This week, we're kicking off a new 4 episode mini-series! In the Intuitive Eating framework, we're introduced to 4 eating personas: The Careful Eater, The Unconscious Eater, The Professional Dieter, and The Intuitive Eater. Over the next 4 weeks, we're going to be diving deeper into each of these eating personas, and this week we're chatting all about The Careful Eater. In this episode we discuss: what characteristics distinguish The Careful Eater persona, how careful eating can be a way of coping with feeling out of control, the fine line between careful eating and disordered eating, and how this persona interacts with food sensitivities & intolerances.
You can stay up to date on all things Satisfaction Factor by following us on IG @satisfactionfactorpod!
Here's where to find us & information about our 1:1 Intuitive Eating coaching offerings:
Sadie Simpson: www.sadiesimpson.com or IG @thesadiesimpson
Naomi Katz: www.happyshapes.co or IG @happyshapesnaomi
For this episode's transcript, visit: www.satisfactionfactorpod.com
Referenced in this episode:
Intuitive Eating Counselor Directory
National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA)
Carolina Resource Center for Eating Disorders
Alliance for Eating Disorder Awareness
Project HEAL
Want to connect with us to deepen the conversation? Join us in our online community, The Satisfaction Space!
Want to show the world that you love the pod? Get t-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, totebags & more at Teepublic!
You can stay up to date on all things Satisfaction Factor by following us on IG @satisfactionfactorpod!
Here's where to find us:
Sadie Simpson: www.sadiesimpson.com or IG @sadiemsimpson
Naomi Katz: www.happyshapes.co or IG @happyshapesnaomi
This week, we're kicking off a new 4 episode mini-series! In the Intuitive Eating framework, we're introduced to 4 eating personas: The Careful Eater, The Unconscious Eater, The Professional Dieter, and The Intuitive Eater. Over the next 4 weeks, we're going to be diving deeper into each of these eating personas, and this week we're chatting all about The Careful Eater. In this episode we discuss: what characteristics distinguish The Careful Eater persona, how careful eating can be a way of coping with feeling out of control, the fine line between careful eating and disordered eating, and how this persona interacts with food sensitivities & intolerances.
You can stay up to date on all things Satisfaction Factor by following us on IG @satisfactionfactorpod!
Here's where to find us & information about our 1:1 Intuitive Eating coaching offerings:
Sadie Simpson: www.sadiesimpson.com or IG @thesadiesimpson
Naomi Katz: www.happyshapes.co or IG @happyshapesnaomi
For this episode's transcript, visit: www.satisfactionfactorpod.com
Referenced in this episode:
Intuitive Eating Counselor Directory
National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA)
Carolina Resource Center for Eating Disorders
Alliance for Eating Disorder Awareness
Project HEAL
Want to connect with us to deepen the conversation? Join us in our online community, The Satisfaction Space!
Want to show the world that you love the pod? Get t-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, totebags & more at Teepublic!
You can stay up to date on all things Satisfaction Factor by following us on IG @satisfactionfactorpod!
Here's where to find us:
Sadie Simpson: www.sadiesimpson.com or IG @sadiemsimpson
Naomi Katz: www.happyshapes.co or IG @happyshapesnaomi
Welcome to Satisfaction Factor, the podcast where we explore how ditching diet culture makes our whole lives more satisfying. Welcome back to Satisfaction Factor. I'm Naomi Katz, an Intuitive Eating, body image, and self trust coach.
Sadie Simpson:I'm Sadie Simpson, a group fitness instructor, personal trainer, and Intuitive Eating counselor.
Naomi Katz:Hey, Sadie.
Sadie Simpson:Hey, Naomi. In the next four episodes, we are going to do a little mini series, kind of like our Intuitive Eating series we did a few months ago, where we broke down the 10 principles of Intuitive Eating. So in these next four episodes, we are actually going to break down the 4 eating styles, or the 4 eating personas, as it is described in the Intuitive Eating framework.
Naomi Katz:I am actually really excited about these little mini episodes. Because, you know, you and I have talked on a number of occasions, that like, you know, we come into this stuff from different places sometimes, and so how we work with folks can be a little different. And so the 4 eating styles aren't a thing that I use a lot with the people that I work with, and so they're not something that I've dug into as deeply as some of the other stuff. And so I'm like really excited to hear more about how you work with people using these and just sort of how these apply in general.
