Guest Blog Post on Eat Well With Janel

For today's blog post, check out Eat Well with Janel's blog. I'm acting as a guest blogger while she's enjoying her honeymoon. :) I won't divulge the whole blog post, but will give a one word clue: leftovers. Intrigued? Then head on over! Plus, Janel's fabulous blog is loaded with great recipes and cooking tips. Enjoy. :)
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Let's Talk about Food

Save the date for Saturday, June 25th! Boston's Museum of Science is hosting an amazing all day food event from 10 am -  5 pm. And it's free!!! Check out the demonstrations, exhibitors, demos, and food offerings. Here is a link with more info. And this is the Museum of Science event info as well. Hope to see you there!
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Good-Bye Jeans

I learn a lot from my clients. In fact, that's one of the things I love about my work. A few weeks ago, I got an email from a client who wanted to bring in some old jeans to our next session. These were jeans she wore when her eating disorder was pretty darn bad. So, she suggested she bring them in (with some of her art supplies) for us to have a little fun. From this experience I learned that in order to move forward, there are certain things you have to let go of first.

So after you read her blog post, you might want to consider, the following questions:

• Is there anything toxic in my life (beliefs, thoughts, relationships, tangible items, habits) that are holding me back from living a life this healthier and more free?
• If yes, do I need support to let those things go?
• If yes, what could take the place of those toxic beliefs, thoughts, relationships, items, or habits?
• If yes, is there one small thing I could do right now that would point me in a better direction?

Product No Case: Shirtaki Noodles

I just saw an advertisement that made my stomach turn: "The Miracle Noodle: imagine the world where noodles are calorie free." If you know me at all, you know that I am screaming "noooo!!!" While a large percentage of the US population may go crazy for calorie-free food, I dig in my heels and cringe. And that is why I couldn't resist selecting the Shirataki Noodle for this month's Product NO Case. Why do I hate this no-cal noodle phenomenon (see another blog post on calorie-free salad dressing)? Let me count the ways.

1. It tastes disgusting. Ok, I'll be honest, I haven't tried it. But I've talked with multiple clients who have eaten the stuff and admit, it's totally disgusting. It's made of tofu and yam flour- enough sad.
2. Eating no-calorie/low-calorie foods leaves us feeling deprived. Do you know what happens when you're deprived? You are set up to want to binge. Plus when you eat food that is unsatisfying, your brain continues to produce "I want to eat hormones" causing you to think about food more.
3. Demonizing calories is NOT helpful! Calories are the very stuff that allows our brain to function, heart to pump, legs to walk, etc. We can't feed our bodies calorie-free substitutes and expect to feel well and be healthy! Let's embrace the fact that we are humans and that means we are EATERS- consumers of calories. And when we feed our body balanced, satisfying meals we feel good and think about food less.

So the next time you feel like enjoying some noodles, check out this awesome recipe for Peanut Soba Noodles & Veggies. Even if your goal is to lose weight, no need to fill up no-cal nonsense. Promise.
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Product Show Case: Seasoning Blends

Each month I try to highlight a product I think is fabulous. As I was whipping up some fajitas for dinner last night, I knew exactly what I wanted to blog about- seasoning blends. You may be wondering why I get psyched about spices, but let me explain. The key to delicious/nutritious cooking is all about developing flavor. And the “typical American diet” is over-reliant on salt and butter. Turns out that with a little olive oil and spices, you can turn some pretty blah meals into something fabulous. And the really cool thing about spice blends is that you don’t have to be an expert on how to season your food to use them. If you’re making Mexican food, select a southwest blend. If it’s an Italian night, select an Italian blend. I have 3-4 go to spice blends, plus garlic, black pepper, and crushed red pepper when I cook.

Any spice blends at your grocery store should do the trick. But if you’re interested, check out this handy website I just discovered, Savory Spice Shop. Also, I wrote this blog post on how to select, store, and use spices and seasonings that might also be helpful.

