Food Psych #228: Intuitive Eating for All Ages and Life Stages with Elyse Resch

Photographer: Khali MacIntyre

Fellow anti-diet dietitian and co-author of Intuitive Eating Elyse Resch returns to the podcast to discuss what to expect in the upcoming 4th edition of Intuitive Eating, how intuitive eating might look different in eating-disorder recovery and food insecurity, eating intuitively at different developmental stages, her new Intuitive Eating Workbook for Teens, how NOT to turn intuitive eating into a diet, and so much more. Plus, Christy answers a listener question about dealing with a diagnosis of high cholesterol when your eating is already disordered. 

Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, Fiaedp, FADA, FAND, is a nutrition therapist in private practice in Beverly Hills, California, with over thirty-seven years of experience, specializing in eating disorders, Intuitive Eating, and Health at Every Size. She is the author of The Intuitive Eating Workbook for Teens, the co-author of Intuitive Eating and The Intuitive Eating Workbook, a chapter contributor to The Handbook of Positive Body Image and Embodiment, and has published journal articles, print articles, and blog posts. She also does regular speaking engagements, podcasts, and extensive media interviews. Her work has been profiled on CNN, KABC, NBC, KTTV, AP Press, KFI Radio, USA Today, and the Huffington Post, among others. 

Resch is nationally known for her work in helping patients break free from the diet mentality through the Intuitive Eating process. Her philosophy embraces the goal of developing body positivity and reconnecting with one’s internal wisdom about eating. She supervises and trains health professionals, is a Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian, a Fellow of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals, and a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Find her online at ElyseResch.com.

We Discuss:

  • What Elyse has been up to since her previous appearance on Food Psych®

  • Journaling as an adjunct to intuitive eating

  • Why more dietitians are adopting intuitive eating into their work

  • Feminism, and its connection with intuitive eating

  • How Intuitive Eating paved the way for Christy’s book, Anti-Diet

  • How medical providers can sometimes contribute to disordered eating

  • The Intuitive Eating Workbook for Teens, and why it can appeal to people of all ages

  • The power of autonomy

  • Working with parents of teens with eating disorders

  • The developmental needs of teenagers, including autonomy and individuation

  • Erik Erikson’s Eight Stages of [Hu]Man

  • Intuitive eating as a tool to meet a person’s developmental needs

  • Passing on intuitive eating and a positive relationship with food and body to children

  • Research, and its role in bringing more people to intuitive eating

  • How Intuitive Eating has evolved with each edition, and what to expect in the upcoming 4th edition

  • Baby-led weaning

  • Having self-compassion for mistakes we have made in the past, and being open to change

  • Challenging weight-centric norms as students and new professionals

  • What led Elyse to develop the concept of intuitive eating

  • Intuitive eating in eating-disorder recovery

  • Satisfaction as the hub of intuitive eating

  • Why Elyse and Christy prioritize satisfaction over fullness

  • How NOT to turn intuitive eating into a diet

  • Self-compassion as a foundation for intuitive eating

  • Eating intuitively when a person is food-insecure

  • Why having enough food is more important than having “optimal nutrition”

  • The desire for control, and how it can lead to disordered eating

  • The gut-brain axis, and how dieting and disordered eating can affect gut health

Resources Mentioned

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Listener Question of the Week

How can a person improve their relationship with food while managing a diagnosis of high cholesterol? What are some signs that a person may be restricting their eating? How is binge eating related to restriction? Why might describing yourself as “fit and healthy” raise red flags? What is the relationship between disordered eating and cholesterol levels? What are some of the potential causes of high cholesterol? What can a person do if their high cholesterol is brought on by disordered eating?

Resources Mentioned: 

 
Christy Harrisonintuitive eating, journaling, dietitian, feminism, healthcare, disordered eating, eating disorders, autonomy, developmental needs, teenagers, adolescents, children, science, research, evidence-based, self-compassion, eating-disorder recovery, satisfaction, food insecurity, digestive health, gut-brain axis, anti-diet, s720, S720