http://www.connectedeating.com/

Susan Osher, Connected Eating, 436 Glengrove Avenue West, Toronto, ON (2025)

12/15/2025

Chanukah is a celebration of light, resilience, and the small miracles that keep us going. The holiday marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the story of a tiny amount of oil that kept the menorah burning for eight nights. That is why we light candles each evening and why so many traditional foods are cooked in oil. They remind us of resilience and hope.

Because this holiday is so deeply tied to oil, it brings up a good conversation about fat and how our bodies use it. Fat is not something to avoid. It supports hormones, brain health, vitamin absorption, and steady energy. It also helps with satiety. Even people who follow lower fat eating patterns still need enough to stay nourished.

Canada’s recommendations encourage choosing fats that support heart and brain health. This can look like using olive or canola oil in cooking, including nuts and seeds often, and having fish about twice a week for omega-3s. Guidelines also remind us that saturated fat can fit into a balanced pattern when it comes from everyday foods and is not pushed to extremes. Our bodies genuinely need a mix of fats to function well.

So if holiday foods feel tricky, remember that eating something fried during Chanukah is part of the tradition and part of the joy. Nourishment is not about perfection. It is about balance, flexibility, and connection to the moments that matter.

Wishing you warmth, light, and comfort during the eight nights of Chanukah 🕯️💙✨

12/14/2025

Our hearts are with the Jewish community in Sydney today.

On the first night of Chanukah, a time meant to mark light, resilience, and gathering, a horrific act of violence took place at a Jewish celebration in Bondi. We mourn the lives lost, hold the injured and their loved ones close, and grieve alongside a community that should have been able to celebrate in safety.

Chanukah reminds us of the strength that carries people through darkness. Today, that reminder feels painfully needed. We stand in solidarity with Jewish communities in Sydney and around the world, and we reject hatred, violence, and antisemitism in all forms.

May the lights of Chanukkah be a source of comfort, remembrance, and care for those who are hurting.

🕯️🤍

12/12/2025

As the days get colder and we all settle in with fireplaces, blankets, and cozy indoor hobbies, it is also the season when many people in Canada start thinking about vitamin D.

Sunlight simply is not strong enough from November through April for our bodies to make much of it, and food sources are limited. Current Canadian guidelines suggest 600 IU per day for most adults and 800 IU for adults over 70. Many people choose higher amounts based on emerging research and personal advice from their health care providers. In my own home, I use 4000 IU daily and my kids take 2000 IU, which works well for us.

Vitamin D supports bone health and research continues to look at its relationship with mood and other conditions. Supplementation can be a helpful tool during our long Canadian winter, and it is always a good idea to check with your health care provider to find a dose that fits your needs.

Stay warm and take good care of yourself this season. ☀️🧣❄️

12/10/2025

Online spaces can offer connection, yet they can also expose people to messages that quietly reinforce harmful ideas about bodies and food. A new 2025 analysis found that pro–eating-disorder content often idealizes extreme thinness, promotes rigid food rules, and uses peer pressure disguised as support. These messages can feel especially loud during the holiday season, when food, family, and body talk already create extra stress for many.

This mix can make it harder for someone to stay grounded in their values or feel safe in their recovery. Being aware of how online content influences mood, urges, and self-talk helps us support clients with more clarity and talk openly about how the season might affect them.

Clinicians can offer steadiness by:
🧠 asking gently about online content during assessment
🧠 exploring how certain posts affect mood or eating patterns
🧠 sharing simple digital literacy tools
🧠 encouraging brief screen breaks when holiday stress rises
🧠 challenging harmful rules promoted online
🧠 collaborating with dietitians and physicians for safer routines
🧠 checking in regularly about digital habits as the season unfolds

No one needs to sort through these pressures alone. Gentle support, compassionate reminders that bodies do not need to change for the holidays, and safer online spaces can make a real difference this time of year 💚

Information sourced from: https://edr.iaedpfoundation.com/pro-eating-disorder-content-impact/

12/08/2025

Stephanie Beatriz recently shared an honest essay about her history with disordered eating, and her openness has resonated with many people. She described the pressure she felt before photoshoots, how she would zoom in on every feature she disliked, and how restriction and intense exercise became part of that cycle. Her willingness to speak about something so personal helps others feel seen and understood.

She also spoke about the work she has done to build a kinder relationship with food and her body, and how seeing women as full and complex individuals has shifted her outlook. Her message highlights that self worth is not tied to appearance and that healing can grow when we speak honestly about what we carry.

Stories like hers help reduce secrecy and stigma. They show that support is possible and that no one has to move through these challenges alone 💚

Photo credit: Netflix © 2025

12/05/2025

I have a little secret. I adore my freezer. It saves me on the days when I have no energy or imagination to cook, and it lets me keep nourishing food on hand for myself and my kids.

Inside you’ll find pesto cubes from the summer, frozen lemon and lime, applesauce, tomato paste, and now my new Costco half-cup, one-cup, and two-cup moulds. I’m already using them for casseroles, chilli, sauces, and even small loaves that I can send with my kids to university. It feels good knowing there’s always something ready to grab when cooking feels hard.

