Episode 264: Finding Balance with “Healthy” and “Junk” Food, Weighing Yourself, and My Missing Period Story (Q&A)

“Creating a more positive relationship with food often requires us to challenge the things diet culture has taught us to normalize.”

Diet culture leaves us with so many questions, especially when we’re trying to heal our relationship with food and our bodies. In this Q&A episode, I’m answering three questions I received from Rebels in this community. While these questions seem completely different on the surface, they all point back to one important truth: healing often starts by questioning the beliefs we’ve accepted as normal.

First, I’m sharing how to find a balance between eating for health and enjoying foods that diet culture has labeled as “junk” without falling back into all-or-nothing thinking. We talk about why food neutrality matters, how to build meals and snacks that leave you feeling satisfied, and one simple question you can ask yourself to make food choices from a more grounded place. Then I open up about my own experience with losing my period due to hypothalamic amenorrhea, why I didn’t recognize it as a red flag at the time, and what I wish more people understood about underfueling and menstrual health.

Finally, we’re talking about the scale and why it can hold so much power over the way we think, feel, and eat. I’ll walk you through the questions that helped me realize it was time to stop weighing myself, how removing the scale created space for healing, and why I still choose to trust my body’s internal cues over an arbitrary number today.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to find balance between eating foods diet culture labels as “junk” and foods that support your health
• Why food neutrality can help you build a more peaceful relationship with eating
• My personal experience with losing my period and what it taught me about underfueling
• How to recognize when the scale is affecting your mood, food choices, or self-worth
• Questions to ask yourself to decide whether weighing yourself is helping or hurting your healing
• One small action step you can take today to build more trust with your body

I hope this conversation helps you better understand what you need right now in your own journey with food and your body. Remember, meaningful change doesn’t happen all at once…it happens through the small, compassionate steps you choose to take today.

Resources:

• Cadbury eggs Instagram reel
• Episode 242: Is Your Cycle Trying to Tell You Something? Hypothalamic Amenorrhea and the Impact of Disrupted Periods with Dr. Nicola Skyes
• Grab the Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale and take your next step toward building trust with your body and food.
• Connect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebel.

Struggling with food, but not sure where to start?

You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you’re tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.