When you lose the joy of eating because of a restricted diet, life can become bland. However, non-food sources of joy can bring back some pleasure and excitement. Melanie reminds us why joy is vital and how we can intentionally create opportunities to enrich our lives.  Melanie Mitchell Epp is an author, speaker and coach who knows that true change happens when we change how we think. She wrote an empowering book called “I Don’t Think So” that tells the story of how she overcame the greatest...

When you have sensitivities, getting overly focused on food and forgetting about your eating environment is easy. Instead, take the time to create an inviting environment and bring enjoyment back to your meal! In addition to more enjoyment, a better relationship with food can reduce your reactivity. Kristin will share her insightful tips to make meals more pleasurable, even on a restricted diet. Kristyn is a registered dietitian helping men and women in midlife eat better & feel better...

When you have food sensitivities, it is easy to get in a repetitive-food rut and resent food. Kathlena's stories and creative meal ideas will empower you to break out of this rut and rediscover the joy of eating. Kathlena has over 200 food allergies & intolerances, including most water. The members of her household also have food allergies and special diets, none of them the same. After being told she had 30 days to live, she made it her mission to help the food allergy community thrive....

After a severe food anaphylactic reaction, Kristina experienced significant anxiety when eating out. She shares her stories of how she got back to a comfortable relationship with food by rebuilding her body and food trust. Kristina Seefeldt has navigated anaphylactic food allergies her whole life. Born and raised in Alberta, Kristina moved to Toronto in 2015 to pursue her Master of Arts in Criminology at the University of Toronto. She currently works at Toronto Community Housing's Community...

Vigilance describes how careful you are with your food restrictions. Your quality of life will suffer if you are either under- or over-vigilant. Kristina shares her journey of finding a healthy degree of vigilance. Kristina has navigated anaphylactic food allergies her whole life. She is a dedicated traveller and despite her allergies, a huge foodie. Reach Kristina – IG @kristina.flows.

It is easy to get caught in a futile struggle to try and get other people to understand and accept your food sensitivities. Christine shares stories of how this led to frustration and why she keeps her explanations to a minimum. Christine Myers has struggled with numerous chronic illnesses and food sensitivities. She shares her delicious recipes and her journey to thriving with chronic illness and food sensitivities through her Instagram (@insicknessandinwellness).

Christine shares her anger and frustration with food restriction and her journey to thriving and helping others. If you are stuck in food-restriction grief, Christine's down-to-earth stories will help you take steps forward. Christine Myers has struggled with numerous chronic illnesses and food sensitivities. She shares her delicious recipes and her journey to thriving with chronic illness and food sensitivities through her Instagram (@insicknessandinwellness).

A hypervigilant limbic system looks for danger around every corner. When fear drives our awareness, we experience physical sensations more intensely and worry that it is the beginning of a symptom flare. Balanced awareness helps us differentiate between harmless physical sensations and symptoms. Kristy Arbon, a Certified Mindful Self-Compassion teacher and Social Worker, helps people develop self-compassion, mindfulness, embodiment, shame resilience and intuition. Learn more - kristyarbon.com.

Food labels (this food is high in histamine) and health labels (I am histamine intolerant) are easy to pick up from our fear-based media. Unfortunately, they profoundly affect our relationship with food and may lead to unnecessary restrictions. Let go of those labels and find the freedom to expand your diet. Alyssa Lavy is a dietitian who believes that food should be satisfying, nourishing and delicious. Her digestive health practice is based in Connecticut. Contact: [email protected].

Reintroducing dairy brought new freedom to Judy's life, but her inner dialogue questioned if the fifteen-year restriction was necessary or if she had unwittingly complicated her life. Judy describes how self-compassion helped her overcome this shame and regret. Judy April is an RD with Northern Health (BC, Canada) and FAST Freedom Coach. She was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award (2020) from St. Francis Xavier University for documenting how people with food sensitivity...

Brooke describes how wellness culture can lead us down a path that makes the symptoms we are trying to "fix" worse. With so many conflicting messages about what the "right diet" actually is, we are left confused and frustrated. Brooke Bulloch is a media spokesperson and Food to Fit Nutrition CEO. As a working mom, Brooke values simplicity in nutrition planning with a curious, non-diet approach to food and eating. Contact Brooke at www.foodtofit.ca.

Kristina and her mom, Pat, reminisce about Kristina's challenges growing up with multiple, severe anaphylactic food allergies. Despite these restrictions, the family continued their foodie ways, and Kristina grew up with a positive relationship with food. They share the family rituals and traditions that made this possible. Kristina has navigated anaphylactic food allergies her whole life. She is a dedicated traveller and despite her allergies, a huge foodie. Reach Kristina – IG...

Madeline started her diet expansion journey with impulsive reintroductions. These unsuccessful attempts reinforced her fear and food restrictions. When she learned to step back and make intentional changes, she found success and ended her restricted diet struggles. Madeline is an RD and PhD student. Her celiac diagnosis in 2015 led her into the Food Avoidance and Sensitivity Trap. Having found freedom from the trap, she helps her clients do the same.

