll Learn:The difference between small “t” and big “T” trauma, and how any relational trauma can show up in other areas of your lifeWhat an “almond mom” is and how that relationship dynamic can affect your relationship with foodWhy restriction, dieting, emotional eating, and binge eating can sometimes function as coping or protective toolsHow to look at shame with more curiosity instead of treating it as proof that you’ve done something wrongHow diet culture can reinforce shame, guilt, inadequacy, and unhealthy beliefs about food and body sizeWhy it’s important to find providers who understand trauma and are willing to examine their own biases around food and bodies🔗 Resources:Episode 133. How Noom Uses Anti-Diet Language to Sell a Dieting ProgramGrab the Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale and take your next step toward building trust with your body and foodConnect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebelStruggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

“The reality is that the more you are eating consistently and enough, which is part of intuitive eating, that the more physiologically your brain will feel safe to feel less frantic around food.”There is so much misinformation online about intuitive eating. I see it constantly getting watered down, oversimplified, and turned into things that it was never intended to be. In this episode, I’m busting five of the biggest intuitive eating myths, including the idea that it’s simply about eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re full, or that it means you’ll lose control around food or gain weight. My goal is to clear up some of the confusion and help you better understand what intuitive eating actually looks like in real life and how it can support a healthier relationship with food.✅ What You'll Learn:Why intuitive eating is about much more than simply following hunger and fullness cuesHow dieting and restriction can disconnect you from your body's hunger and fullness signalsHow intuitive eating incorporates satisfaction and nutritionWhy feeling out of control around food can actually be a result of restriction and dietingWhy the scale isn't a measure of success or failure with intuitive eatingHow intuitive eating can be adapted to work alongside medical conditions and individualized nutrition needs🔗 Resources:Episode 238. Carbs Aren’t the Problem: What Actually Affects Insulin Resistance with Kristie MesserliGrab the Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale and take your next step toward building trust with your body and foodConnect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebelStruggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

“It’s not that the food’s bringing me any emotions. It’s that I’m actually able to feel the emotions of the place that I’m at and the thing that I’m doing.”How many people in your life really know about your struggles with food? In this episode, I’m talking with Kelsey, a Diet Culture Rebel client, about the food guilt, restriction, and diet culture rules she spent years navigating behind the scenes. She shares what her journey with intuitive eating has looked like and how working with a dietitian has helped her find more flexibility, trust, and enjoyment around food. Her story is a reminder that healing your relationship with food doesn’t have to be perfect, and it starts with one small step at a time.✅ What You'll Learn:How food guilt and restriction can become a cycle that feels difficult to breakThe ways diet culture can influence what we think “healthy eating” should look likeWhy intuitive eating can feel unfamiliar when you’ve spent years following food rulesHow working with a dietitian can support you in creating a different relationship with foodWhat it can look like to move toward more neutrality and flexibility with eatingWhy healing your relationship with food doesn’t have to mean doing it perfectly🔗 Resources:Learn more about working with a Diet Culture Rebel dietitian at DietCultureRebel.com/insuranceGrab the Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale and take your next step toward building trust with your body and foodConnect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebelStruggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

“If someone believes that the body they have today, at this very moment, is a good body that deserves kindness and respect and care, then they’re more likely to make choices nutritionally that help their body feel good or engage in movement to feel good in their body without punishment.”What if some of the things you’ve been taught about weight loss, movement, and health aren’t quite as straightforward as they seem? In this episode, I’m answering three juicy intuitive eating and anti-diet questions from my Rebel listeners, covering calorie deficits and the risks of restriction, finding movement you actually enjoy, and whether intuitive eating and body positivity can support physical health. My answers might surprise you, but my goal is always to give you the information and tools to feel more empowered in the choices you make around food, movement, and your body.✅ What You'll Learn:Why a calorie deficit isn’t as simple or risk-free as diet culture makes it seemHow restriction can affect hunger, food thoughts, energy, and disordered eating behaviorsWhat might be underneath a negative relationship with movementHow to shift exercise away from punishment, guilt, shame, and body controlHow intuitive eating and a more neutral relationship with your body can support physical healthWhy it’s important to release the expectation that there’s one “right” way to eat, move, or care for your body🔗 Resources:Episode 246: What If You Just Try? Jessamyn Stanley on Yoga and Body AcceptanceEpisode 249: Movement Shouldn’t Feel Like Punishment with Coach Tyler BramlettGrab the Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale and take your next step toward building trust with your body and foodConnect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebelStruggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

