Hey there! You have arrived at this blog post because you are currently in the cycle of binge and restriction. Or maybe you landed here to discover if you are engaging in bingeing. To help answer this question, my blog post on the difference between binges and emotional eating will help.

Regardless, you are looking for answers. You are looking for healing. And you are looking to stop the cycle of bingeing that you likely feel shameful for, but can’t seem to end.

Let’s start with the first step in your journey to end restriction.

Repeat after me:

“I AM NOT A BINGER. I AM A RESTRICTER.”

Say it out loud. Yes, in this moment say it out loud so that you can hear these words.

This is an important distinction and step to start the healing process.

A great place to start with the binge/restrict cycle is to become aware of WHERE there is restriction. Heal the restriction and not the binges.

By identifying that you are a restricter before you are a binger. Because what you want to heal isn’t the binge behavior. It is the restriction.

Ask yourself:
Where am I restricting with food and in my life?

Where is there physical restriction?
-Not eating enough
-Only eating certain kinds of foods
-Only eating at certain times

Where is there mental restriction?
-guilt around food
-considering your next diet
-food rules

I suggest taking out a journal to write down where restriction exists physically and mentally. By identifying where restriction is present, you can then take action to shift from the scarcity mindset into the abundance mindset.

Then write down one way that you can end restriction this week. Possibly eating breakfast vs. intermittent fasting. Or identifying a food rule you would like to break. Or eating brownies instead of ignoring your craving. Write it down and commit to making the change.

This will be your first step to ending restriction in your life which will end the bingeing. It takes awareness, hard work and leaning into the terrifying feeling of not dieting and restricting.

The reason we binge is because we restrict. End the restriction and the rest will fall into place

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Confused on how to eat intuitively when healing your gut?

The true definition of intuitive eating is to eat what you want. So how can you eat intuitively if what you want gives you a stomach ache, causes uncomfortable bloat, constipation or embarrassing gas?

To answer this question, we need to rewind it back a bit. Most people who are in pursuit of getting back to the basics of intuitive eating are those who are healing their relationship with food. And typically, this means that at one point in your life, probably for an extended period of time, there was restriction – removal of entire food groups, removal of types of food, food rules, portion control and/or intermittent fasting aka skipping meals.

The reason that this is important to note is that dieting and restriction cause harm to your digestive tract – your stomach, small intestine and large intestine – and the function of digesting your food. What this dysfunction can create is increased constipation, bloating, gas, delayed gastric emptying (gastritis), premature fullness, and disruption or flattening of the villi that line your small intestine which are responsible for this nutrient absorption and creation of digestive secretions to probably break down your food.

Understanding why your gut needs healing is one of the very first steps to actually healing your gut. I see it time and time again where doctors or naturopaths will prescribe a restrictive diet in order to remove the foods that are causing digestive symptoms without first diagnosing any disordered eating that may be present and may be the cause of your gut symptoms. Removing more foods, when there is a history of disordered eating, can instead exacerbate the problem and make it worse. Then what inevitably happens, is feeling like you can never eat “normally” again because of your gut symptoms.

Instead of eliminating more food, the first step is to heal your relationship with food and make peace with your body. You cannot heal your gut until you make peace with food. Disordered eating is way more common that food sensitivities and intolerances.

Intuitive eating is a journey. Knowing what your body wants and craves take time, and also the unwinding of possibly years of dieting, restriction or disordered eating. If you find it hard to eat intuitively because of digestive issues, it is likely because you still have work to do to heal your relationship with food. Also, any time you start adding food back into your diet that you haven’t had in a while, this is going to cause bloat and other digestive symptoms. This is because the food you eat on a daily basis creates the bacteria in your gut. Change the way you eat, and the bacteria changes. Any changes beyond the normal, will cause temporary digestive issues, such as food reintroductions.

 
How to eat intuitively while healing your gut? Work first on making peace with food. Before you do this, eating “what you want” may be guided by factors other than your intuition. Often times, if we have been restricting or adhering to food rules for so long, you crave the foods you don’t allow yourself to have and then when you do have them, they upset your gut which then leads to thinking you need to cut certain foods out. In order to tap into our true cravings, this means allowing all foods to fit and letting temporary gut discomfort that comes with introducing foods back in as we heal.