Sadie Simpson:Yeah, well, I like using them because it gives people a starting point to where they can kind of see themselves, like where they can identify with a different eating style. It's kinda like a personality assessment sort of thing. So if you're into something like the Enneagram, or Myers Briggs, or Strengths Finder, or something like that, this might be something that would speak to you. Learning about these four eating styles that we'll talk about in just a little bit- they're not designed to put anybody in a box. It's not like the be all end all, this is your eating style, this is who you are, this is who you always will be, sort of a thing. But it is kind of like the Enneagram or like Myers Briggs, where it's more of an awareness piece, where you can kind of use this information and learn more about yourself, and potentially make some shifts into more of what is described as the Intuitive Eater persona.
Naomi Katz:Yeah, I love that. And I mean, I think you know, I do really, really love personality assessment things.
Sadie Simpson:Me too.
Naomi Katz:But I think one of the things that I love about them is sort of recognizing that they're not a be all end all. It's not like, this is everything about you. It's just like one thing that can give a little insight into tendencies, and, you know, just the way we process things, and, you know, the way we view the world. But like, it's just insight, it's not like, you know- it doesn't define you.
Sadie Simpson:Right. Yes. And you'll probably hear us refer to that a lot over these next few episodes, because I think that's really important to remember. So another thing that is important to remember is that, as you're listening about these different eating styles in this episode and the subsequent three episodes, people can have more than one eating style, or embody more than one eating persona. And you might hear something that you identify with right now in your life, but that may have been different like at another- in another season of life or something like that. But when I'm working with people through the Intuitive Eating framework, I like to have them learn about these different eating styles because it's a good starting point for them to kind of identify where they are when we start working together, so we can sort of direct where we begin our work together.
Naomi Katz:I love that. That's such an interesting way to start off.
Sadie Simpson:Well, and speaking of other personality assessments and things, I've definitely worked with folks to where I've had them try to figure out what their Enneagram type is, so that way they can do some of that self awareness piece on their own. I'm by no means an expert on the Enneagram. I'm still like conflicted as to what my type even is. However, this is something that can kind of speak to other people, and they can then do a little more research on their own about their tendencies and that type of thing, too.
Naomi Katz:Yeah, same. I do that occasionally, as well. I also just want to say that I really like that- like sort of the insight that you can have like more than one eating style, or you can like shift between them at different times in your life, because, like honestly, looking at them, I've probably been every one of these things at different points in my life.
Sadie Simpson:Mm-hmm. Yep.
Naomi Katz:Like that's- that's very validating, to hear that that's a thing that you can be.
Sadie Simpson:Yes, for sure. So today we're going to specifically talk about the careful eater. But just to kind of set everybody up for the next few episodes, we'll briefly go over what the four eating styles are, so you can know what to expect. The first eating persona is the careful eater. And this persona, or this eating style, might be somebody who has the appearance of health. They might be a, quote, unquote, perfect or clean eater. They might anguish over everything they eat or drink. This is the type of person that might be very health conscious, or that is the personification of what our society views as somebody who lives a healthy lifestyle. And again, we'll focus on this persona throughout today's episode. But there are also three other eating styles. We have our unconscious eater, which is somebody who often eats while they're doing something else, like while they're working or driving. They might be a multitasker, like they might eat while they're doing something else. And next, we have the professional dieter, who is someone who is a perpetual dieter. They might be always on and off a different diet, or trying the latest diet trend. And then finally, we have our Intuitive Eater, or the Intuitive Eating persona, which is somebody who makes food choices without associating guilt, or morality, or shame with eating. They honor their hunger, they respect their fullness, they find pleasure and satisfaction with eating, and is really, you know, we talk about this in almost every episode that we have had thus far. So again, throughout the next few episodes, we'll break down these specific eating styles. But today, let's talk more about the careful eater.
Naomi Katz:Yeah, I'm excited to hear more about the careful eater because I think that's- especially these days- I suspect that's one that we see a lot of because of how dieting is all about health and wellness now, instead of like just saying the quiet part out loud, that it's about losing weight.
