Sunny Nutrition & Dietetics

09/05/2023

17/10/2022

This book will be fantastic, written by a wonderful colleague. Pop your pre-orders in 🌺🌺🌺

I’m psyched to share that my new book, THE WELLNESS TRAP, is now available for pre-order! It comes out on April 25, 2023, from ’s imprint—the same fantastic team I worked with for ANTI-DIET. Pre-order now at christyharrison.com/thewellnesstrap 🎉
This new book is deeply personal to me, as someone with a host of chronic health conditions that wellness culture constantly pushes me to “fix” with food, supplements, and various alternative practices that I’ve come to realize are at best unproven and often downright dangerous.
Many people with chronic illnesses or unexplained symptoms understandably feel dismissed or abandoned by the healthcare system, as I once did, and as those who are more socially marginalized experience even more acutely. Wellness treatments are often framed as being gentler and more effective at getting to the so-called “root cause” of people’s symptoms than conventional medicine, and that’s exactly what so many of us with chronic conditions are seeking and not finding in the medical system. But in my experience and that of many people I’ve interviewed, wellness practices often cause more damage than the conditions they’re meant to prevent and the conventional approaches they’re intended to replace.
And you don’t have to be living with chronic diseases to fall into the wellness trap. From the lack of pre-market safety testing on herbal and dietary supplements, to the unfounded claims made by many wellness influencers and functional-medicine providers, to the social-media algorithms driving users down rabbit holes of wellness mis- and disinformation, it can often feel like no one is looking out for us in the face of the $4.4 trillion global wellness industry.
My hope with The Wellness Trap is to illuminate the damage wellness culture is causing, and to explore how we can reimagine our collective relationship with well-being for the better.
If any of that sounds interesting to you, I’d love it if you’d pre-order the book! (You can also ask your local library to pre-order it, and then reserve it as soon as it’s available.) Learn more and pre-order at christyharrison.com/thewellnesstrap 📘❤️

05/09/2022

It’s Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Week. Seek support if you or a loved one have any concerns 🌺🌺🌺

17/08/2022

Sadly it’s all too easy to think that disordered eating behaviours are helpful in a society that praises them. Seek support, the future can be different 🌺🌺🌺

Posted •

It’s true…many people with disordered eating behaviors aren’t aware of it.

They don’t see their behaviors as abnormal…because in our society, these behaviors are normalized.

They don’t see their behaviors as disordered…because in our society, disordered eating is normalized.

They don’t see their behaviors as unhealthy…because in our society, disordered habits are labeled as “healthy” habits.

Consequently, many people don’t recognize that they have a problem. They’re blind to the fact that their eating and exercise behaviors are detrimental to their well-being. They can’t see how their habits aren’t healthful, but rather harmful. And they have no reason to question it because society also encourages, praises, and applaudes these behaviors.

Disordered eating might look like:
⚠️ Avoiding foods that contain specific ingredients deemed “bad” (e.g., no foods with added sugar)
⚠️ Drinking coffee or low-calorie beverages to curb your hunger
⚠️ Tracking everything you eat to ensure you don’t exceed your calorie or macro limits
⚠️ Skipping or delaying meals
⚠️ Cutting out entire food groups (e.g., no dairy)
⚠️ Stressing or worrying about what, when, and how much you’re going to eat
⚠️ Gaining and losing weight repeatedly (yo-yo dieting)
⚠️ Feeling guilty about what you do or don’t eat
⚠️ Eating only at specified times of day (e.g., not eating lunch until 12:00 pm, even if hungry earlier)

In reality, these patterns and behaviors (in addition to others) are anything *but* normal; they’re disordered, problematic, harmful, and pose serious health risks. Without proper treatment, disordered eating can progress into a full-blown eating disorder.

If you can relate to this, I want you to know: You deserve treatment. You deserve recovery. And it’s important that you seek help from a trained professional as soon as possible. Don’t hesitate to reach out—my DMs are open. 💛
NOTE: this information does not apply to food allergies, food intolerances, religious dietary practices, taste preferences, or foods that you restrict for medical purposes.

07/08/2022

Something to ponder, if you were considering restricting food for that Monday diet 🌺🌺

This applies to any diet, wellness program, lifestyle change. Any program of eating that restricts any form of food is a diet. - Deb

Posted •

Diets are glorified everywhere. You see before and after pictures and pictures of perfectly placed meals with dazzling colors all over social media.

It is hard not to get pulled in.

AND...

The effects of dieting are significant and cannot be ignored.

Our bodies take a hit with dieting.

Our bones take a hit. It is not uncommon for individuals who have dieted and restricted to lose significant amounts of bone mass.

Our muscles take a hit. With starvation our bodies take from our muscles for energy.

Our organs take a hit. Restriction can strike any organ. It is not uncommon for those in starvation to have injured kidneys, livers, and/or hearts.

Our souls take a hit. Restriction impacts our ability to eat joyfully with others, to trust our bodies and thus ourselves.

Dieting is glorified AND it is bad for your health.

Dieting is praised AND it can kill.

