Amy Reich, MS - Curated Nutrition and Health Promotion

05/20/2023

Great article

The goal of “getting to the root cause” that is so pervasive in the wellness industry is alluring to us all, but some of the tactics used to get there are restrictive eating in disguise.

12/20/2022

If you have a loved one who is experiencing disordered eating/an eating disorder during this holiday season, it is helpful to plan ahead on how you can best support them. While these are some general tips, it's always important to check in with the individual, themselves, to see what they need during this holiday season to feel most supported. ❤️

Have more questions about supporting a loved one with an eating disorder? Come chat with us!
Our live chat and the NEDIC helpline (1-866-NEDIC-20 and 416-340-4156) are available from 9am-9pm Monday-Thursday, 9am-5pm on Fridays, and 12pm-5pm Saturday-Sunday. All times EST. ✨

Image Credits: @ amyharmanlmft (on Instagram)

Image Description: Sage green background with title that reads, "How to be ED-sensitive during the holidays, for loved ones." Listed below are five tips accompanied by holiday-related images; including candles, a gift, a flower, bells, and mittens. The tips listed below are, "Don't label foods as 'bad'", Don't talk about holiday weight gain", "Compliment qualities, not appearance", "Be diligent about check-ins", and "Keep a regular meal/snack schedule".

12/04/2022

08/24/2022

It's back to school time. Sharing some tips from Sunny Side Up :)

It’s that time of year again, children are heading back to school. As you and your child transition back to school, we’ve pulled together diet-free back-to-school resources to support you and your student.

https://sunnysideupnutrition.com/diet-free-back-to-school-resources/

Check out our latest blog post where we have "rounded up" tons of diet-free back-to-school resources for you!

All in one spot, you can access our downloadable school letters made in partnership with (one is a perfect way to introduce yourself and your food philosophy to your child's teacher), school specific podcast episodes, and information on developmentally appropriate nutrition education.

https://sunnysideupnutrition.com/diet-free-back-to-school-resources/

We'd love for you to like, save, and share these important resources.

Here's to a diet-free school year!

06/11/2022

Have you listened to our latest podcast episode? **Link in bio** or go to your favorite podcast app!

Do you often wonder how to talk about food and bodies with your kids?

and chat with Amee Severson, RDN, co-author of How to Raise an Intuitive Eater, about how a dearth of safe, inclusive resources for people raising children was one of the main inspirations for the book. emphasizes how the conversations we have with kids about body image and food are less impactful than what they learn from watching the way we interact with food.

We also discuss:

♥️ How perfection with parenting doesn’t exist.
♥️ The importance of modeling positive behaviors, but also ensuring that children know it’s ok to fail.
♥️ The importance of creating space for learning and growing.
♥️ Advice for parents who want to give up the diet mentality but have a lot of unlearning to do.
♥️ The importance of having a structured yet flexible eating schedule for kids.
♥️ Things parents can start doing right away to help support their kids as intuitive eaters.

Have you listened? Tell us what you think below!

04/05/2022

Weigh-ins can sometimes lead to avoiding health checkups altogether. Here's how to ask your provider to skip the scale.

04/02/2022

03/24/2022

"It’s so important to note that eating disorders don’t have a look or body size.

People in ALL body sizes can develop eating disorders. And someone’s body size doesn’t determine their diagnosis.

The majority of people with eating disorders are NOT underweight, despite common media portrayals. In fact, less than 6% of people with eating disorders are underweight. (Flament et. al, 2015)

I struggled with anorexia at various weights — and while some of my darkest moments were at my lowest weight, some of my darkest moments were also at my highest weight.

The majority of my therapy clients are struggling with eating disorders or disordered eating — and the majority of them are not underweight.

If you’re struggling with an eating disorder, your size or appearance doesn’t define the validity of your struggle, and you are deserving of healing and recovery. 💛"

Caption by Colleen Werner, photo by Alaina Broyles.

Join our free "Say It Brave Series – Campus Recovery Stories Kick-Off" event and gain tools to help you cope with stress before finals. Click below to register!

01/14/2022

Very important info in the RESPONSE to this post from a school offering shapewear to girls! We suffer because society tells us our bodies are wrong if they don't fit some made up "ideal " mode. We are all different and kids bodies go through huge changes during puberty. I have friends who are worried about both boys and girls body changes... it is normal and expected to gain weight. Read the response to this below.

Yesterday, a middle school in Mississippi sent home this letter to parents, announcing a new program that would provide shapewear to middle school girls to improve their body image.

The premise of the letter, and the program, is completely misguided and, intentional or not, cruel. The letter asks, "Why Do Girls Suffer From Body Image?" I can tell you why they DON'T. Girls don't "suffer from body image" because their bodies are wrong and need fixing. They suffer when people tell them their bodies are wrong and need fixing. Giving middle school girls shapewear to "fix" their bodies says to girls that the adults meant to care for them actually perceive their bodies to be abnormal. THIS is why girls suffer.

What's a normal middle school body? The one your child inhabits.

Many parents and teachers don't understand the vast amount of growth that happens in early adolescence. From my book Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen, in the chapter titled Talking About Taking Care of Yourself:

"Before concluding that your child is unhealthy, you need to know how kids grow. On average, boys do most of their growing between the ages of twelve and sixteen. During those four years, they might grow an entire foot and gain as much as fifty to sixty pounds. Girls have their biggest growth spurt between the ages of ten and fourteen. On average, they can gain ten inches in height and forty to fifty pounds during that time. That was not a typo. Tweens gain a surprising amount of weight during middle school. This is not a cause for alarm. When you notice your child gaining a lot of weight during this period, the best thing you can do is . . . nothing. You don’t want criticism about their body to lodge itself in that “sticky part” of their developing brain. ‘But I would never criticize my child’s body or weight! I simply stress the importance of making healthy choices,’ you counter. Your child knows full well when healthy is code for attractive. Tread carefully around this word as a catchall."

Changing shape and gaining weight is what is supposed to happen at this age. Nothing about that needs fixing, smoothing, or cinching.

01/13/2022

Excellent article, especially in the month of January. Be kind to yourselves folks! https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/magazine/article/2621/unlearning-weight-stigma/751aa799-34e8-44c4-80c3-7cd27416454a/oim?fbclid=IwAR2bjoiBWWAsxGog5xgEfCWTmuez9AZH2WRcOdyFkYisc8ifWBOT-Cwrcic

When therapists assume that higher-weight individuals have a traumatic past, it adds another layer to the fat-shaming they’re already likely enduring.

05/29/2021

Finally!

Report calls for use of Body Mass Index to be axed now