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Today I’m having a conversation around food and diet culture that I hope starts to make its way into the wellness space.

Deena is a holistic and integrative health coach who guides mothers and families all over the world to remove the chore from food and cultivate a more joyful and confident relationship with your choices. She is a guiding light when it comes to holistic-centered eating.

Deena shares how her own journey with disordered eating and how it led her down the path to helping other women. She is a rockstar in the nutrition space and believes every family needs to create for themselves what works for their unique family and that you can let go of the should’s that are stressing you out in the kitchen.

Deena underlines the importance of staying attuned to your body as differing opinions are thrown from every direction. In order to really understand what our bodies need, we have to learn how to hear our body above all the outside noise.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• The fad diets of the 80s and 90s and how that still effects us today
• Deena’s journey through disordered eating
• How the toxic ideas in diet culture shifted in the wellness industry
• The food rules we absorb as mothers and how that effects our children
• How to become attuned to what your body is really craving
• Discerning where you want to put your time and energy when you lead a busy family life
• The moments that create our “food story”
• The health consequences of undereating
• The accessibility issue when it comes to “healthy eating”

How to Get Your Child to Eat Healthy

Deena often works with couples and moms who ask, “How do I get my kid to eat fruits/veggies/protein?”

Nutrition is important at every age, but especially kids to help them set healthy habits early on in their lives.

However, you have to first understand what you want your children to know when it comes to health, nutrition, their bodies, and food?

These questions are important but ones we don’t often ask ourselves before we start consuming all of the information out there.

So then you buy a meal planning system and believe it should work because it’s all outlined for you, but your children don’t want the new meals.

It’s important to look at the context as to why something might be going on, and that’s something Deena helps her clients with.

Understanding Our Default

When we put too much pressure on ourselves to eat healthy or use diet culture trends or eat at a certain time or always be at the dining room table with our family, we drain our energy.

Things become to hard. You overthink meals to the point of feeling paralyzed, so you resort to your default.

Maybe that’s ordering pizza. Or picking something up on the way home from work.

It’s important to recognize what drains your energy and how you respond. Obviously, it’s okay to eat out once in a while. That’s not what we’re saying.

Deena and I want you to find a way to find joy in food, in the kitchen, in preparing healthy, delicious meals.

Maybe that looks like throwing something in the crockpot before you leave for the day. Or meal prepping on Sunday’s for the week. Or using a meal kit delivery service.

It doesn’t matter what it looks like, but eating healthy and finding joy in food is all about finding what works best for you and your family.

The Only Constant is Change

Maybe what worked 6 months ago isn’t working anymore. It’s okay to go through trial and error to find habits and solutions that work for you, but you don’t have to adhere to what diet culture says is right and wrong. They’re speaking to the masses, not your individual circumstances.

That’s why I encourage you to connect with Deena. She works with clients on letting go of the rules and “should’s” about your body and how you eat. In her signature program, you’ll leave with a simple and grounding plan of action that works for your family.

Check it out, and starting finding joy in the kitchen again.

Connect With Deena

Deena’s FREE Masterclass, The New Family Food Paradigm

Join Joy with Food

Find her on Instagram

Related Episodes:

• Episode 88: Simplifying Anti-Inflammatory Foods and Safe Cooking Practices with Culinary Nutrition Expert and Chef, Shelley Loving
• Episode 93: Why are Moms Joining the Cancel Kellogg’s Campaign? The Health Effects of Artificial Food Dyes in Kids’ Food
• Episode 99: It’s Not Your Child: How Food Dyes Effect Children’s Behavior
• Episode 101: Lead in Food: What You Actually Need to Know (And What’s Just Fear)
• Episode 121: Glyphosate in Food: The Cancer Study That Changes Everything
• Episode 135: Healing My Hashimoto’s and My Relationship to Food with Claire Cook

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