More things to help:

Download my Four Steps to Food Freedom to help you release food rules to get closer to food freedom.

Schedule a consultation if you are interested in working with me one-on-one. My coaching programs help you to set your own goals to heal your relationship with food. Here is what past clients have to say.

Yesterday I was in line at the grocery store. The line cued right next to the freezer section of ice creams, enticing customers for that “guilty pleasure” to drop into their cart last minute. Two police officers were discussing Halo Top ice cream and what their favorite flavors were. The male cop citing Birthday Cake while the female cop laughed about how she could literally eat half a pint without feeling guilty about it. The guy behind them in line, and in front of me, chimed in and added “but have you tried Bi-Rite Creamery’s ice cream?”

Without knowing it, the man in front of me diverted a conversation about “guilt-free” ice cream to a better suggestion of just eating REAL ice cream - with only full fat milk, cream, sugar and egg yolks. Because it tastes better. And maybe, just maybe, ice cream can be eaten without feeling like it has to be only 280 calories per pint because it is guilt free.

If you were to compare Bi-Rite’s Ice Cream Ingredients, or even Ben and Jerry’s Vanilla to Halo Top’s Ingredients, this paints a different picture of what you are actually eating with added ingredients such as gums and sugar alcohols to lower the calorie count.

Ice cream is supposed to be a treat. Enjoyed on occasion without guilt. Eat the real thing, instead of replacing with a low-calorie version that has been marketing to you “without the guilt.”

Because here is the fact of the matter, when companies market desserts or foods as “guilt-free” this can cause shame when you just want to enjoy the real thing. Shame around food takes the enjoyment out of eating. It places a morality on food - labeling ice cream as either “good” or “bad.” Food should never be moral. Eating food and enjoying dessert when you want it isn’t a moral choice. It’s a personal choice, and one that you should never feel bad about making!

I have seen articles written by the medical community on how to practice guilt free eating and cheat sheets listing foods to eat instead of the dessert you are actually craving. For example, craving ice cream? Blend frozen bananas and eat this instead! Honestly, if you want ice cream, my advice is to actually just have the ice cream. The more banana “nice cream” you eat, the more you may actually wish it was ice cream. The more we deprive, or restrict ourselves from eating sweets that we want, the more we obsess and focus on this food. And then when we inevitably eat real ice cream, we binge on it because we have deprived ourselves of it, which causes feelings of shame. And then feelings of shame are then tied to ice cream, making us feel bad about wanting it whenever we crave it. And the cycle of guilt continues.

This is why “guilt-free” desserts are full of shame. Because banana “nice cream” and Halo Top diet ice cream are marketed to convince us that we can eat “bad” foods without feeling bad about it. When you think about it, this is very twisted marketing. We should have never believed that ice cream, or any dessert, is “bad” in the first place or that banana nice cream is the “good” choice.”

No food should ever be morally better than the other. Because when we label foods this way, we feel guilty or shameful when we eat the “bad” ones.

A reminder that all foods fit.

Need more help finding balance with food and breaking your food rules? Download my Four Steps to Food Freedom guide.

When I make smoothies I follow my simple formula of 3/4 to 1 cup of liquid + 1/2 cup of fruit (or banana) + 1 cup veggies + 1 tbsp. fats + supplements. You can download my current favorite smoothie recipes here. The last piece to any good smoothie are good supplements. These vary from amount to add as well as what exactly the supplement boost is providing - from protein, fibers or added nutrients.

Let’s dive in!

PROTEIN POWDERS
The market for protein powders is a saturated one, mostly with brands and options that include a long list of unrecognizable ingredients, additives, chemicals, sugars and preservatives. For protein powders, I like to keep things simple, preferably with one or just a few ingredients for a chocolate or vanilla flavor when possible.