Sadie Simpson:Yes, yes. So here are some characteristics of the careful eater- and I hit on a couple of those earlier, but we'll get into more specifics. So a careful eater is somebody who is cautious and hyper aware of what foods they eat. They may scrutinize food labels. A careful eater might be someone who plans most of their meals or their snacks in advance, so that they can control their food intake, or their portions, or whatever. A careful eater is somebody who feels guilty for eating foods that aren't traditionally considered to be, quote, unquote, clean or healthy. And they might be concerned with how food is prepared- so like if it's cooked in oil, or butter, or something like that. And I think it's really important to note kind of as we're going into this conversation, specifically, about the careful eater, is that some people with like legitimate food allergies, intolerances, other health situations, they might identify with this careful eater persona because they have to. So for example, somebody with celiac would need to be cautious or careful of ingredients and how food is prepared because they can't eat gluten. Like they literally can't eat gluten. It's not because it's some like fad of a, you know, gluten free diet for weight loss. Everything we say isn't going to apply to all people, in all situations, at all times. So there's the- there's a little disclaimer there.
Naomi Katz:I'm so glad you brought that up. It seems like what we're talking about here, when we're talking about the careful eater, is- we're really not talking about people who are being careful about their food choices because of allergies or intolerances. We're talking about people who are hyper aware and careful with the foods that they eat for other reasons.
Sadie Simpson:Yeah, I think that's a really important distinction there.
Naomi Katz:You know, things like medical nutrition therapy are really things that only a registered dietitian- Yes.-can work with you on. And if you are interested in a registered dietitian who is familiar with Intuitive Eating, and, you know, can work on it through that lens, there is also the Intuitive Eating counselor directory, where you can seek out people who are specifically both registered dietitians and Intuitive Eating professionals.
Sadie Simpson:Yes, that's a great resource.
Naomi Katz:We can link to that in the show notes, too.
Sadie Simpson:So some other things to know about the careful eating style is that a lot of people who identify as fitness enthusiasts- so, often, maybe even fitness professionals, or people who do a lot of endurance sports, or are very into exercise culture, and gym culture, and that type of thing- might find themselves identifying with this careful eating persona. And I think this makes a lot of sense, because a lot of the behaviors that we often see among folks, again, who are kind of self identified fitness enthusiasts, or nutrition enthusiasts, or whatever, are admired and reinforced by others and reinforced by our society.
Naomi Katz:Yes. That's very, very true. And it's so funny to even think of like a nutrition enthusiast. Like just the fact that that's even a thing that exists in our society. Like fitness enthusiast makes a little more sense to me, because it's like sports and games and whatever. And like, a nutrition enthusiast should just be somebody who likes to eat food. But that is not what we mean by that.
Sadie Simpson:No. Really, when I think of the word nutrition enthusiast- and I- maybe I just made that up, I don't know- but I'm thinking of somebody who is like an Instagram influencer, who is very passionate about their clean eating lifestyle and feels like they need to just share it with the whole world. So that's- that's what I mean by nutrition enthusiast- is essentially like influencer, basically.
Naomi Katz:Yeah. Oh, I knew- I totally knew what you meant by nutrition enthusiast. That's why I went like all in on being like, yeah, a nutrition enthusiast.
Sadie Simpson:Yes, yep. We talked a little bit about this in our episode last week, where we touched on the idea of authority. And when we're specifically talking about somebody who is a fitness enthusiast, then has also become possibly a fitness professional, is when somebody is positioned as a leader and is looked to as an authority figure, their actions, and their behaviors, and the way they eat are often looked upon as the gold standard. So an example might be is when a personal trainer or a group fitness instructor constantly talks about their clean eating diet, or how they're eliminating sugar from their diet, or something like that. And this could be either during some kind of a exercise movement session or even sharing about it on social media. Other people look to this person as the authority, and they will follow exactly what the trainer or the instructor is doing, because their- their behaviors are assumed to be a part of this almighty healthy lifestyle that people are seeking to mimic in their own lives. And it creates this compounding effect of expectations around things like eating, and exercise, and health, and nutrition- these expectations that can be really disordered, which we'll talk about in a minute. But I think we have to be really careful- not to like, be a pun or whatever, because, since we're talking about careful eaters- like if we are in a position where people look to us as an authority figure or as a leader, when we're talking about our diets, and our clean eating, and all that sort of stuff in front of other people, because they're gonna copy it, and they're gonna do it.