Here’s a great recipe that uses an Italian seasoning blend. I think you’ll like it!

Do you have any spices or seasonings you love? If yes, please share!

Marci RD
Nutrition Counseling in Cambridge

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Boosting Body & Self-Esteem with a Little Homework

This past weekend I was chatting with a group of therapist buddies. We were discussing the number of "perfect body" and pro-dieting messages we are all exposed to on a given day. These "perfect body" messages are not only unrealistic and false but also self-esteem crushing. Let's face it, we live in a world that is body-obsessed and there is no escaping the message that you aren't "enough" without the perfect body. While this might seem a little depressing, the cool thing is that each of us can learn how to be a cultural critic. And that helps us to filter out the messages that are, in the end, damaging to our sense of self-worth, health, and well-being.

The genesis of this blog post is to share with you an exercise that one of the therapists in the group shared with us. It's an exercise that can help you practice honing your critical eye, so that you can better interpret the messages being fed to you on a daily basis. Check it out.

1. Gather any magazines you have lying around your house. Or if you buy magazines on an irregular basis, purchase a couple of the magazines you might read.

2. Flip through each magazine and count the number of pictures, articles, or advertisements that are "body changing" (ie anything that tells you to lose, firm, tone, re-shape, shrink, blast, your body or body part).

3. Flip through each magazine and count the number of pictures, articles, or advertisements that are "body affirming" (ie affirms that you are fabulous just the way you are, that you have strengths and positive qualities that don't need changing).

4. Compare those two numbers. Recognize the sheer number of messages that tell you that you aren't "enough" just the way you are and that you need to change. How does that size up to the number of affirming statements?

5. Decide what messages you want to bring in to your home and ways in which you can change that ratio of body changing vs body affirming thoughts.

We all need a little more positive affirmations in our life. Due to our culture, we simply don't get enough of them.  So do yourself a favor and start giving yourself a little more positive feedback each day. You just might find yourself feeling happier, more optimistic, and more inclined to take good care of yourself. In fact, I think you'll be surprised!
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Sunny Sea Gold and "Food: The Good Girl's Drug"

In March I attended the BEDA conference and had the pleasure of hearing from and meeting Sunny Sea Gold. Sunny currently works for Redbook, has written a book for girls struggling with binge eating “Food: The Good Girl’s Drug”, maintains her blog, has recovered from her BED herself, and is a rock star “recovery warrior.”

Her book is truly inspiring and I highly recommend to clients struggling with binge eating disorder and emotional eating. Her honesty, warmth, life experience, and practical advice shine through the pages. She fills a vital niche for women (especially young women) struggling with food and their body. Please check it out.

Sunny was gracious enough to do an interview with me. She is a busy lady and I’m no New York Times reporter. But she is passionate about sharing her story and providing the kind of hope all women struggling with an eating disorder truly need. I hope my words convey the genuine care and intelligence that Sunny exuded over the phone. Enjoy, comment if you are so inclined, and share the love.

Sunny, sharing the story of your eating disorder and recovery is a pretty bold thing to do. What inspired you to share your story?

At 15 I realized that something was wrong with the way I was eating and treating my body. And when I realized what that something was (at the time we called it compulsive or emotional eating) I knew without a doubt that I wanted to tell other people about it.

In the early years of my struggle, the help available was good but the books were aimed at grown-ups. Geneen Roth’s work helped but it didn’t always resonate, because she was speaking to an older audience. During my recovery I had periods of utter hopelessness but somewhere deep inside I knew it would be better. I knew that when it did getter, I would share my story with the girls who haven’t heard about recovery in a way that is relatable.

In my early 30’s I started doing some research and I couldn’t believe this type of a book hadn’t been written yet. This fact encouraged me all the more. As I developed my book proposal I created the HealthyGirl.org website to get the word out. I was surprised at how quickly readers started engaging. While there are a lot of great websites and resources out there, there seems to be something very powerful about hearing from someone who is recovered and is talking about it.

Recovery is a hot topic. How have you defined it for yourself?