Here are my favorites that I personally use and rotate through:

Collagen Peptides - I love this supplement for many reasons. One, it is made with one ingredient (check the label of other brands to make sure) and two it has a whole list of benefits from gut healing and tissue repair for post work out thanks to the long list of amino acids.

For plain I like Vital Proteins, Further Food and Ancient Nutrition.

For flavored I like Vital Proteins Dark Chocolate Blackberry, Further Foods Vanilla, Ancient Nutrition Salted Caramel and Primal Kitchen Chocolate.

For another animal based protein, if you like Whey Protein, I strongly recommend buying one where the only ingredient is “grass-fed whey protein” like with this brand.

Vegan Protein

For vegan proteins I recommend sticking with one ingredient proteins like a pea protein or a hemp protein. You can also simply use hemp seeds! 3 tbsp. of hemp seeds = 10g of protein. You can then add a tablespoon of any nut butter to add more protein to your vegan smoothie.

I also love Philosophie Cacao Dream.

FIBER SUPPLEMENTS

I love adding fiber to my smoothies since it can thicken the consistency and also fiber digests slower than fruit and veggies, which keeps you full and satiated longer than just a fruit smoothie which will leave you hungry again about an hour later. Slower digesting foods such as fats and fiber are great for keeping you full until lunch. The first two fiber supplements listed below also contain Omega-3’s for a boost of fat.

1. Ground Flax Seeds. You could also use whole seeds but I find that ground flax seeds blend better. Be aware that these absorb liquid over time, so best to drink after making within the half hour.

2. Chia Seeds. These babies are such a powerhouse of nutrition. Same as flax seeds, they absorb liquid so best to drink within 10-30 minutes as it will thicken your smoothie.

3. Acacia Fiber. A great fiber boost as well!

OTHER SUPPLEMENT BOOSTS

To save on costs, I like to buy in bulk when possible and I don’t dabble in many adaptogenics as they can be expensive and I really don’t understand or notice any benefits of glamorously marketed products like Sex Dust. lol.

Maca Powder
I love this stuff. It adds a great malty taste to smoothies and it gives me a boost of energy when I want it without caffeine. It also can help with hormone-balancing, ask your functional MD about this if you are curious. I like this brand of maca powder.

Spirulina/Chlorella
I love using green powders when I am having an IBS flare and raw vegetables are hard to digest in smoothies. Spirulina and Chlorella are also green powerhouse providing a sh*t ton of nutrients and can draw out toxins from the body. I like this brand to add to smoothies.

Matcha Powder
So much fun to add to a smoothie! I like to add matcha powder to my Tropical Smoothie in my smoothie recipe download. I prefer ceremonial grade matcha powder.

L-Glutamine
Great for gut healing and also if you have been working out new muscles, running longer distances, or get sore after your workouts - it provides muscle recovery and reduces soreness. I use this brand.

Cacao Powder
If you want an amazing chocolate shake, combine 3/4 cup unsweetened nut milk, 1 frozen banana, one date, a handful of frozen cauliflower, 1 tbsp. of cacao powder and two scoops of chocolate collagen. You are welcome. The bomb diggity.

Alright! That rounds out my favorite smoothie supplements but let me know if you have one or a few I should add to my list!!

I suffer from IBS and I am also an Intuitive Eater. Sometimes these can conflict when I am eating what I want and crave in the moment.  Not everything I crave is perfectly nourishing and good for my gut. Intuitive Eating doesn’t work perfectly that way because it is not a diet.

I have learned to give myself grace over the years, and in doing so I can keep my symptoms mostly under control. Recently I enjoyed myself on a trip to Seattle and also for my birthday with more sugar and alcohol than I usually consume which resulted in a flare up of symptoms, aka uncomfortable bloat that is painful and means I can’t wear jeans for a while.  

When this happens, I usually follow these remedies to help heal my gut.

1. No raw veggies or raw nuts. Both of these foods are difficult to digest and will further exacerbate any bloat and IBS symptoms. I stick with just a small amount of nut butter made with roasted nuts (like Georgia Grinders cashew butter, use my code BBM25 for a discount). For veggies I always steam for easier digestion. When I make smoothies, I skip the veggies and instead use spirulina powder. Spirulina feeds healthy intestinal flora for good gut health. 