Naomi Katz:Yeah. Oh my god, it's so true. I mean, full disclosure, this was totally me during my like Pilates instructor, personal trainer, nutrition coach phase. Which- can I just say that I think- I think nutrition coaches- like not- not registered dieticians, but nutrition coaches-totally fall into that nutrition enthusiast realm.
Sadie Simpson:Yes. For sure.
Naomi Katz:Yeah. So- and again, totally me- I'm talking about me when I say that. So I'm not judging, necessarily. We- we- it's totally understandable why we go there in our society. But yeah, I mean, I told everybody who would listen that I didn't believe in dieting, but I was also constantly talking about clean, and organic, and like all of that stuff. And, you know, the reality is that I do have some values around, you know, sustainable agriculture, and pesticides, and, you know, things like that. And also, holy shit, there's a lot of privilege in that. And like, it's really not helpful to anybody to frame things as, these things are like 100% the good right thing, and everything else is evil, and toxic, and bad, and whatever. Where, like, there wasn't anything necessarily that I wouldn't eat. But like- like I'd eat eggs, but only the right eggs. And I ate meat, but only the right meat. And I ate dairy, but only the right dairy. All of that stuff. Like and it was just- it's a lot. I mean, I literally even made my own toothpaste and deodorant during this time, because I was so like, chemicals are the devil, and it just, yeah.
Sadie Simpson:Wow. I think that's a really good example, and I'm glad you shared that, because that really shows like how this shows up in real life. Like it's very- especially- and we've mentioned this before on this podcast- especially around here, in the area where we live, like there is a lot of emphasis on clean, and on organic, and natural, and that type of thing. And it can be really easy to get kind of caught up and like overly obsessed, preoccupied, with everything having to be all natural or whatever.
Naomi Katz:Yeah. And I think that there's a really big difference between having values that you prioritize when possible, versus being like obsessed and restrictive, and panicking when you can't get the right thing, and stuff like that- or even thinking that something is just inherently right versus something else, like.
Sadie Simpson:Yes. So another thing that is common among folks who are careful eaters is the idea of cheat days and cheat meals. And this is something that will overlap again when we talk more about the professional dieter. But specifically with careful eaters, they may spend a lot of time, and effort, and energy, and even money, carefully planning out their meals, and their snacks, and their macros, and the calories, and the carbs, and all sorts of stuff like that, so that way they can splurge for a cheat meal, or for a cheat day, or a cheat weekend, or whatever. The whole cheat meal, cheat day thing is pretty common among careful eaters.
Naomi Katz:Again, I so relate to that.
Sadie Simpson:Yes. Same. Same.
Naomi Katz:Like, I think especially, you know- I think that things that are very reliant on counting, especially, I think really drive that like, oh, I'm saving up for something later.
Sadie Simpson:This is definitely something that happens, and there's often a ton of shame and of guilt associated with this. Because somebody who is a careful eater really like tries to prioritize having this control over their food intake, and when they get into a situation where they lose control during a cheat meal, like it really initiates a big time shame spiral when it comes to eating. And this is something that we talk about a lot- or I know I do- with my Intuitive Eating coaching clients, and something that is included within the framework is the idea of the restrict binge cycle. Restricting, and being very cautious, very careful, very calculated on what, and when, and how we eat, and to the point where we can't do it anymore, so we binge. And it's just this back and forth cycle of restrict, and binge, and restrict, and binge. And with the careful eater, what happens is that this scrutiny of food labels, and food ingredients, and in calorie content, and all that sort of stuff, it creates this false sense of control. Somebody who is a careful eater really relies on rules, and structure, and pre planning, and little containers of 21 Day Fix three ounces of chicken and two tablespoons of peanut butter, and all that other crap. They rely on these external things to maintain this control. And when that control is not there, that's kind of something that also sort of feeds into this restrict binge cycle. And a lot of times this is reflected in other areas of our lives too-whenever we can't maintain control, things kind of begin to spiral.
