Funky Forest Health & Wellbeing

Funky Forest Health & Wellbeing Naturopath | Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) | Certified Eating Disorder Clinician
Weight-neutral care for gut, hormone, chronic illness & mental health.

I also mentor natural health practitioners in disordered eating-adjacent clinical practice. Casey Conroy, BVSc(Hons), BHSc(Nat), MNutrDiet, APD, CEDC
Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) | Non-Diet Nutritionist | Naturopath | Medical Herbalist | Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician (CEDC) | Provisional Sports Dietitian | Yoga Teacher | Strength & Conditioning Coach

I am an experienced health practitioner blending evidence-based science with traditional wisdom. My approach is body inclusive, LGBTIQA+ friendly, and neuroaffirmative. Deeply personalised, compassionate care for you and your family. Medicare & health fund rebates available, in person and Telehealth consultations available. At Funky Forest Health & Wellbeing we operate from a Non-Diet, Body Acceptance, Health at Every Size® philosophy which values people for who they are rather than what they look like. SPECIALTY AREAS:
- Eating, Weight & Body Image: Eating Disorders, disordered eating, emotional eating, diet recovery
- Nervous system: Neurodivergent Support (ADHD, ASD, SPD), CFS, stress resilience, Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia
- Hormones: Menopause, painful & heavy periods, menstrual irregularities, low testosterone, HT support for trans folks

INTEREST AREAS:
- Fertility, Pregnancy, Breastfeeding
- Gut: Bloating, Constipation, IBS, SIBO, Reflux, Dysbiosis, Food Intolerances
- Sports & Performance Nutrition
- Acute Naturopathy (e.g. colds, flu, recent injury)
- Thyroid: Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Grave's disease
- Cardiometabolic: High cholesterol, Hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes
- Musculoskeletal: Arthritis, fibromyalgia, sciatica

CLASSES: Yoga, AcroYoga, Strength & Conditioning - privates available! Message us for details. For more info visit https://www.funkyforest.com.au/how-i-can-help.html

13/03/2026

Around 2010, when I was in my mid 20s, I got swept up in a lot of the wellness industry horse s**t that was circulating at the time.

Detox protocols. Crazy ones.
Clean eating dogma.
Elimination diets that turned into long-term restriction.
The idea that if you just “did wellness right”, your body would behave perfectly.

At the time, I genuinely believed I was helping people.

But looking back now… it makes me cringe so fkn hard.

Not because I was unintelligent.
But because I was young, had a bucketload of unresolved trauma, very low self-esteem, and a lifelong perfectionist streak that had learned to equate worth with getting things “right”.

In other words: I was the perfect setup for an eating disorder.

And the wellness industry handed me a framework that looked like health, that seemed to be backed by science… but was often just restriction in pretty language.

I’m also deeply aware that I passed some of those ideas on to clients in my early years of practice.

For that, I’m genuinely sorry.

The detox books by one particular nutritionist I followed eventually ended up in my worm farm. Donating them would’ve been a massive disservice to the next owner. The worm farm felt like the safest place for them.

These days, a big part of my work is helping practitioners recognise how disordered eating can hide inside wellness culture… and how we can practise in ways that actually reduce harm.

I’ll probably spend the rest of my career trying to make up for some of the s**t I once believed and spread.

And honestly… I think that’s part of what makes better clinicians.

Curiosity. Humility.
And the willingness to say “I got that really badly wrong.”

I know I’m not the only practitioner who went through a phase like this.

What’s one belief from early in your career that makes you cringe now?



A senior eating disorder clinician once told my supervisor they were uncomfortable with her mentoring me.Because I’m a n...
12/03/2026

A senior eating disorder clinician once told my supervisor they were uncomfortable with her mentoring me.

Because I’m a naturopath.

That conversation ended my supervision.

At the time, I was furious as hell. It felt dismissive, and absolutely unfair.

But once the initial emotion settled, I started to understand where that concern came from.

Because parts of wellness culture absolutely CAN and DO contribute to disordered eating.

Things like:

- weight loss repackaged as “detox” or “metabolic individualisation”
- rigid AF food rules
- elimination diets that silently become long-term restriction
- optimisation protocols that ignore energy adequacy

Despite the fact that disordered eating is extremely common, most practitioners entering natural health practice were never trained to recognise DE risk.

I certainly wasn’t. And that’s what led me to ask a bigger question:

How can natural health practice become safer around disordered eating?

How can we stop being part of the problem, and become part of the solution?

These questions fire me up 🔥 and shape a lot of the work I do now.

I’m opening a small founding cohort for an 8-week live online training for practitioners who want to recognise and navigate disordered eating patterns more safely in practice.

Honestly, I want natural health praccies to feel as confident as a mediocre white man doing this work.