2. Collagen and Bone Broth. By drinking bone broth you are getting the benefits of the healing properties of collagen and gelatin. When my stomach is upset and I don’t feel like eating a full meal, I heat up 12 – 16 oz. of bone broth and sip it warm. I almost always feel better after drinking bone broth. This is by far the best way to consume collagen in its whole food form, but that can be an expensive habit. This is why I supplement with collagen. You can add to your coffee, matcha tea or smoothie. Collagen contains the amino acids proline and glycine which are the building blocks of your intestinal lining, making it essential in repairing a damaged intestine.

3. Ginger Tea. I like to buy fresh ginger at the super market and grate directly over my mug (about 1 tbsp. equivalent), and then pour hot water over it. Let sit for 10 minutes. The ginger will sink to the bottom so you don’t have to strain. Ginger tea always soothes my tummy and is great for preventing nausea.

4. Slippery Elm. By far my favorite supplement for IBS flare ups, and also for prevention. For the latter I try and stick to taking two capsules daily. During a flare up of symptoms I break open 3 capsules and pour the powder into a mug, adding 2 oz. – 4 oz. of warm water and stirring until combined. Drink on an empty stomach. Slippery Elm coats your intestinal lining for major gut healing.

5. Yoga and Breathwork. Ever notice how there is a lot of twisting of the lower abdomen in yoga? All of these twists do wonders for your intestines and helps to ease things along for going to the bathroom. Yoga also helps with stress and anxiety, as does a good breathwork practice. I love the 4-7-8 breath practice to help calm your sympathetic nervous system as well as breath of fire.

6. Stress and anxiety management. Both of these are directly related to IBS and vice versa. It can be said that Stress and Anxiety trigger IBS as much as the symptoms of IBS can make you stressed and anxious. It can become cyclical in one triggering the other. I recommend seeking professional help to find a routine to help combat stress and anxiety in order to alleviate IBS flare ups. CBD supplements and acupuncture are also great for stress and anxiety management.  

7. Limit alcohol and sugar.  If anything will disrupt your stomach lining, it is sugar and alcohol. I like to consume both of these out of pure enjoyment every once in a while, but during a flare of IBS symptoms I avoid in order to heal.

Eating mindfully is a challenge for all of us, especially in a current society of distractions. Following my 8 steps to eat more mindfully may be easier to start practicing at home when you can intentionally clear a space from distractions. But what about when you eat out at a restaurant? There are so many distractions - figuring out what to order, catching up with friends, coworkers, clients or a new love interest. Who has time to eat mindfully when you are trying to figure out if the person across from you is your soulmate?!

Oof, so many things!! A quick reminder that eating mindfully isn’t about perfection. It is a practice, and the more you do it, the proficient you get. It is about letting go of perfection and instead being in the present moment.

It should also be noted that eating out at restaurants can be anxiety inducing for many. Slowing down and trying a few of my mindful eating tips below will be helpful not only to reduce any anxious food thoughts, but also to help digest better and avoid any stomach upset, heartburn and bloat.

1. CHECK IN WITH HUNGER BEFORE YOU GET THERE: how many times have you showed up to a restaurant and between the time you sit down and when your food comes the hanger kicks in? This happens to me all the time and it is distracting. Arriving at a restaurant starving keeps you from checking in with what you really would like to eat. When you are hangry you are ready to order the entire left side of the menu, am I right? Check in with your hungry 30 minutes to an hour before leaving. Have a small snack if needed. Being a just hungry enough when you show up to the restaurant will give you the space to explore the menu and think about what you truly want rather than reacting to a blood sugar crash.

2. PLAN AHEAD: reading the menu of the restaurant you plan to go to before your meal can be helpful if you have a tendency to get anxious when ordering at restaurants. If you are one of those people who waits until everyone else orders, to see what they get before making your decision… then this might work well for you. I do caution that sometimes looking at the menu too far in advance can stand in the way of checking in with your hunger when you are there. Give yourself grace to change your mind if you sit down and something else sounds good to you in the moment. Take a quick scan of the menu before jumping back in to being present with those at the table with you.