Naomi Katz:Mm-hmm. Yeah. That's actually something that I've been talking about, like and exploring a lot with clients lately. Part of doing like Intuitive Eating work and peeling back layers tends to be looking at like all the things that we've been told are within our personal control that actually aren't. Health being like the number one thing, of course-
Sadie Simpson:Mm-hmm. is that like, actually, we have like very little control over- over our health. Most of our health is decided- and we've talked about this before- by our genetics, and our social circumstances- hence the social determinants of health. And so something that, you know, we've- I've been exploring with clients a lot lately is that like kind of realizing how much stuff is actually out of our control is kind of a double edged sword. On the one hand, it's kind of freeing to know that we're not actually personally responsible for everything, and that our individual actions maybe aren't going to make or break most things. After being told all of our lives that literally everything is just a matter of personal responsibility, and bootstraps, and whatever, like, it can be kind of like, oh, this is not entirely my fault all the time. Like, this is not actually something that I can micromanage. There's a little bit of relief to that. On the other hand, it can feel really scary to not be in control of stuff. To say, I'm not in control of most things, is really- like that can feel- make us feel very lost. The thing is that trying to fix that sense of feeling out of control by controlling our food always backfires into eventually making us feel even more out of control, because of that binge restrict cycle that you just mentioned. We control, control, control- like we feel out of control, so we control food, because that's something that's right there and that we can control. And then eventually, always- and we talked about a lot of this in the make peace with food Intuitive Eating deep dive episode- but like eventually, that restriction always leads to rebellion and feeling out of control again. And if anything, like the more we try to control it, the worse that sense of, you know, rebellion and feeling out of control gets later. It actually makes it worse in the long run- that feeling about it- of being out of control. And so like one of the things that we've been talking about is maybe we don't need to be controlling what's in front of us, like food, in order to feel more in control. Maybe what we really need is support for the anxiety of not being in control. Maybe we need proactive and supportive ways to take control of what we actually can take control of. So- I don't know- like things like voting, and like writing to our elected representatives. Or, like even more locally, talking to your kid's school about mentioning weight, or talking to your own doctor about what you want, and, you know, things like that- that maybe there's other things that are more productive to try and process around control, as opposed to just, I'm going to lock down my food until I can't anymore. Yes, thank you for saying that. Because I feel like that puts all of this into words that can be really helpful to a lot of people, with some actual ideas to help us kind of figure out what we can do within our control without having to rely on food as being that control mechanism. There are some really fine lines, some blurred lines, between the idea of a, quote unquote, healthy lifestyle, being a careful eater, and an actual eating disorder. Because a lot of the behaviors that are praised as being admirable or healthy are some of the exact signs and symptoms of multiple eating disorders or disordered eating patterns- specifically, talking about orthorexia. If you're not familiar with the term orthorexia, I'll just go over that really quickly. So this definition is from the NEDA website- National Eating Disorder Association website. So the term orthorexia was coined in 1998 and means an obsession with proper or healthful eating. Although being aware of and concerned with the nutritional quality of food you eat isn't a problem in and of itself, people with orthorexia become so fixated on so called healthy eating, that they actually damage their own well being. And again, there's a lot of overlap with this idea of the careful eating persona, or this eating style, and orthorexia. And I'll share some signs and symptoms of orthorexia in a minute so people can kind of like compare and contrast. But I think it's really important to recognize here that if these are some patterns that you might be noticing in yourself, or you might be experiencing, again, like Naomi mentioned earlier, reaching out to a registered dietician who is also educated in the Intuitive Eating framework might be a helpful resource to check out here.
Naomi Katz:Yeah, I would also say that NEDA- like you just mentioned, the National Eating Disorder Association- has support resources on its website that, if you feel like you really relate to some of these orthorexia signs and symptoms- because it is like a true eating disorder that, you know, needs to be treated like an eating disorder. And also a lot of places have local support options too. So like here in western North Carolina- or really all of North Carolina- we have the Carolina Resource Center for Eating Disorders. I know other areas have places like that, too. There's also the Alliance for Eating Disorder Awareness, which tends to have some great resources, and Project HEAL, which has a ton of resources, and especially deals with helping folks get access if they're struggling for financial or whatever other reasons. Those are all really good resources, if you do recognize that you might have some of these orthorexia symptoms and you want some support.