Inside the program we’ll explore things like:

- Adequacy before optimisation
- Recognising hidden restriction patterns
- Scope-safe clinical frameworks
- Real case discussions

Only 3-5 practitioner spots are available for this founding cohort.

👉 Applications are now open: https://www.funkyforest.com.au/disordered-eating-for-naturopaths.html. Or DM me “COHORT” and I’ll send the details your way.

I’m also curious to hear from practitioners here:

Have you ever felt uncertain navigating disordered eating in practice?

Even just comment “yes” if this is something you’ve encountered.

11/03/2026

A cute random animal visit at the end of this, funny considering this “chicken or egg” kind of question… 🥚🐓

A chronic illness nurse messaged me this week and asked:

“Would you say eating disorders go hand in hand with imbalanced hormones?”

It’s SUCH a good question. Because the relationship actually goes both ways.

Low energy availability and disordered eating can disrupt hormones (which is how we see things like hypothalamic amenorrhoea, some fertility issues, thyroid changes and cortisol disruption).

But hormonal conditions can also increase vulnerability to disordered eating…

PCOS.
Endometriosis (I know this isn’t just “hormonal” but I’m still including it ok)
Diabetes.

These often involve restrictive dietary advice, body changes, or rigid food rules.

And sometimes what gets treated as a hormone problem… is actually low energy availability. HA is a classic example of one that often gets missed or misdiagnosed as PCOS.

So it’s rarely a simple cause-and-effect. It’s often a feedback loop between hormones and eating patterns.

And if we only treat the hormones - while missing the eating pattern underneath - we can end up chasing symptoms.

If you’re a practitioner working with gut, hormone or chronic illness presentations, I created a free resource:

🚩 7 Red Flags of Disordered Eating You May Be Missing

You can download it via the link in my bio. Or DM me to get the link sent straight to your inbox 📥



09/03/2026

A naturopathy student asked me a super thoughtful question this week:

“Could blood sugar optimisation advice hinder recovery from hypothalamic amenorrhoea?”

It’s such a good question. Because right now the health space is saturated with messaging about blood sugar regulation. Books like The Glucose Revolution helped push this conversation into the mainstream, and some of that info has been useful… maybe… for some people.

But online it often gets distilled into rules:

🤔 avoid snacking
🤔 lower carbohydrates
🧐 drink vinegar before meals
🤨 eat foods in a specific order

And this is where context really matters.

In my early 20s I experienced hypothalamic amenorrhoea (HA) myself. I had no period for nearly a year. I knooowwww…. 😱

At the time, I was doing many of the things that get framed as “optimising health”…

Eating very “clean”.
Being careful with carbohydrates.
Trying to stabilise energy and hormones through food.

But the real issue wasn’t blood sugar. The issue was LEA (low energy availability).

When the body consistently receives less energy than it needs (especially alongside high activity or stress) the hypothalamus adapts. Reproductive hormones down-regulate. Cycles stop. The body prioritises survival. It’s smart like that.

In that context, adding more food rules can def reinforce the problem.

This is why practitioners need to assess adequacy before optimisation.

Because the same advice can support metabolic health for one person… and massively deepen restriction for another.

If you’re a practitioner working with gut, hormone or chronic illness presentations, I created a free guide that outlines:

🚩 7 Red Flags of Disordered Eating You May Be Missing in Natural Health Practice

You can download it via the link in my bio.

08/03/2026

Endometriosis is unpredictable. Flares, hormonal shifts, symptoms that don’t always make sense.

When your body feels out of control, food can start to feel like the one thing you can control. It’s measurable. Adjustable. Removable.

That doesn’t automatically mean someone has an eating disorder. But it does mean food can begin carrying more than just nutritional value… it can carry safety, identity, even relief.

Then we layer in common naturopathic recommendations: gluten-free, dairy-free, strict anti-inflammatory plans, “supporting oestrogen clearance,” more structure, more rules.

For some people, sure this can be helpful. For others, especially those vulnerable to disordered eating, it can reinforce rigidity.

Dietary modification isn’t inherently harmful. But in higher-risk populations, context matters.

Our clients deserve care that considers vulnerability as carefully as physiology.

Early founding spots for my practitioner training in DE-adjacent care are now available. If you work in gut, hormone, mental health, or chronic pain presentations and want stronger clinical frameworks for this intersection, DM or comment COURSE and I’ll send details.

Disordered eating doesn’t only show up in specialist clinics.It shows up in IBS consults. In endometriosis care. In PCOS...
05/03/2026

Disordered eating doesn’t only show up in specialist clinics.

It shows up in IBS consults. In endometriosis care. In PCOS, diabetes, chronic fatigue. In the client who says they’re “just trying to eat clean” but hasn’t had breakfast in months.

Most of us were trained to optimise. To refine protocols. To remove triggers. To personalise.

Very few of us were taught how to recognise when restriction is already quietly shaping the case.