3. PAUSE BEFORE THE FIRST BITE. This can be challenging to do if the waiter or waitress puts your plate down when you are engaged mid-conversation. I suggest looking down at your food when it comes and making an exclamation to your current convo buddy about how good the food looks! This will incite them to do the same, and in these few seconds of pause you can check in with your hunger. You will have already taken a moment to take in the smell and colors of the meal, and now take another moment to savor the first bite - the texture, taste and mouthfeel. Taking small moments to savor the meal, even better if in a shared moment with others, helps to turn on your hunger cues as well as fullness cues.

4. EAT DESSERT IF YOU WOULD LIKE. Desserts can be scary for those who have patterns of restriction and food rules. A reminder that sugar is not the devil and that all foods fit and have a place in our lives. If you are interested in a dessert, it is also ok to eat past the point of being full. This is a practice of leaning in to the different types of hunger. Denying yourself something that you would like and would enjoy in the company with others is actually disconnecting your brain from your body, instead of mindfully tuning in to what you want. This also goes the other way, if you don’t want dessert, don’t feel pressured by others at the table who want to order.

5. GO SLOW. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the moment, whether in the company of others, or in the conversation at the table, and before you know it you have wolfed down your meal and don’t even remember how it tasted. We often feel like we need to keep on pace with others at the table as well, which can result in eating faster than normal. It can feel weird to be the last one at the table who is still finishing your meal. All plates have been cleared and you are still munching. But your digestion will thank you! As you engage in conversation, it is possible to multi-task and be present with the bites you are taking. Slowly eating and chewing while being present with those at the table. It takes practice, but it is possible!

Curious about Intuitive Eating? Have your assumptions about it but not sure what it REALLY is?!

All good boo! I am breaking it all down for you, the myths and the truths behind what Intuitive Eating really is so that you can start to educate yourself if you are considering the Intuitive Eating path.

A good place to start is learning the steps to Mindful Eating on a day to day basis - slowing down to focus in on your hunger and fullness cues and to be present with your food. I call Mindful Eating a “lily pad” as you make your way from one side of the pond (Diet Culture) to the other (Intuitive Eating) .

And as you make your way across the food freedom pond, here are some myths about Intuitive Eating so you have a better understanding before you head down this path.

LET’S DIVE IN TO THE MYTHS!

1. Intuitive Eating is a diet for weight loss.
Yep, definitely a myth and the first one I remind my clients of, and also reply to in emails and DMs. Intuitive Eating is not a diet for weight loss. Instead it is learning how to eat OUTSIDE the diet mentality and creating a healthy relationship with food. I use Intuitive Eating in my practice with clients who are recovering from disordered eating to help them heal their relationship with food. To do so, the first step (or lily pad) is to ditch the diet mentality and to unlink food from any rules. Instead, Intuitive Eating looks at food through a lens of satisfaction and enjoyment. For example, on a diet you may look at a bowl of oatmeal topped with fruit and nuts and think “How many calories or grams of carbs are in it? If I eat it do I need to restrict carbs or calories later? With intuitive eating, you simply look at the bowl of oatmeal and ask: Do I want it? You may naturally consider other factors as well from old programming, but it all starts with this simple question.

2. Nutrition is thrown out the window.

This one is a classic. The belief that once you allow yourself to eat what you want, you won’t be able to control your cravings and it will be pizza and ice cream all day long. Won’t this lead to more bingeing and eating ALL OF THE THINGS?! The quick answer is no, but there may be a honeymoon period. One of my clients told me, “I knew I had figured out Intuitive Eating when I went out to lunch with coworkers and ordered a salad, NOT because it was the healthy item on the menu but because I truly wanted it". I think this sums up the Intuitive Eating nicely, but for some there is an in between phase.