Sadie Simpson:Yeah, so some of the symptoms of orthorexia are compulsive checking of ingredient lists and nutrition labels; an increase in concern about the health content of ingredients; cutting out different food groups- so like all sugar, or all carbs, all dairy, all meat, all animal products- without there being an underlying health condition, again, like celiac or something like that; an inability to eat anything but a narrow group of foods that are deemed healthy, or pure, or clean; an unusual interest in the health of what other people might be eating; spending hours every day thinking about what food might be served at upcoming events or functions; showing a high level of distress when safe or healthy foods aren't available; obsessively following food and healthy lifestyle blogs on Twitter and Instagram- which I think is a really interesting one, and something that's very common among a lot of people; and body image concerns may or may not be present, officially, within orthorexia. But I think when going through these signs and symptoms, again, there's- there's a whole lot of overlap between like official symptoms of an eating disorder and what is characterized as a careful eater within the Intuitive Eating framework.
Naomi Katz:Yeah, definitely. I think there's two really interesting things there. So first of all, I think it's worth clarifying that like cutting out meat or animal products like you're a vegetarian, or a vegan, or whatever, isn't necessarily like a disordered eating behavior. Like, we don't- we're not- we're definitely not
Sadie Simpson:Yes. trying to say that. Like you get to make whatever ethical decisions you want to make about your- your eating. I think it's always good to interrogate those things and make sure that we're actually doing them because of our ethics, and not because we like have some sense of like, it's the healthy thing to do, or it might help us lose weight, or something like that. Because sometimes that's under there somewhere. The financial aspects- because I mean, cutting out meat and animal products in place of eating things like beans, or like vegetable products- like it's a lot cheaper to eat beans than it is hamburger. So that's, you know, another just little nuance to throw in there, too.
Naomi Katz:Absolutely. So, you know, that's- there's that. I also think it's so interesting that in this particular disorder, that body image concerns might not actually be part of it. And I think that that's so telling about how this is truly an obsession with what we think is healthy.
Sadie Simpson:Mm-hmm.
Naomi Katz:And like, yes, a lot of times that like- a lot of times there are body image concerns, because what we think is healthy is also thin. And like that's a whole thing. But I think a lot of times we think- when we think eating disorder, we think an obsession with being thin. And this one is not necessarily that. It can be, like under the surface, but that it can just be an obsession with always having to be the, quote unquote, healthiest.
Sadie Simpson:Yes, that's a really good distinction. Good point there.
Naomi Katz:I also think it's so interesting in that definition from NEDA, that they talk about people with orthorexia become so fixated on so called healthy eating that they actually damage their own well being. And I think what's so key there is the phrase well being, because it's not just about physical health, then. Like they're not saying like, oh, they make themselves less healthy, like they're so focused on healthy eating, that they become less healthy. It's like well being. Well being is, you know, living- the ability to live your life, and have social interactions, and your mental health, and, you know, just to like, be a person, basically.
Sadie Simpson:Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Naomi Katz:And so the qualification here is not so much like, are you underweight? Or are you, you know, having physical symptoms of restriction, or something like that. Which, I mean, frankly, weight as a diagnostic factor is a problem for a million reasons anyway. But that this is very specifically just talking about, like your ability to function in your life, like your well being as a person. Like if any of these things are interfering with just like your ability to like, go have dinner with your friends, then like that's a consideration.
Sadie Simpson:Yeah, yeah. Well, and even, you know, reading up on more about orthorexia leading into this episode, there's a lot of links and overlap between orthorexia and things like anxiety, or obsessive compulsive disorder, and other mental health factors that could be considered in this conversation too.
Naomi Katz:And actually, that's kind of a good segue, because one of the other things that's, I think, interesting- and I think that we actually did talk a little bit about this in one of our Intuitive Eating deep dive episodes- is that, you know, one of the things that you see as a careful leader is food anxiety. And so we talked earlier about how like, oh, it's different- like, obviously, we're not talking about people with food intolerances, and food sensitivities, and food allergies. But food anxiety can often mimic food sensitivities and intolerances. Not so much allergies. Allergies are like a whole different like physiological reaction. But- but sensitivities and intolerances- that's a lot more of a gray area.
Sadie Simpson:Mm-hmm.
