The Joyful + Nourishment Podcast Hosted by Linn Thorstensson - Nutrition Therapist & Body Image Coach

This week I am back with a solo episode were I will be exploring Food Rules.
What is a “food rule”? Well it could be a lot of things. But basically it is anything that tells you what to eat, how much and when. Calorie counting.
Are there benefits of having food rules?
Yes for sure. There are reasons we feel drawn to them. I explore this in this episode.
Where do we learn these food rules? And are you questioning if it is true?
Lots of food rules include cutting out foods or entire food groups. When and where did you learn that this was something that you were supposed to do?
Many food rules are learned through family, society, diets. Do we question if it is true? Lots of nutrition information is contradictory.
What are some of the challenges of having food rules? Are your rules having negative unintended consequences?
Let’s take a look at this shall we?
Rules vs structure.
What is the difference? In this episode I will explore how you can move from food rules to structure that can also support your relationship with food.

And finally… If your rules aren’t working for you anymore. How do you let them go?

Previous podcast episodes that will support this episode, if you are trying to have a better relationship with food:
https://linnt.substack.com/p/se1-episode-5-the-many-facets-of-hunger
https://linnt.substack.com/p/se-1episode-7-tuning-into-fullness
https://linnt.substack.com/p/se2-ep9-magic-full-permission-to-eat

And these blog posts may be helpful too:
https://straightforwardnutrition.com/diet-deprivation-binge-cycle/
https://straightforwardnutrition.com/structured-eating/
https://straightforwardnutrition.com/how-do-i-stop-bingeing-on-food/

Find me over on Straightforward Nutrition
https://straightforwardnutrition.com/
My 1:1 work here
 https://straightforwardnutrition.com/eating-disorder-support/
Book in for a 30 min free initial session here
 https://eatingfreelycallwithlinn.as.me/schedule.php
And sign up for my newsletter and join the Joyful + Nourishment community here https://linnt.substack.com/


Get full access to Joyful + Nourishment at linnt.substack.com/subscribe

I am delighted to be back to you with an episode that really centers the male experience around food, eating, weight, dieting and body image. I hope you will enjoy this episode that I had with Jonny Landels as much as I did.
We don’t talk about enough how disordered eating and body image issues show up for men, which is why I feel this is a very valuable conversation to have had and to have the opportunity to share.

Jonny Landels is a former diet-culture-obsessed fat loss coach turned intuitive eating coach and HAES advocate. He spent years fighting his own body and believing he just needed to be more disciplined and motivated to maintain weight loss long term.
A couple of years ago he started learning about disordered eating and intuitive eating, and then slowly pivoted his coaching and re-trained, and has not looked back since! Jonny now help clients break free from food and body obsession and end their constant mental battle with food, while using strength training to help them fall in love with exercise again.
In this conversation we talk about:
·       How Jonny transitioned from being a fat loss coach to an intuitive eating coach and even when he was on board with rejecting Diet Culture, fat loss was still seen as a goal for another while.
·       His own personal journey with his body, fitness culture and moving towards a more peaceful relationship with food and his body.
·       How society’s messages can have an impact on a young man’s view on himself and what he needs to do and look like to be accepted.
·       Weight cycling
·       Binge Eating and calorie tracking
·       The stigma around eating disorders
·       Disordered eating in the fitness industry and more…

Where to find out more about Jonny Landels:
https://nextstepnutrition.co.uk/
Podcast: Beyond The Mirror
IG: @nextstepnutritionltd
Find me over on Straightforward Nutrition
https://straightforwardnutrition.com/
Work with me 1:1
 Book in for a 30 min free initial session here
Sign up to my newsletter & online community
I hope you find this podcast episode valuable and please feel free to share it with anyone you think may benefit.





Get full access to Joyful + Nourishment at linnt.substack.com/subscribe

This week I am trying something new. Well, if you’ve been reading my newsletter for a few years, you will know that I have shared videos before. But I have not added a video to it, since end of 2022 I think. Or at least not since I moved to the Substack platform.
In this video I will introduce you to the HALT chart which may be a useful tool, to bring some more awareness to what might be underneath, or triggers for a binge eating episode.
I talk about deprivation driven eating, which is a part of the diet-deprivation-binge-cycle. But the HALT chart also invites you to pause and check in what emotions are present when you are reaching for food. Are you physically hungry? Great. Then food will be the best choice.
But what if you are not hungry? What are you feeling? And what need are you hoping that food will help you meet?
It is really common to eat when we are tired, or anxious or angry, or lonely or bored. And food may be a great choice in the moment. But it is also as one of my clients said: "That is a lot of pressure to put on food to expect it to meet all of those emotional needs!”. I would agree. We might need other tools, practices and ideas to support us in meeting those emotional needs. But first we need to know what it is we want food to do for us.
That is where the HALT chart can be useful.
When we bring curiosity to the table, and to our eating experience, it is much easier to try and figure out what is underneath our desire to eat.
Rather than shaming yourself for lack of willpower, can you get curious?
There are a few previous podcast episodes that fit nicely with this video “tutorial” too. Check them out if you haven’t already.