And that’s where things can become complicated.

Because when disordered eating risk goes unrecognised, it’s easy to escalate the very patterns that are keeping someone stuck: more elimination, more structure, more supplements, more control... all delivered with good intention.

Learning to practise in this grey zone has changed how I work.

With individuals, it means weight-neutral, eating disorder–informed care that holds physiology and psychology together - particularly in gut, hormone, chronic illness and mental health presentations.

With practitioners, it means structured mentoring and training in disordered eating–adjacent clinical practice. Clearer scope. More confidence. Fewer second-guesses in complex cases.

If you’re new here, the best place to start is the free guide:
7 Red Flags of Disordered Eating You May Be Missing.
https://www.funkyforest.com.au/disordered-eating-red-flags-guide.html

If you’re a practitioner wanting deeper clinical frameworks, comment COURSE and I’ll send details.

This work isn’t about abandoning dietary intervention. It’s about applying it with context.



Endometriosis is associated with elevated risk for eating disorders.A 2026 narrative review (Stefano et al.) highlighted...
05/03/2026

Endometriosis is associated with elevated risk for eating disorders.

A 2026 narrative review (Stefano et al.) highlighted findings from a large-scale genetic study showing:

• Nearly threefold increased odds of eating disorders in women with endometriosis
• Significant genetic correlation between endometriosis and eating disorders
• Overlap with depression and anxiety

The review also described mechanistic overlap in systems involved in appetite regulation and endometriosis pathophysiology - including leptin, dopamine, BDNF, inflammatory cytokines and the endocannabinoid system - suggesting shared neuroimmune pathways.

Even where formal diagnoses appear low in small samples, disordered eating behaviours are common and associated with pain severity and BMI.

If you intensify elimination protocols in this population without screening for disordered eating risk, you may be worsening outcomes.

Not intentionally.
But because we weren’t trained to screen for it.

Founding cohort enrolment for my practitioner training has now begun.

If you want to build competence in DE-adjacent care for gut, hormone, mental health, and pain presentations, start with the free guide: https://www.funkyforest.com.au/disordered-eating-red-flags-guide.html

Or DM me / comment COURSE and I’ll send details.

Source:
Stefano et al., 2026. Narrative review on endometriosis and eating disorders. PMID: 41563503 PMCID: PMC12823736

02/03/2026

Women with endometriosis have nearly three times the odds of an eating disorder. 😢

A 2026 narrative review by Stefano et al. highlighted findings from a large-scale genetic study showing:

🚩Nearly threefold increased odds of eating disorders
🚩Significant genetic correlation between endometriosis and eating disorders

Even where formal diagnoses appear low in small samples, disordered eating behaviours (emotional eating, binge tendencies, maladaptive restriction) are common and associated with pain severity and borderline BMI.

There is also overlap in biological systems involved in both appetite regulation and endometriosis pathophysiology, including leptin, dopamine, BDNF, inflammatory cytokines and the endocannabinoid system.

If you treat endometriosis, you are working in a higher-risk population.

Elimination protocols are not neutral in that context.
Complex cases require better frameworks… not more restriction.

If you’re a natural health practitioner wanting to practise more safely in this intersection, start with my free guide:

🚩7 Red Flags of Disordered Eating You May Be Missing.
https://www.funkyforest.com.au/disordered-eating-red-flags-guide.html

Source: Stefano et al., 2026. Narrative review on endometriosis and eating disorders. PMC12823736.

Disordered eating is not rare in natural health practice.It co-exists with the very conditions we treat every day. And m...
26/02/2026

Disordered eating is not rare in natural health practice.

It co-exists with the very conditions we treat every day. And most of us were not trained to:

• Recognise subtle red flags
• Assess energy availability
• Navigate scope safely
• Avoid unintentionally escalating restriction

Yet eating disorder prevalence in Australia (4.45%) is comparable to diabetes (~5%).

We learned extensively about diabetes. Very little about disordered eating.

That gap shows up in clinic. It shows up as:

Repeated protocol cycling.
Clients who “don’t respond.”
Food fear that worsens.
Quiet second-guessing after consults.

When you develop skills in DE-adjacent care, you:

Improve retention.
Improve outcomes.
Strengthen your confidence in complex cases.
Protect your professional reputation.

This isn’t about abandoning naturopathic principles.
It’s about applying them safely.

Start with the free guide:
🚩7 Red Flags of Disordered Eating You May Be Missing
https://www.funkyforest.com.au/disordered-eating-red-flags-guide.html

If you’re ready for deeper mentoring or want to join the waitlist for my practitioner training, DM me or comment COURSE and I’ll message you personally.

Because doing no harm requires more than good intentions.

