Strong Roots Nutrition

12/07/2022

Thanks .athlete.nutrition for having me on the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast!

We had a fun conversation about what puts athletes at risk for developing eating disorders, treatment in higher levels of care and when it might be helpful, when to stop and resume exercise during recovery, and cultivating a healthier relationship with sport and movement.

🏃‍♀️Give it a listen!

11/23/2022

Our culture likes to paint food as something that must be watched, monitored, controlled, and even withheld in order for us to be “okay” in whatever sense feels important to us. But the interesting thing about bodies is that they really like balance - all on their own - without our worry and interference forcing it along. Have you ever gone several hours without a drink of water and suddenly got a strong urge to down a tall glass of something cold and refreshing? That’s the body’s natural balancing abilities at work.

When we give ourselves unconditional permission to eat food - any food in any amount that feels good to us - we step off of the teeter-totter of the restrict-indulge cycle that often feels chaotic and instead, we can make connected, informed, and embodied food choices that attend to all of our needs. Under these circumstances, there isn’t a “right” way to eat: we might choose to eat past fullness because we’re enjoying a food or meal we don’t get to have all the time, or we might stop earlier if we know there’s another tasty meal coming up that we want a pleasant appetite for.

When we start with permission, there is a felt difference. Less chaos, more connectedness. Less deprivation, more enjoyment. Fewer rules, more trust.

Eating, although our birthright, can be complicated, and there are many factors that can complicate it as well as this idea of “permission.” For more specific help, reach out to a a dietitian with specialty training in intuitive eating and/or eating disorders.

I’m currently accepting new clients! Reach out via the link in bio to inquire about working together.

10/04/2022

Do you notice yourself thinking about how your body looks, scrutinizing parts of yourself, or using your hands, clothes, or various tools to frequently assess whether or not your body has changed? If so, you’re in good company. These behaviors are referred to as “body checking” and are very common among people who struggle to some degree in their relationship with food or their body.

Many people describe body checking as something that helps to reduce anxiety about appearance; a sort of self-reassurance that the body hasn’t changed. Interestingly, though, research shows the opposite: body checking has a tendency to increase concern about perceived “imperfections” and leads to more over-concern with body shape and size.

The bottom line: Reducing body checking can lead to thinking about the body less, which can improve body image and free up brain space for things that make life feel fuller. Of course, the world we live in can make this challenging, and there are lots of facets to our relationships with our bodies that make this complex. Having a specialized dietitian in your corner can help.

Want to work with me? Tap the link in bio to connect! ✨

09/29/2022

Hi! It’s been a looong time since I’ve been very active on this account, so allow me to re-introduce myself with 10 facts about me:

1 - I’m Taylor, a dietitian and nutrition counselor who loves helping people improve their relationships with food and their bodies. I’ve been doing this work since 2014 and haven’t looked back.
2 - I was born and raised in the Midwest and have lived here all my life except for a couple-year stint in Colorado after college. I love experiencing all 4 seasons and can’t imagine living in a climate without all of them.
3 - I theoretically love to garden but in reality I’m quite neglectful of it and have the weeds to prove it.
4 - I’ve been married to my college boyfriend for 9 years. He’s the best.
5 - I have a high-energy husky and two high-energy young children who keep me on my toes.
6 - I love to travel and specifically love mountainous areas. Hiking and skiing are joyful movement for me.
7 - In my dreams, I live on a small farm and spend my days doing things like eating raspberries from my garden and making butter to eat smeared on freshly baked bread. I have 4 backyard chickens that satisfy this a little and remind me of how much work that dream would actually be.
8 - I love to cook and try new recipes, and I’ve been slowly developing my sourdough bread craft since college. My sourdough starter is 11 years old.
9 - If I could be anywhere in the world right now, Florence, Italy is my choice always and forever.
10 - I love the connecting power of food and the joyous experience of a shared meal with family or friends. It’s part of what makes me passionate about helping people have positive relationships and interactions with food.

Check out the link in my bio for more about me and my practice or to find out more about working together! ✨

04/11/2020

To those around you, maybe you’re known as a person who “eats so healthy” or “has amazing self-discipline” or “is really committed to health” when in reality there’s a drill sergeant in your head that commands these actions and makes you feel like you don’t have much choice in how you “care” for yourself.