Let's shout to the mountaintops the dangers of dieting.

Dieting is dangerous.

Dieting is not worth it.

Your body is worth it.

YOU are worth it.

29/07/2022

Some really sobering information from the recent report on the mental health of Australians. The number of people with weight and shape concerns should remind us to be careful how we talk to each other about bodies . All bodies are accepted as they are in my practice ❤️

Many Australians have experienced episodes of binge eating, and/or view their weight and/or shape to be very or extremely important to the way they think about themselves, as reported in the recently released findings from the Australian Bureau of Statistics National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHW) 2020-21 .

NEDC's latest Research Highlight outlines some important findings from the NSMHW, the first since 2007, and the first to include a question on disordered eating behaviours and a question on perceived importance of weight and/or shape.

The high percentage of Australians aged 16-85 years who had experienced binge eating behaviours in their lifetime (5.1%) and/or rated their weight and/or shape as being very or extremely important to how they thought about themselves as a person (21%) highlights the importance of ensuring that all Australians at risk of or experiencing an eating disorder have access to appropriate services across the stepped system of care, including prevention, early identification, treatment, and recovery support.

Further surveys to ascertain the prevalence of eating disorders among the Australian population will generate a more comprehensive picture of mental ill health in Australia, supporting investment and service planning for eating disorders.

Read more here: bit.ly/ABS-NNSMHW

21/07/2022

Learning to trust yourself and your body takes time. Reconnecting to it is so worth it 🌺🌺🌺

Wise words 💕🙏

02/07/2022

Fun, for all bodies, where no-one is shamed for their shape or weight🌺🌺🌺

Words of truth ❤️💕

29/06/2022

Very true ❤️

Words of truth 💕🙏

21/06/2022

Couldn’t agree more 🌺🌺🌺

When Sam experienced Binge Eating Disorder, stigma and shame prevented him from seeking help - and it was largely because of the way society still discriminates against different body types.
🦋
Sam is now the host of our award winning Let's Talk , dedicated to increasing help-seeking, breaking down common misconceptions about eating disorders, and amplifying the voice of lived experience, who hold an incredible amount of wisdom when it comes to understanding these severe psychological illnesses.

Can you help us to continue breaking down stigma for ? Make your tax deductible donation today to support Australians living with eating disorders and body image concerns. Every little bit counts.
⤵️
https://butterfly.org.au/donate/

18/06/2022

Couldn’t say it better 🌺🌺🌺

12/06/2022

I see many women in their middle years who are suffering with an Eating Disorder. Often it’s undiagnosed for many years. Seek support, it can be better 🌺🌺🌺

10/06/2022

I am seeing increases in adults too. Especially those who have a lifetime of dieting behaviours . There is a better way . Seek support 🌺🌺🌺🌺

The pandemic has caused a significant increase in the number of children and teens experiencing body image concerns, disordered eating and eating disorders.
🦋
In this episode of Raise Foundation’s podcast ‘The Power of Showing Up’, Butterfly’s Prevention Manager Danni discusses the differences between disordered eating and eating disorders – and when parents should be concerned about their young people.
💙
This episode also discusses how you can create a safe space for young people to feel comfortable talking about their issues.

Listen now⬇️
https://anchor.fm/raisefoundation/episodes/1--Butterfly-Foundation-Supporting-young-people-with-disordered-eating-e1h14fa

04/06/2022

Can we begin to change this ? Can we teach our children to grow up appreciating their body. 🌺🌺

Posted •

When 97% of women are struggling with body image, it’s not just an individual psychological issue; it’s a reflection of a dysfunctional system that indoctrinates us into body hatred from almost as soon as we can talk. ​​​​​​​​
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Instead of just accepting this as status quo, how about we start changing the narrative! We don’t need to bond over hating our bodies. Next time you hear someone hating on their body, what if instead of commiserating that your bodies are the problem, you placed the anger where it belongs—on diet culture! ​​​​​​​​
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Source: Glamour Magazine Survey from 2011 https://www.glamour.com/story/shocking-body-image-news-97-percent-of-women-will-be-cruel-to-their-bodies-today/amp​​​​​​​​
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19/05/2022

Love this ❤️

Posted • .flexible.fluid

Repost from Twitter:


being thin means you’re thin.

being thin doesn’t mean: you’re better than anyone else, automatically ‘healthy’, confident, or disciplined.

&

being fat means you’re fat.

being fat doesn’t mean: you’re lazy, stupid, ‘unhealthy’, ugly, insecure, or undisciplined.

29/04/2022

So important to consider this ❤️❤️❤️

It’s important to remember that it’s not just physical restriction that can lead to binge eating

02/04/2022

We often discuss this in session, objectifying your body either negatively or positively can mean that you place your value only on how you feel about how your body looks. Neutrality and or moving away from objectification can be liberating. If you are struggling with your relationship to food or your body, reach out for support. It can be different 🌺🌺🌺

I was standing in my hospital gown, waiting in a cold corridor to be weighed for the third time that week. I was doing everything right. So why didn’t I love myself?