“Taking the first step is always intimidating, whether it’s to therapy, or whether it’s to finding a non-traditional fitness space for you to feel safe, heard, and acknowledged in.”You can love fitness, but hate the anti-fat bias and weight stigma that is baked into so much of it. Today I’m talking with Wendy Welsher, a USA Weightlifting Level Two coach, masters athlete, and founder of My Jam, about finding your way back to fitness and building a healthier relationship with movement. Wendy shares her experiences with weight stigma, anti-fat bias, diet culture, and eating disorder recovery, and how she created a safe fitness space for people who have felt excluded or harmed by traditional fitness environments. Wendy reminds us that there isn’t a single right way to move your body, and showing curiosity instead of judgment is the first step toward building strength.✅ What You'll Learn:How anti-fat bias and weight stigma can affect your relationship with exercise and fitness spacesWhy movement doesn't have to be punishmentUsing rest, recovery, fueling, and body awareness to better support your relationship with movementHow strength training can help you feel strong, capable, and more connected to your bodyWhy there is no single "right" way for movement to look, and how to experiment with what works for your bodyPractical ways to find fitness spaces and practitioners that align with your values and help you feel safe, supported, and welcome🔗 Resources:Regain ChastainWendy’s Fat Athlete JournalGrab the Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale and take your next step toward building trust with your body and foodConnect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebelStruggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

“A nutrition facts label for one particular food cannot take the context of your meal or day of eating into account.”Nutrition labels can provide useful information, but they can also become a source of food rules, guilt, and shame when diet culture takes over. In this episode, I’m breaking down where the 2,000-calorie reference point came from, why serving sizes are not recommendations for how much you should eat, and how to use nutrition labels in a way that supports nourishment rather than restriction. We’ll also talk about when nutrition labels can be helpful, when they may be doing more harm than good, and how to let your body’s hunger, fullness, and energy cues have a say in how you eat.✅ What You'll Learn:Why the 2,000-calorie reference point on nutrition labels does not represent the individual energy needs of most peopleWhy a serving size is a reference amount, not a rule or recommendation for how much you should eatHow to use nutrition labels to help you add nutrition, energy, fiber, or protein instead of focusing on what you should restrictHow to recognize when nutrition labels are overriding your hunger and fullness cues or contributing to guilt, shame, and food rulesWhy the information on a nutrition label lacks the context of your individual needs, hunger, fullness, and overall meal or day of eatingHow food neutrality and body attunement can help you decide whether nutrition labels are actually supportive for you right now🔗 Resources:Read the article about Nutrition Facts LabelsGrab the Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale and take your next step toward building trust with your body and foodConnect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebelStruggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

“As human beings, we’re complex. There’s lots of nuance in all of this. Healing takes time, it’s not linear.”In this replay episode, I’m joined by Dr. Rachel Millner to talk about setting realistic expectations about what healing your relationship with food and your body can really look like. As a psychotherapist and fat activist helping others recover from chronic dieting, disordered eating, and eating disorders, she explains why healing often isn’t linear, and why letting go of food rules can feel so uncomfortable. She also shares what to look for when choosing a therapist, and the three things that were most helpful in her own recovery from food struggles. It’s a realistic but encouraging conversation that will help you see what’s possible when food no longer takes up so much mental space!✅ What You'll Learn:Why healing your relationship with food is not a linear processHow letting go of food rules can feel uncomfortable, even when it’s helping you healWhat realistic expectations for healing your relationship with food and your body can look likeWhat to look for when choosing a therapist or dietitianThe three things that were most helpful in Dr. Rachel’s own recoveryWhat becomes possible when food no longer takes up so much mental space🔗 Resources:Connect with Dr. Rachel Millner at rachelmillnertherapy.com or on IG @drrachelmillnerGrab the Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale and take your next step toward building trust with your body and foodConnect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebelStruggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