A well-loved freezer can turn a stressful evening into an easy meal, and it keeps the flavour and nourishment right where you need it. Enjoy exploring yours ❄️💚

12/03/2025

Constipation is one of the most common and uncomfortable symptoms people face during eating disorder recovery. It can feel scary or confusing, but it is also something that improves with the right support.

For many individuals in recovery, constipation is linked to undernourishment and slowed digestion. As the body receives steady meals again, gut motility gradually improves. Most people notice changes within a few weeks once they are fueling regularly and restoring weight.

Hydration, gentle movement, and a slow increase in fibre can help, along with medications like osmotic laxatives when recommended by a healthcare provider. Stimulant laxatives are not advised, since they can worsen long-term gut function and create dependency. Education matters here, too. Stimulant laxatives do not block calories and can make recovery harder.

If symptoms are severe or not improving, a clinician can check hydration, electrolytes, thyroid function, or medication effects and rule out other causes.

Healing the gut takes time, patience, and nourishment. With compassionate care and the right support, digestion becomes steadier as the body recovers 🌱💧

12/01/2025

Soccer star Sydney Leroux recently shared that she has been living with an eating disorder for most of her life, and her decision to speak openly about it is an act of real courage. She said she hopes her honesty helps someone else feel seen and less alone.

Her message highlights something we often overlook in women’s sports. Many athletes face intense pressure around performance and appearance, and research shows that disordered eating is more common in these environments. Sydney reminded everyone that silence protects the illness, not the person.

Her words are a powerful call to create safer spaces for athletes to speak up without shame. Recovery becomes easier when the fear of judgment is replaced with understanding, compassion, and community.

Sending support to Sydney and to anyone navigating their own healing. Your story deserves care and you deserve support every step of the way 💚

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images

11/28/2025

Excessive exercise is one of the most overlooked signs of an eating disorder, even though research shows it affects nearly half of people living with these illnesses. It often hides behind language like “discipline,” “commitment,” or “being good,” which makes it harder to recognize and even harder to talk about.

For many, movement becomes tied to anxiety, guilt, or a sense of pressure rather than joy or care. This is why early support is so important. Noticing the emotional drivers behind exercise can help people heal their relationship with movement before it becomes more consuming.

New research highlights how common this pattern is and how helpful it can be when clinicians ask gentle, curious questions about someone’s exercise routine. When explored with compassion, people can learn to rebuild a healthier connection to movement that supports both physical and emotional wellbeing.

If exercise feels rigid, stressful, or hard to stop, reaching out for support can open the door to recovery and steadier ground. You deserve movement that feels safe and supportive, not something tied to fear or pressure 💚

11/26/2025

Miriam O’Callaghan recently shared why she wrote about her eating disorder in her new memoir, and her honesty offers something meaningful to anyone who has struggled or supported a loved one.

She talked about how eating difficulties shaped her early life, how they affected her health, and how far she has come. Miriam said she wanted people to know that recovery is possible and that families often need reassurance during confusing and painful moments. She also shared how freeing it was to let go of things that once held power over her, like obsessively checking her weight.

Her openness reminds us that eating disorders are not just individual experiences. They touch families, relationships, and the stories we carry into adulthood. When someone speaks about their journey, it can help others feel less alone and more hopeful.

Healing becomes more possible when conversations are honest, compassionate, and free of shame 💛

11/24/2025

I had the chance to attend the Food as Medicine Update Conference last week, and I’m still thinking about how meaningful it was. The sessions touched on so many areas that shape our work at Connected Eating – body image, stigma, long-term support, GLP-1 medications, childhood and adult obesity care, and the emotional layers of food and health.

What stayed with me most was the reminder that science and compassion can and should live side by side. Every speaker highlighted the importance of understanding the whole person, not just the condition. That aligns deeply with the care we provide in our clinic.

I left feeling inspired, grounded, and grateful for the chance to keep learning. Conferences like this help me grow as a clinician and as a mentor, and I am excited to bring this knowledge back to our team and our students.
It was a wonderful week of connection, reflection, and renewed purpose.

11/19/2025

There has been a lot of conversation lately about celebrities who once spoke openly about body acceptance and are now showing visible weight changes. Meghan Trainor, Amy Schumer, Mindy Kaling, Lizzo, Oprah, and others have all found themselves at the centre of intense public reactions. For many people, this has stirred up frustration and confusion about what body positivity is supposed to mean.

Here is the part that often gets lost. Women’s bodies have been picked apart for decades. When someone gains weight, there are comments. When someone loses weight, there are comments. Even when the change is tied to medical treatment, stress, lifestyle shifts, or personal choice, the world still feels entitled to react.

The real issue is not that people change. It is that we have been conditioned to see those changes as public property. We end up blaming individuals rather than questioning the environment that makes women feel they must look a certain way in the first place.
This moment is a reminder that bodies are not promises. They change with time, health, hormones, life demands, and sometimes medication. No one owes the world an explanation for those changes.

At Connected Eating, we believe that health, self worth, and identity are never defined by shape or size. When we focus on compassion instead of critique, the conversation becomes more human, more honest, and far more supportive 💚

Susan Osher, Connected Eating

12/15/2025

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