The honeymoon period: when you first break out of the diet prison, you might get a little excited. This is because your brain is used to that in-between-diets phase, and it knows the routine: Stock up on the good stuff now, because it's only a matter of time before the pizza and ice cream is off of the table again. So whatever your forbidden fruit was, you might go through an initial phase where you're eating more of those things, and that's normal. It can be really scary, but trust me that this is normal. And, IT WILL PASS. Eventually, you realize pizza and ice cream aren't going anywhere, and so you don't have to hoard them. Your body gets the message: Oh, these are always available? OK cool, because I am getting sick of them and a salad or fish and veggies sounds pretty good right now.

3. You will gain weight.

This isn’t really so much of a myth as it is an unknown. Because here is the truth, when you start to eat intuitively you will either lose weight, gain weight or your weight will stay the same. Intuitive Eating isn’t about the weight. If weight gain is a worry for you, ask yourself where this discomfort is coming from - Diet culture? A society that praises thinness? Internalized fat phobia?

Because weight has nothing to do with Intuitive Eating. This is because you cannot simultaneously create a better or more neutral relationship with food and focus on weight loss. As goals, they are like two magnets held together - they repel each other.

I mean yeah, weight change is a likely side effect of changing your eating habits. But, that change isn't going to look the same for everyone. If your body has excess weight to lose, you probably will lose it. But, if you have been restricting for years and your weight reflects this, you will probably gain weight as your metabolism has slowed while in starvation mode. This takes some time to catch up and for homeostasis (balance) to take place.

Another thing to remember is that normal eaters fluctuate, too. Not just disordered eating. Our bodies reflect our lives and we have to learn to recognize that without judgment and to give ourselves more grace while we check in with where the discomfort is coming from.

4. It’s easy!

I feel like this is the allure of diets, we perceive them as an easy way to lose weight. This makes sense as they promise so much - Lose 30 pounds in 30 days! Sure thing, it may be easy to watch the weight fall off on your first diet and then dieting becomes addicting as a quick fix. But we are missing the statistics that most diets (95% to be exact) don’t work, just take the long-term results of the show the Biggest Loser as an example of what happens to weight and metabolism overtime when you constantly diet.

Intuitive Eating is a big change if you are crossing the pond from the other side of diet culture. And change is hard. It takes time. Intuitive eating is about real, long-term change.

5. It works for everyone

Well, technically, this one may actually be true. Because in the end, intuitive eating really just means, well, eating! It's about eating based on your needs (your mind and your body’s needs), not a diet's rules — so if you put it like that, I guess Intuitive Eating is for everyone. But, if you've been burned by diets, lifestyle labels and strict meal plans in the past, then you may not want to align yourself with any kind of “program”. That's totally fair. But loop this back to myth 1, Intuitive Eating isn’t a diet or a program (wink, wink).

Not quite ready to take the leap and need a framework to bridge you from diet culture/disordered eating to Intuitive Eating? I created an Intuitive Eating Nutrition Plan with an easy to follow framework that includes mix n’ match meal grids (so you can eat what you want!) and worksheets to tap into your hunger and full cues.

Remember, it is important to meet yourself exactly where you are on your journey and grow from there. No judgements. :)

A lot of the clients I work with in my one on one health coaching practice have the health goal of wanting more energy. Most suffer from what I call “the afternoon slump.” You know the feeling, come 3pm you are ready for that afternoon coffee or a nap under your desk. Your energy is zapped.

I ask these clients what they are having for lunch and most of them reply that they are eating a big salad. And when I ask what ingredients are in their salads, it turns out that most of them are lacking sufficient protein.

Not having a sufficient amount of protein in your breakfast and especially your lunch will typically lead to that afternoon energy slump. Protein contains B vitamins that our bodies use to balance our nervous system and particularly B12 in animal protein sources that give us energy*

Adding protein to your morning smoothie or nut butter to your oatmeal or other warm breakfasts is a great place to start. For lunch I like to add a good protein source along with a healthy fat to help satiate me until an afternoon snack and give me energy until dinner. My favorite way to do so is on a salad for lunch.

Scroll for my 5 favorite protein toppers for your salad.