“The goal is not to never think about food. Food is a part of life, we have to think about food sometimes. The goal instead is for food thoughts to take up an appropriate amount of space in your brain, instead of feeling constant, urgent, critical, or all-consuming.”In this Q&A episode, I’m answering three questions that come up often when people are trying to break free from diet culture: Can you reduce food noise without medication? How do you let go of weighing, measuring, and tracking your food? And how can you navigate anxiety and overeating when you’re eating around other people? I’m breaking down how restriction and food rules can contribute to constant thoughts about food, why stepping away from tracking can feel so uncomfortable, and how to begin rebuilding trust in your hunger and fullness cues. I also share practical strategies for social situations, including how to get curious about what’s driving overeating and challenge the beliefs that keep you stuck in the cycle.✅ What You'll Learn:Why food noise can be connected to restriction, inconsistent nourishment, and deeply ingrained food rulesHow to distinguish normal thoughts about food from food noise that feels constant, critical, or all-consumingPractical steps for gradually moving away from weighing, measuring, and tracking food while rebuilding trust with your bodyHow hunger and fullness check-ins can help you develop the skills needed for more intuitive eatingWhy you might overeat or experience food anxiety in social situations, and how to identify what is driving itMindset shifts and practical strategies for eating around other people with more confidence and less pressure to control your food🔗 Resources:Grab the Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale and take your next step toward building trust with your body and foodConnect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebelStruggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

“That safety to talk to your parent about anything, including bodies and appearances, it’s an essential ingredient to then being able to have body confidence.”I’m joined by Zoë Bisbing, a certified family-based treatment practitioner and founder of Body Positive Therapy NYC, to talk about how we can navigate difficult body image conversations with our kids. We discuss what to say when a child says they feel ugly or fat, why immediately reassuring them may not be the most helpful response, and how curiosity and connection can keep the conversation open. Zoë also shares how to teach kids that their bodies are not the problem when someone makes a hurtful comment, how to talk about body size and differences without reinforcing diet culture, and how these challenging moments can actually help build body image resilience.✅ What You'll Learn:Why reassurance isn’t always the most helpful first responseHow to stay curious and create space for your child to share what’s really going onWays to teach kids that their bodies are not the problem when others make hurtful commentsHow to navigate conversations about body size, shape, and differences without reinforcing diet cultureHow these difficult moments can become opportunities to build body image resilience and recognize potential red flags for disordered eating🔗 Resources:Connect with Zoe on IG @mybodypositivehomeGrab the Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale and take your next step toward building trust with your body and foodConnect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebelStruggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

“When we approach nutrition from a place of addition rather than restriction, I think it can become so much more approachable, doable, and honestly, fun.”In this episode, I’m sharing a different approach to nutrition: focusing on what you can add rather than what you should cut out. I walk through three of my favorite ways to add nutrition while emphasizing that eating enough comes before focusing on variety or optimization. I also talk about how healing your relationship with food can give you more freedom to consider nutrition alongside taste and satisfaction, rather than letting calories or diet culture make every decision. The goal is to make nutrition feel enjoyable, flexible, and supportive, not restrictive or rigid.✅ What You'll Learn:Why eating enough is the foundation of nutrition before focusing on variety and micronutrientsSimple ways to add plant-based micronutrients to various dishesHow to add more fiber in ways that feel enjoyable and approachable, using every day foodsHow smoothies can be an easy and fun way to combine a variety of foods, flavors, and nutrientsWhy healing your relationship with food allows you to consider nutrition alongside taste, satisfaction, convenience, preferences, and your body's needsHow to approach nutrition without turning it into another rigid set of rules, tracking system, or source of food guilt and anxiety🔗 Resources:My smoothie guide: dietculturerebel.com/smoothieSunfiber supplement: https://amzn.to/3X0dtcxGrab the Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale and take your next step toward building trust with your body and foodConnect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebelStruggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.