Hey folks, welcome to Food Freedom! Food Freedom is a sanctuary away from diet culture; a place where all bodies are respected, food is enjoyed without rules, and the journey to true health can take place.
My name is Rebecca and I am a registered dietitian. In fact, I’ve been one for ten years now. I’ve enjoyed all of my experiences working as a dietitian and I’ve learned a ton; from hanging out with spunky grandparents in long-term care nursing homes, to teaching classes, to counseling patients in a clinic, I’ve not only honed my skills and nutrition expertise, but I’ve also had the opportunity to do some soul-searching.
Let me explain. My latest gig has been in weight management. For the first few years, despite my nagging discomfort in whether I actually helping them or harming them, I continued to counsel patients using meal replacement plans, prescription medications, and bariatric surgery preparation all in the name of “getting healthier”.
After a few years though, I began to notice that while many people did lose weight they almost never kept it off. They would come back for an appointment months or a year after their program ended with their tail between their legs, shame written on their faces for gaining the weight back, and swear that this time, this time they would do it the right way and the weight wouldn’t come back. Those very few who did maintain their weight loss for a year or so would report back to me a diet of limited food choices and low calories, fear of enjoying food to any degree, fear of gaining back the weight, and the list goes on.
Now, I became a dietitian because I struggled with my own disordered relationship with food and my body as a teenager and young adult (more on that later). So you can imagine that after a few years of patient after patient sharing stories of self-loathing, despairing over their health conditions, sharing stories of weight-stigmatization, and referring to foods as “good” and “bad” the last thing I wanted was to tell people weight loss was the solution to all their woes.
I began to feel like I was in the midst of an ethical dilemma.
At some point along the way, I learned of this interesting statistic: 95 percent of people who lose weight will gain it back. Where was this information when I was in college? Why are well-educated nutrition professionals practicing weight management when it’s clearly a terrible idea? I also learned about something called Intuitive Eating, and Health at Every Size®, both of which will serve as the foundation of this blog (I’ll explain both of these concepts in more detail in future posts, so stay tuned!).
Bottom line is: when weight remains the focus, true health and happiness cannot be achieved. I believe health goes way beyond what we put on our plates. I believe happiness lies deeper than how we look and whether we fit into that narrow space of culturally acceptable size and appearance. Let’s talk about nutrition in a weight-neutral space where all bodies of every size, gender, age, and ethnicity are accepted, appreciated, and loved.
Sound pretty amazing? Then join me.
Visit my blog often, feel free to comment and email me if you have questions, comments, or suggestions.
Here’s to freedom from diet culture
Rebecca
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