If you are stumped for what protein to add to your salad and how much, look no further! I got my 5 favorite toppers and how much to add, all with ideas for fats to add as well. Can I get a woot woot?

1) CHICKEN. Surprise surprise, but chicken is one of my favorite protein toppers in terms of variety for what salads you can make. I suggest a 4 - 6oz. piece of chicken, or enough shredded chicken that would fit in the palm of your hand. My favorite combinations are a classic chicken caesar like the one pictured above with my easy homemade caesar dressing and avocado; or a chicken salad with sliced almonds, strawberries and olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.

2) EGGS. I love both hard and soft boiled eggs on my salads. It’s so easy to bring with you to work and add on top of your salad. Eggs are the perfect protein as they contain all nine essential amino acids that our body can’t produce on it’s own. I suggest adding two eggs to your salad, or doing one egg and also 1/4 cup of quinoa (a gluten-free grain that is high in protein) or chickpeas. I love me a good chopped salad with romaine, tomatoes, avocado, eggs and chickpeas.

3) BEANS/LENTILS. Plant-based protein from legumes back a big punch in your salad. I love a mexican-themed salad with romaine, 1/2 cup black beans, avocado, cheddar, tomato and a lime +cilantro + olive oil dressing. I love making this a warm salad with 1/4 cup kidney beans and 4 oz. of ground turkey sautéed in olive oil and taco seasoning.

4) STEAK. Don’t shy away from red meat, but do make sure it comes from a local source that is grass-fed. Red meat is high in iron, selenium, zinc and B-12. I like steak salads for when you are going out to lunch with co-workers or clients for work. It’s an easy menu choice when you don’t want to fuss and someone else has picked the place to eat. If ordering steak, I suggest skipping dairy to help with digestion. Chew your steak thoroughly and a 4oz. to 6 oz. portion the size of the palm of your hand is the perfect amount.

5) SHRIMP. The underdog for salad toppers. Here is one of my favorite shrimp salad combos when you are looking for something quick and tasty. I also love making my own shrimp louie salad using a good ranch dressing like this ranch one and also this thousand island dressing.

*if you are a vegan or a vegetarian I recommend getting a blood test to see where your B vitamin levels are and substituting as needed.

I work with a lot of my clients on gut-healing which includes leading them through a personalized elimination plan and reintroduction to pinpoint which foods are causing digestive symptoms. One of the main culprits for many is dairy. Sad but true, because cheese is so so delicious but sometimes we need a break from it in order to heal our guts. With my guidance, I always empower my clients to discover how foods make them feel, so that they can make decisions about what they eat on a day to day basis to feel their best!

I am therefore constantly on the lookout for new products, especially dairy free replacements if dairy is a no-go.

The market of dairy free products is a saturated one, with so many choices it can be hard to know which ones taste good and are made with good ingredients.

But all good, I have done the taste testing and label reading for you!

I have narrowed it down to my top 6 favorite dairy-free products that I always have on rotation when my tummy needs a break from the real thing.

1.     MILK: Forager Project Cashew Milk. Doesn’t get better than this for taste and ingredients. Forager has been around for a minute and has perfected their milk. I love using for smoothies and chia seed pudding as it doesn’t leave a funky after taste like almond milks can.

2.     MILK: Native Forest Simple Coconut Milk.  This is the only coconut milk I have found that doesn’t add Xanthum Gum! You can buy it on Amazon if you can’t find this in your store.  Make sure the label has the word “SIMPLE” on it ;)

3.     CHEESE/CREAM CHEESE: Kite Hill Ricotta Cheese. One word – texture!! I don’t know how they do it but the texture is just like real ricotta and it tastes dang delicious. I am not a big fan of their cream cheese, because 4 out of 5 that I buy always have mold when I open them (what’s up with that?), but I have used this as a spread on bagels and it’s a better cream cheese alternative.

4.     CHEESE: Miyoko’s Vegan Mozz. Holy crap this stuff is epic. It melts, browns and bubbles just like real mozzarella cheese. I kid you not. I would never lie to you!  So the next time you want to make that panini or pizza dairy free, get this stuff pronto.