Full recovery was an intimidating idea for me early on. In my early years, I thought full recovery was never binging again. But when I got further along in my recovery and was binging so rarely and the binges were so small I considered myself recovered from BED. I no longer had an active eating disorder. I was no longer using food to cope. Now, I can’t even recall the last time I binged. In fact, I totally agree with the post you wrote about recovery. I can’t believe how normal I am with food and weight. Even my Mom (who has never had an eating disorder) can’t believe I can have chocolate hanging around the house without eating it.

Your recovery was a 15 year journey. What were the 3 most important factors in your recovery?

I worked very hard in my recovery and there were a lot of things that were important along the way, and I talk about them all in the book. But the top three contributors to my recovery were:

1. Therapy

2. Self-Help Books

3. Support Groups: I attended a binge eating disorder support group for three years

Most people with BED also struggle with their weight. Do you think it’s possible to focus on weight and eating disorder recovery at the same time?

I really feel that focusing on recovering from the eating disorder first is extremely important. Dieting can actually “pull the trigger” and derail the recovery process. However, after I recovered from BED, I did make changes to my diet to facilitate weight loss. It happened but really slow. I did have to repair my relationship with food first.

It’s often said that a better body image takes longer than eating disorder recovery. What do you think?

I have a neutral body image. I can appreciate things about myself that are attractive but it’s just not that important to me anymore. During recovery something switched. A lot of the messaging I got as a child was that the way I looked (ideally thin) was the most important thing. Through therapy, I was able to replace those messages with messages I truly believe and value. The self-esteem work I did in therapy was pivotal. Another turning point for me was when I stopped dieting. I realized that if I became neutral about my weight I could be neutral about my body. It didn’t mean I loved the way I looked all the time but I didn’t obsess about it either. Another really important part of improving my body image was buying things that fit. It was important to feel good in my clothes no matter my size. And as I recovered my body got smaller and that was fine too.

What are the myths about improving body image?

One myth is that if you stop obsessing about your weight you’ll be stuck in a body you dislike. As you recover, your expectations will loosen and your body changes. As you continue to nourish your body, it will start to trust you and get to a more natural weight for you.

Binge eating is more prevalent than anorexia or bulimia but it doesn’t seem to be talked about as much. Why do think that is? What can we do about that?

I used to feel angry that it was being ignored—I believed that BED was less talked about because it’s simply not glamorous. Binge eating can be seen as weak, sloppy, and out of control, the antithesis of the values of our culture. While there is truth to that, BED is also truly a newer concept than other eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. It wasn’t even mentioned in the DSM until 1994. And I know it will take a while for the medical community to catch up. Another factor is that overeating and binging is so prevalent that people just don’t realize it’s a problem. Groups like BEDA are incredibly important as it gives legitimacy to the disorder. Also, sharing stories is incredibly important. That’s one of the reasons why I share my story.

If you had one piece of advice to offer to women struggling with binge eating, what would it be?

Don’t let anything stop you from getting help. It doesn’t matter what steps you take, just that you take them. I used to get wrapped up in making the right choice, the right food plan, the right therapist, etc. it doesn’t really matter as long as you are taking the steps. If something has stopped working for you, try something different. Talk to more people, ask what they did, try what they did. I can attest to the fact that if you keep moving forward one step at a time you can get better. It’s slow at times, and that sucks but it can get better. It took me 15 years! But here I am.

#endED Re-Cap with Marsha Hudnall

Last night Marsha Hudnall RD joined #EndED as our guest expert on Binge Eating Disorder.
There was a lot of great discussion that revolved around these questions:

*How is BED diagnosed?
*How is BED different than overeating?
*How does someone know if their binges need to be addressed?
*What are common myths about BED?
*What triggers binge eating?
*What are the obstacles to treating BED effectively?
*What can we do to support an ED dx for BED?
*What are some practical things someone with BED can do?
*What resources are available for treating BED?