Naomi Katz:And it's not uncommon for food anxiety to actually be at the root of things that we think are sensitivities and intolerances. There's also a huge overlap between eating disorders and functional gut disorders, and- which, you know, can also sometimes make us think we have a food sensitivity, or food intolerance, or something like that. And so, you know, recognizing that- okay, so we have these beliefs about food- you know, we think like gluten is terrible for us, and that we're sensitive to it, and then we eat something that we know has gluten in it, and then our stomach gets upset. That's still- okay, your stomach is still upset, and that sucks. That's like a real thing. So we're not trying to say it's not real. And it might not actually be because of the gluten. It might be because we're afraid of the gluten. Unfortunately, a lot of nutrition professionals, and doctors, and things like that, who are not well versed in this overlap or in Intuitive Eating, tend to approach this stuff with elimination diets. And if we're already in this careful eating persona, or even on the border of orthorexia, or something like that, having a medical professional essentially reinforce that by giving an elimination diet can be really, really harmful. That's one of the reasons why, at the beginning of this, we made a point of specifically suggesting contacting a registered dietician who is versed in Intuitive Eating.
Sadie Simpson:Yes, yes.
Naomi Katz:So yeah, we don't really need to do like a deep dive into those overlaps, necessarily. But needless to say, like, if you think about anxiety- like just think about anxiety- like most of us, when we feel anxious, probably feel that in our stomachs a little bit.
Sadie Simpson:Mm-hmm.
Naomi Katz:Like, you know, anxious stomach is not a mystery. Like- or like an uncommon thing.
Sadie Simpson:I like how you said that nice, because I was just thinking of like the nervous shits, but you just call it anxious stomach.
Naomi Katz:Yes, also that. But you know, case in point, we all know what I'm talking about, right? Like the thing is, it makes sense, just like even on a common sense level, right? That if you're anxious about something that might show up as what seems like an upset stomach. And so especially when we're talking about food, it's so important to like suss out, like is this a reaction to the- to- is it like a physiological reaction to the food? Or is it a physiological reaction to my anxiety about the food? And that's one of the reasons why Intuitive Eating is so great for addressing this stuff, is because we get to suss out what the food anxiety is and actually address that.
Sadie Simpson:So yeah, again, there's a lot of overlap between
Naomi Katz:You know, it's also so important to recognize that the careful eating persona and some potential disordered eating behaviors, and even things like anxiety. There's- they're very intertwined here. So it's really important when you're listening to this, if you do, you know, feel like you might embody some of these behaviors, then there are options. Again, Naomi and I both offer one on one Intuitive Eating coaching, and a part of what we do- a part of our ethical responsibility- is kind of determining what is within our scope of practice as Intuitive Eating providers who are not registered dietitians, who are not licensed clinical therapist or anything like that, is if we encounter someone who wants to work with us in an Intuitive Eating coaching relationship that needs something that is outside of our scope of practice, is referring sometimes this stuff is just mindset stuff. folks out to somebody who might be a better fit professionally. Like, we talk about the extreme version- like, we
Sadie Simpson:Yeah. talk about the fact that this can be a precursor to orthorexia, or have overlap to orthorexia. We talk about like, you know- because it's so important to recognize those signs and symptoms in case people do need support. And it's not always that extreme. Like, sometimes this is something that can just be sussed out in like talking through mindset stuff. Yeah.
Naomi Katz:And, you know. Yeah, so.
Sadie Simpson:Yeah. So if you are interested in exploring this eating style, or maybe any of the other ones we're going to talk about in the upcoming episodes, we'll put the links to our Intuitive Eating coaching programs in the show notes. If this is something you would like to work with one of us on an individual basis, we are always taking clients, as long as we have the capacity to do so. So feel free to check that out in the show notes, or just send us a message on Instagram@satisfactionfactorpod, and we will be happy to connect you with more information about that.
Naomi Katz:Yeah, definitely. So, Sadie, what's satisfying for you right now?
Sadie Simpson:So this is kind of a bitter, sweet, satisfying thing this Friday, or last Friday, as this episode will be released after the fact. We are getting my kid signed up for kindergarten, he's got kindergarten registration on Friday. And they're like, it's definitely some mixed emotions. There's a little bit of sadness, again, a little bit of bitter sweetness, but at the same time, like, I'm ready to shift kind of into this next season of parenthood. And yeah, we got kindergarten registration coming up. So I guess that is what is satisfying me slash making me really nervous at the same time.