5.     YOGURT: Forager Project Cashewgurt. I have tried so so so many dairy free yogurts. I still haven’t found a coconut one I like that is versatile, and the almond milk ones have weird aftertastes. There are oat milk ones out on the market now but the ingredients are shit. Forager has nailed it with the texture and mild taste. I don’t only just eat it with granola and fruit but also mix it into dressings and tuna salads.

6.     BUTTER: Miyokos Vegan Butter. Vegan butters can be, errrrr, quite industrial with their ingredients. But this one is really good, made with coconut oil, and melts and bubbles in the pan, and is delicious on bread too!

 
Tada! Hope you enjoy some new ideas for products and leave in the comments your favorites! Always on the hunt for something new.

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When it comes to intuitive eating, there is a lot of talk about hunger. Eating intuitively is not just about eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full. It is about quieting the external messages we receive from Diet Culture which disconnects us from our body, telling us to follow certain food rules and to be insecure and anxious about our food choices. When we are disconnected from our bodies, it becomes difficult and sometimes impossible to pay attention to our hunger cues. We have made up so many rules in our minds that we no longer can hear our body.    

One thing I frequently discuss with clients who are working to break the binge/restrict cycle or to calm anxiety with food, are hunger cues. Specifically the types of hunger that we experience which can be tapped into.  This helps my clients to better understand what might be fueling their desire to eat in order to better respond to their body’s cues.

THE FIVE TYPES OF HUNGER IN INTUITIVE EATING

1.     Physical Hunger

2.     Emotional Hunger

3.     Taste Hunger

4.     Necessity Hunger

5.     Nutrient Hunger

When reading through and then recognizing the different types of hunger, it is important to note that all of these are NORMAL AND VALID.  We may have been taught to believe that any other type of hunger that is not physical must not be real, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

What is important is to know which type of hunger you are experiencing so that you have the tools to satisfy it without guilt or shame. To embrace all of them equally as a part of the human experience with food, emotions, taste and pleasure.

1.     Physical Hunger comes from our need for energy. This can manifest as that gnawing feeling in your stomach and also as fatigue, headaches, shakiness, irritability and moodiness. When we are physically hungry, we should eat!

2.     Emotional Hunger is when you have an unmet emotional need that increases your desire to eat. I personally hate that emotional eating has a negative connotation as I truly believe emotional eating is normal and healthy eating. A lot of people refer to binge eating as emotional eating, but these are actual separate. Binge eating is used to not feel emotion at all, and to instead shut it out. By bingeing, we are not meeting our emotional need and instead are suppressing it.

Emotional hunger can also be confused with physical hunger.  The difference is that emotional hunger comes on quickly and is usually coupled with an uncomfortable or intense emotion which can be sadness, anxiety, lonliness, and also extreme joy.  You feel it more in your head than in your stomach and can therefore come on an hour or two after eating.

3.     Taste Hunger is present when you are craving something specific.  Meaning a certain food just sounds dang good! An example of this is being at a wedding and wanting a slice of the cake because it sounds really good, even if you just ate a big dinner. It can be the same at a restaurant when you are satisfied with your meal and want a dessert.  This usually means you are eating when you are not hungry, and remember, you are allowed to eat when you are not hungry and that is totally normal!

4.     Necessity Hunger isn’t truly hunger but rather a need to eat in anticipation of hunger later when you won’t be able to eat. Let’s say you are at work and you have back to back meeting coming up, during which you will likely get hungry.  Although you are not hungry in the moment, you eat in order to stay ahead of the inevitable hunger. Remember that this “hunger” is valid and very important to pay attention to.

5.     Nutrient Hunger comes from our need for nourishment. Aka, you head to Vegas for a bachelorette party and you come back craving veggies and green juice. Or you are craving red meat after you finish your menstrual cycle and enter the follicular phase. Our bodies are smart, they know exactly what nutrients we need and when. Diets such as keto, paleo or being vegan can remove entire healthy food groups with essential nutrients that our bodies may need and be asking for when we are restricting.

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