Maybe you’re an athlete with what appears to be “good athlete” traits like mental toughness, coachability, commitment, and drive toward excellence when what’s really present is painful overtraining, self-sacrifice, perfectionism, and denial of needs.

Let’s get a couple things straight. True health and wellness does NOT look like:
❌Rigid adherence to a training schedule, even when sick or tired
❌Eating and moving in a way meant to manipulate body size
❌Eating foods you don’t necessarily enjoy (or avoiding food you DO enjoy) for the sake of “health”
❌Eating and moving in a certain way because you feel guilty otherwise or feel the need to compensate if you don’t

Of course, relationships with food and movement can be complicated. There’s nuance here. But some of the differences between making choices to benefit true wellbeing/self-care and suffering from inflexible standards and and diet culture-influenced “healthism” come down to the driving forces behind the behaviors. A few prompts to start sorting out your motives:
❔Where did this “health” belief/behavior come from?
❔Am I engaging in this health behavior because it feels like what I need/want today or because I feel like I should?
❔If there was a 100% chance that my body would not change or “improve” as a result of this action, would I still want to do it?
❔If I chose not to do this health behavior today, would it negatively affect my mood or make me feel like I need to compensate somehow?
❔Does this health behavior being me closer to or further from my other non-health values?

It’s hard to unlearn some of these behaviors that are so intensely glorified in our work-harder, be-better, better-hustle culture, but it can be done. If you want help sorting it out, a non-diet dietitian is a great person to have in your corner. ❤️

04/10/2020

There’s no doubt about it: we’re living in a weird time. All the stressors, fears, and unknowns are taking a toll on us all and many of our possible points of safety - community, connection, nature, job/purpose, self-care routines - are limited or in disarray. If you’re finding comfort and enjoyment in food right now, first and foremost: THANK GOD YOU HAVE FOOD. I’m so glad you have a way to deal with the chaos.
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Second, food is pleasurable. It’s supposed to be that way. Diet culture would have us believe that if we eat to soothe difficult emotions, we’re “out of control” or “have no willpower,” which is a bunch of baloney.
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Of course, food won’t change our circumstances and we can’t expect it to. It can comfort us in the short-term, but ultimately we’ll still have to deal with those challenging emotions (and maybe a stomach ache if we ate to uncomfortable fullness), so it’s a valuable skill to be able to assess needs when emotions are running high. “What do I need right now? Food? A hug? To talk to someone? A nap? A walk in fresh air?” This is not a means to distract yourself from food in order to eat less - EATING IS ALWAYS AN OPTION. Sometimes a few warm cookies and a glass of milk 100% help me feel better about life. If that’s the need, eat, enjoy, and move on. But connecting to your needs first can help you choose the tool that will work best for you in that moment. It might be food, or it might be something else.
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Keep taking care of yourself, whatever that looks like. ✨

03/27/2020

I see you, Diet Culture. You’ve made a really obvious appearance this week with all the talk of the “quarantine fifteen,” heightening anxiety about the closure of gyms and extra time spent in close proximity to the kitchen. Super typical of you to take a global crisis and twist it into a new way to make people mistrust their bodies.

If you’ve been stressed about your weight during this time, it’s okay. It’s really easy when your feed is filled with that kind of talk. If you struggle with your eating, a major change in routine is super stressful and triggering. It’s so understandable to be searching for a sense of order and control when there’s little to be found elsewhere. We’re living in crazy times and you’re certainly not alone if the past couple of weeks have been difficult for you.

AND a gentle reminder: worry about weight gain probably means you have access to enough food right now, you have money to purchase groceries, and your time is being spent safe at home.

Deep breaths. Be gentle with yourself. You still need meals and snacks.

02/25/2019

🙌🏼

Truth bomb from Whitney Catalano, RDN 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

02/02/2019

Since JLo’s no sugar diet is getting a lot of attention right now, here’s a friendly reminder that there’s no such thing as sugar addiction and celebrities aren’t actually health professionals. Visit the link in bio for an article I wrote on this topic last year. Happy Saturday!