Casey Conroy
Naturopath & Dietitian

25/02/2026

We learned more about diabetes at university than we did about eating disorders…

Despite similar prevalence. 🤔

🔑 4.45% of Australians are currently living with an eating disorder.
🔑 10.5% lifetime prevalence.
🔑 Diagnosed diabetes affects just over 5% of Australians.
🔑 Eating disorders carry the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness.
🔑 They are the third most common chronic illness in young women.

And when you include disordered eating behaviours, the number impacted is even higher.

Higher risk of disordered eating patterns is described in:

🔸Diabetes
🔸Coeliac disease
🔸Cystic fibrosis
🔸IBS
🔸IBD
🔸Endometriosis

These are not fringe populations. These are the clients in your waiting room.

And this isn’t about blame! It’s about training gaps.

If you’ve ever escalated a protocol and later realised the issue wasn’t inflammation - but undernutrition -
You’re not incompetent.

You were undertrained. And this is learnable.

If you’re a naturopath, nutritionist, herbalist or natural health practitioner, I’ve created a free guide:

7 Red Flags 🚩of Disordered Eating You May Be Missing: A Scope-Safe Guide for Natural Health Practitioners 🌿

Comment or DM “red flag” or 🚩 and I’ll send you the download link.

Because recognising this early changes everything.

IBS is common in clinic.Chronic under-eating is common in clinic.The overlap is clinically significant.We’re trained to ...
22/02/2026

IBS is common in clinic.

Chronic under-eating is common in clinic.

The overlap is clinically significant.

We’re trained to look at IBS through the lens of:

• FODMAPs
• Dysbiosis
• Inflammation
• Food intolerances

All valid.

But there’s a foundational question that often gets missed:

Is this client adequately fuelled?

Undernutrition ALONE can:

✔ Slow gastric emptying
✔ Reduce enzyme output
✔ Impair motility
✔ Increase visceral hypersensitivity
✔ Alter microbiome diversity
✔ Elevate cortisol (which further disrupts digestion)

The gut can feel inflamed…
when it’s actually under-fuelled.

Now... nuance.

Meal spacing and fasting strategies can support motility in certain IBS presentations. Mechanistically, that makes sense.

But in a client who is already:
• skipping meals
• eating minimally
• over-exercising
• reporting low appetite
• presenting with fatigue or stress physiology...

Layering in further restriction can compound the issue.

Before escalating elimination or adding more supplements, I now ask one question:

Is this gut inflamed…
or is it under-fuelled?

That single distinction can change clinical decision-making entirely.

We can't improve what hasn’t been stabilised.

Save this for your next grey-zone case.

20/11/2025

I’m not anti-weight loss…
I AM anti-harm.

A lot of people come to me wanting weight loss: for fertility, mobility, comfort, GP recommendations, personal confidence, or simply to feel more at home in their body.

I don’t shut that down. I get reeeeally curious about it.

But I also don’t jump into calorie deficits, fasting windows, carb-cutting, or anything that risks malnutrition, stress, or disordered eating.

My job is safety first.
🔸 Are they already undereating?
🔸 Has a GLP-1 flatlined their appetite?
🔸 Is cortisol high and sleep trashed?
🔸 Is there a DE/ED history?
🔸 Are they actually malnourished despite appearance or weight?

If the red flags are there… weight loss is not the safest thing to chase.

And when it is seemingly safe?
We talk honestly.
I can’t guarantee they’ll lose X kilos.
I can’t promise their body will do what they want it to do.
My focus is health gain - that’s the approach recommended by the RACGP, NEDC, and Size Inclusive Health Australia.

If weight changes, ok.
If it doesn’t, we’ve still improved their health.

Most people appreciate this transparency. They want honesty, safety, attunement, and someone who isn’t going to push them into malnutrition to chase a number.

And for the 2% of people who truly want a strict deficit (I screen my clients so this % isn’t particularly high for me) I walk them through informed consent: the risks of weight-centric VS weight-neutral approaches.

If weight loss is STILL their #1 priority and they just want to see those numbers go down, I refer out with zero shame.

Choice and consent matter.

✨ If you’re a practitioner wanting to navigate this with nuance - without ideology or harm - DM GUIDE and I’ll send you my free resource.

It’s packed with tools to help you:
🌿 screen for ED/DE safely
🌿 identify malnutrition even in larger bodies
🌿 support clients on GLP-1s without underfeeding
🌿 avoid iatrogenic harm
🌿 stay aligned with Australian guidelines
🌿 build a weight-inclusive practice that’s actually nuanced

DM GUIDE and I’ll send it straight to you 💛



🎵 Soundtrack by a very loud frog 🐸

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We focus on wellbeing, not weight.

Evidence-based, holistic, compassionate healthcare for EVERY body.

Dietitian | Nutritionist | Naturopath | Yoga | Bodywork

www.funkyforest.com.au

The people who often come to see us often say they want/need to lose weight.