Naomi Katz:Yeah, that's huge. Yeah, that's so I mean, it's awesome. Like, I feel like I want to congratulate you. Milestone. No, that's, that's so awesome. And I kind of love the that, like, the recognition that something can be like good and satisfying and also stressful at the same time. Like, I feel like sometimes we think that things that are good should only ever be good and have like good feelings associated with them. But like, sometimes even good things have like a little bit of like stress and anxiety with them.
Sadie Simpson:Hey, that's the dang truth. Yes. Oh my gosh. Yes. And that is exactly what this feels like right now. Yeah. So what is satisfying for you right now?
Naomi Katz:You know, it's funny, because I actually, I didn't like even really, this was not planned, but it happens to be something that like, fits perfectly with the theme of this episode. So I was at the grocery store the other day, shopping for yogurt. And I don't know what made it click all of a sudden, but I realized that I was still holding on to this thing about how only like unsweetened plain yogurt was like an okay kind of yogurt to buy. I think what happened was I saw vanilla yogurt and was like, oh, that sounds really good. And then for a second was like, No, you don't need all that extra sugar. Which PS is hilarious, because even when I get like plain unsweetened yogurt, I put honey in it like so. PS that's just stupid. That doesn't make sense. Anyway, so I like right in that moment was like, well, that's, that's an interesting little narrative. that just came up and also a nonsense thing that I don't need to be adhering to. And so I bought the vanilla yogurt. And so I've just I for lunches, I've been eating this like amazingly decadent, delicious vanilla yogurt with like granola and blueberries and stuff like that. And it's just been amazing. And so like, the satisfaction is like, on the one hand, holy shit, this stuff is delicious. And on the other hand, finding another thing to root out and like being able to unpack it like right then in there, it was
Sadie Simpson:pretty sweet. It's so weird how that happens, because there's constantly stuff that I'm finding two that I have still not quite unpacked, and you just don't really expect that to happen. And then when it does, it's like, okay, noticing this things happen. And right now, so you have to tell us, do you remember what kind of yogurt it was like? What was the brand or anything like?
Naomi Katz:Yeah, it was Cabot triple cream, vanilla yogurt. It was like it was like the 10% milk fat yogurt. Because so I mean, again, this totally goes back to my like, careful eater days where I was like, full fat. No, Sugar was like my rule for everything, basically. And so it's like I had always bought like the full fat yogurt like ever since then, basically. But turns out like listen, full fat yogurt in and of itself is amazingly delicious. Yes. Turns out full fat vanilla. It's basically like ice cream. And it's so good.
Sadie Simpson:Oh my gosh, now that you mentioned that, that like just triggers a lot of things in my mind of buying the full fat version. I did the same thing like full fat version of yogurt. And really even recently, like, within the last year, I was buying yogurt and they didn't have the full fat of yogurt I was gonna get they only had the fat free. And I was like, Oh, I can't get the fat free yogurt. Like, I can't get that. And I did like ended up buying it because I needed some yogurt. And that's what they had. And it's just these things just come up and it's so weird.
Naomi Katz:Yeah, that's so funny. I actually had a similar thing with the with yogurt happen a while back to where I like, they didn't have the full fat. They only had like the 2% or something like that. And I was like, it's not as good but fine. But like, it's not as good, but I was like, but I mean, like taste wise, but that's not how I meant it.
Sadie Simpson:Yeah, no, no, I know. Exactly. Yeah, no, I could definitely tell a difference in taste and texture.
Naomi Katz:But yeah, yes. But and like that's a very different thing, then yeah, this is not as good for me like, no.
Sadie Simpson:Yes. Well, if you enjoy this episode, and you would like to come share with us your thoughts and your feelings or your deepest, darkest secrets, and I'm just getting you through that. But if you identify with any of what we talked about with this careful eating persona and you want to share that with us, please come send us a message or follow us over at satisfaction factor pod on Instagram because we love hearing from you.
Naomi Katz:And another simple way that you can support us if you enjoy the podcast is to leave a rating and a review on Apple or Spotify that helps us to reach more people so that you know more people can learn about intuitive eating and ditching diet culture and making their lives more satisfying.
Sadie Simpson:That's it for us this week. We'll see you next time.