The Many Facets of Hunger
Tuning Into Fullness
The Magic of Giving Yourself Permission to eat ALL foods
If you have questions, or any issues with accessing the handout so that you can use the tool, or if you want to share what you learned from using this tool, please do!
I think it is so helpful for all of of us when we share our learnings and insights with others.
Finally, I want to let you know that I currently have space to take on some new clients. If you are thinking about support for your relationship with food, eating and/or body image. Get in touch! Or book your intial exploration call here.
Wishing you a lovely week ahead.



Get full access to Joyful + Nourishment at linnt.substack.com/subscribe

We are starting Season 3 of The Joyful Nourishment Podcast with a very informative episode around Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA) , with nutritionist Shannon Western.
Shannon is a nutritionist and therapist. She is the founder of Ease Nutrition Therapy, a disordered eating non-diet clinic. She supports all relationships with food so people can feel more comfortable with food, their emotions, and their bodies.
In this podcast episode we explore what HA is, what the signs and symptoms of Hypothalamic Amenorrhea is, and also the risk factors involved in not having a period. Especially if it is missing for months or even years. HA is common in people who have a disordered relationship with food. And it is not talked about enough.
Shannon takes us through a high level understanding of how the various hormones interplay in the body for the menstrual cycle to occur and you will learn what often drives the development of HA and missing periods.
Towards the end we will discuss ways you can support yourself and your body to recover from HA.
And you can also read the blog on my website that Shannon wrote. https://straightforwardnutrition.com/hypothalamic-amenorrhea/
There is so much valuable information in this episode, so please feel free to share it with anyone you think may benefit.

Find more about Shannon Western and her work here:
Website
Instagram: @ease_nutritiontherapy
Podcast: The Ease With Food Podcast
Find me over on Straightforward Nutrition
https://straightforwardnutrition.com/
My 1:1 work here
 https://straightforwardnutrition.com/eating-disorder-support/
Book in for a 30 min free initial session here
https://eatingfreelycallwithlinn.as.me/schedule.php
I really hope you enjoy this episode and I can’t believe that we are starting Season three of The Joyful + Nourishment Podcast! Thank you for coming along with me on this venture. I have more exiting guest conversations lined up for this season and some topics for my solo episodes that I am hoping will be helpful too.
Join the Newsletter here


Get full access to Joyful + Nourishment at linnt.substack.com/subscribe

For the final episode of Season two I am sharing with you my conversation about movement as path to body acceptance and moving our bodies with love, that I had with Pilates and Yoga Teacher Ana Stefan.
Because movement and exercise can become so bound up in weigh loss pursuits, which often affects our relationship with moving our body, speaking with someone who take as different approach to this felt very important.
Ana Stefan, aka The Aligned Body Coach, helps women to see how truly amazing their bodies - and full selves - are, through mindful and aligned movement. She combines her wisdom in Pilates, Yoga, Meditation, Myofascial Movement and Breathwork to take a mindful approach to movement that supports women in attaining their Aligned Body.
In this episode we talk about Ana’s own journey with movement and exercise and how approaching it with functionality in mind, rather than weight loss set her on both a new career path, but also towards body acceptance and gratitude for her body.
I am also delighted to find out that Ana is a big foodie and get a lot of pleasure from food, just like me!
Enjoy this conversation.

Find Ana Stefan – The Aligned Body Coach here
Website https://www.anastefan.ie/
Instagram: @thealignedbodycoach
Podcast: Another MindBody Story

Episode from Ana’s Podcast that is mentioned:
My ability to do the splits was affecting my mental health - from hyper mobility to facia revelation with Susan Church

Find me over on Straightforward Nutrition
https://straightforwardnutrition.com/
My 1:1 work  https://straightforwardnutrition.com/eating-disorder-support/
Book in for a 30 min free initial session https://eatingfreelycallwithlinn.as.me/schedule.php
And sign up for my newsletter and join the Joyful + Nourishment community


Get full access to Joyful + Nourishment at linnt.substack.com/subscribe

I am back with another solo episode, this week. This time on the topic of making peace with food, through the practice of giving yourself unconditional permission to eat ALL foods.
I am calling it a practice because it is something we often need to do intentionally for awhile before it becomes second nature. This is something that can be, and often are, pivotal to anyone healing from disordered eating and repairing their relationship with food, eating and their bodies.
For me personally, letting go of any arbitrary food rules and working my way out of the internalised food morality and guilt has been very freeing. And I have seen it work countless times for my clients too.
In this episode, I share about what we actually mean when we are taking about the idea and practice of giving yourself unconditional permission to eat ALL foods.
We will also look at some of the barriers to making that happen and the places where you might get stuck along the way.
I believe that this practice is one of the most fundamental to engage in on your path to a more peaceful relationship with food, especially if you are trying to heal from binge eating.

Further episodes and reading that might be helpful:
SE1-Ep5: Exploring the many facets of hunger
SE1-Ep7:  Tuning into Fullness
The Diet-Deprivation-Binge Cycle https://straightforwardnutrition.com/diet-deprivation-binge-cycle/
Find me over on Straightforward Nutrition
https://straightforwardnutrition.com/
My 1:1 work  https://straightforwardnutrition.com/eating-disorder-support/
Book in for a 30 min free initial session https://eatingfreelycallwithlinn.as.me/schedule.php
And sign up for my newsletter and join the Joyful + Nourishment community



Get full access to Joyful + Nourishment at linnt.substack.com/subscribe