Here are some of the key things I took away from the talk:
@MarshaHudnall A major trigger for BED is deprivation/restriction. Or in other words, dieting

@LeslieGoldman Binge eating is actually more common than anorexia and bulimia COMBINED

@MarshaHudnall When folks with BED focus on losing wt, it can pull them back to restrictive eating & cause more bingeing

@MarshaHudnall: Binge isn’t always large amt of food. Subjective binge is when someone eats a “forbidden” food ...

@MarciRD Support both professionals and loved ones. Eating disorders thrive in secrecy. Support is an essential part of recovery.

@MarshaHudnall: It's Important to work w RD skilled in treating disordered eating to not trigger deprivation

@ElizabethEats you can be any shape and have an eating disorder. Outside appearances are misleading

@MarshaHudnall: Most fat people do not have BED – estimated to be only about 4%

Want more information? Check out The Binge Eating Disorder Association. The goal of #endED is to bring anyone and everyone together who care about ending eating disorders. My hope is to end the silence and myths about eating disorders, create a place for honest and informed discussion, while offering hope and encouragement. Our next chat will be on June 29th with Nourish the Soul. Hope to see you soon!

In Health,

Marci
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Fiddlehead Ferns

Three years ago I heard the words "fiddlehead ferns" for the first time. I was at the renowned Cragie Street Bistro (now Craigie on Main) for a dinner I will never forget. One of the dishes we ordered was the fiddlehead ferns because no one in our group had ever heard of them! We are all originally from the west coast and the fiddleheads are indigenous of the northeast. I loved them at first bite and was totally stoked to find them at Whole Foods this past week. I prepared them for the first time and was pleased with the outcome.

Prime eating time for fiddleheads is Spring. They are delicious and full of fiber, Omega 3s and 6s, potassium, and are low in sodium. BUT, you have to be careful when preparing as they harbor not so helpful microbes.

To prepare:
1. Rinse and trim any yellow/brown skin
2. Dump in boiling water and cook for 4 min
3. Blanch with cold water
4. Saute in olive oil for about 3 min and top with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon
*Note if you undercook them, they'll turn out bitter. If you overcook them they turn out mooshy. I followed the instructions above and they were darn near perfect.

They make a great side dish to any meal. I served mine with grilled chicken and sweet potatoes. It made for a tasty meal and pretty plate! Have fun with your food. Have you had any dining adventures lately?

Your food loving dietitian in Cambridge,
Marci
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#endED Twitter Chat with Marsha Hudnall

Our next #endED Twitter chat is Wed, April 25th with Marsha Hudnall MS RD (of Green Mountain at Fox Run). We'll discuss binge eating disorder. Check out the Facebook Event Page for more details, including how to participate in a twitter chat if you've never done so before. Below are the questions Marsha will be discussing. I hope you can make it!

About Marsha Hudnall
Marsha serves as the program director at Green Mountain at Fox Run where her mission has been to help participants learn to enjoy food and eating while successfully managing their weight and health. An accomplished writer, Marsha has produced a body of work that reflects her desire to help people move away from restrictive notions of food and health, and thereby more easily achieve a healthful intake. She has written over 100 articles for popular magazines and newsletters and has worked extensively on a national basis to produce curricula, pamphlets and other materials to educate the public about nutrition. She currently sits on the board of directors for the Binge Eating Disorder Association.

Questions we'll discuss during our Twitter Chat
Q 1.1 How is BED diagnosed?
Q1.2 How is BED different than overeating?
Q 1.3 How does someone know if their binges need to be addressed?

Q2 What are common myths about BED?

Q3 What triggers binge eating?

Q4.1 What are the obstacles to treating BED effectively?
Q4.2 What can we do to support an ED dx for BED?

Q5.1 What are some practical things someone with BED can do?

Q6 What resources are available for treating BED?

About #endED
The goal of #endED is to bring anyone and everyone together who care about ending eating disorders. My hope is to end the silence and myths about eating disorders, create a place for honest and informed discussion, while offering hope and encouragement.
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