After recording our initial self-compassion podcast, I realized that my inner dialogue was not as kind as I thought, and I asked Kristy for a follow-up episode. She shares her wisdom about softening resistance and connecting compassionately with ourselves when the present moment is challenging. Kristy Arbon, a Certified Mindful Self-Compassion teacher and qualified Social Worker, supports people to develop self-compassion, mindfulness, embodiment, shame resilience and intuition....

Kristy talks about the importance of self-compassion when struggling with medically unexplained symptoms – especially frustration and uncertainty. We often look outside ourselves for nurturing in times of distress, but our inner champion is our greatest source of comfort. Kristy Arbon, a Certified Mindful Self-Compassion teacher and qualified Social Worker, supports people to develop self-compassion, mindfulness, embodiment, shame resilience and intuition. Learn more - kristyarbon.com.

Samantha's early life trauma left her vulnerable to being sucked into diet restrictions, which eventually led to a dark place. Fortunately, she had the strength to find her way out and use her experiences to help others. Samantha Gilbert, FNC, CHNP, CNC spent most of her life battling severe depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and body image dysmorphia. Since finding her own path to wholeness, she is dedicated to helping others find this same healing path. Reach Samantha at...

Desiree talks with me about the importance of seeing the big picture when investigating our triggers rather than automatically linking symptoms with food. By trusting our body’s innate ability to heal, we can shift our daily patterns and enjoy greater wellbeing. Desiree Nielsen RD focuses on plant-based nutrition, chronic inflammation and digestive health. She is the author of the bestselling plant-based cookbook Eat More Plants and the Allsorts Podcast. www.desireerd.com or on IG...

Laura describes how her experiences with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) led her down a vicious cycle until she was only eating three foods. Laura has been in treatment for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) for the last eight months and shares the mindset shifts that are helping her through recovery. Laura Laura Mae Ramsey - [email protected], lauramaeramsey.com or @lauramaeramsey on TikTok, YouTube or Instagram

Kate shares her personal journey and many years of experience as a digestive health expert to help the listener understand how food tolerance changes over time and why we should keep “testing the waters.” Kate is a Boston-based dietitian with 30 years of experience. Kate's expertise is in gastrointestinal disorders and food intolerance, with a particular focus on the application of the low FODMAP diet for functional gut disorders. Contact: Instagram @katescarlata or website...

Irene is on an inspiring journey towards peace and acceptance of her uncertain health conditions. She shares five tips that have brought light into darkness. Irene was diagnosed with celiac disease in December 2015. Despite a strict gluten-free diet, she continued having severe food reactions - which eventually led to a mast cell activation syndrome diagnosis. As with many mast cell patients, her reactions are not consistent. The most isolating part of her illness has been avoiding scents...

This episode's inspiration started with Andrea's insightful Instagram post reminding us to look at the big picture of gut symptom triggers rather than focusing solely on food. Learn about the effects of stress on the digestive system and how this relates to the gut-brain axis. Andrea Hardy, RD is a registered dietitian from Calgary, Canada, where she runs a multi-disciplinary digestive health practice called Ignite Nutrition and is recognized in the media as 'Canada's Gut Health Expert.'

Tara was diagnosed with a peanut allergy at three years of age and multiple food sensitivities later in life. She talks with me about the fear she experienced when recently reintroducing soy and chickpea and the joy and freedom from eating them again. Tara Cornick - As a registered dietitian from 2002-2016, she assisted thousands of people to eat healthy while adjusting for food intolerances and health concerns. Recently, Tara has been training in conscious communication, yoga, mindfulness,...

Michelle and I share our top tips for freezer meals. Learn how to simplify your meal planning and prep. Get out of the kitchen and enjoy your life. Michelle Sendowski  is the Co-founder of Souper Cubes, a family business based in Los Angeles that is passionate about making freezer meal prep easy and convenient. Additionally, she is finishing a Ph.D. in Higher Education. You can reach Michelle at Souper Cubes. 

Hannah shares her story of how she became hypervigilant after an accidental peanut exposure and the tools that she used to move past the fear and get back to her old life. Hannah is a specialist allergy dietitian at Guy's Hospital in London, where she splits her time between outpatient clinics, research, and health professional education. Hannah's personal experience with peanut anaphylaxis and food sensitivities helps her understand the challenges her clients face.

Melanie takes the listener on her journey from the unimaginable pain of losing custody of her young son to a place of freedom and peace. Her story inspires us to consider how our thoughts contribute to our suffering and powerlessness. Melanie is an author, speaker, and coach who helps people find freedom from pain, patterns and powerlessness. She is the author of I Don't Think So and has created the online program, Your Whole Hearted Life. Contact Melanie at [email protected]