Food&Body Conversations; Carien Meyer RD/nutritionist South Africa

23/06/2026

This is a conversation I've been having with a number of clients lately. Many of us spend a lot of time looking at our bodies, evaluating our bodies, and wondering how our bodies appear to others. That brings deep insecurity, shame, and even guilt... as to whether this body will be deemed acceptable enough and disciplined enough to make it into mainstream society. It's hard to feel like the judge of your body all the time.
My encouragement is to see whether we can find our way back to being IN our bodies, where we can become more interested in how we are actually experiencing life.
Do we have energy?
Are we nourished?
Can we rest?
Can we experience joy?
Do we feel connected?
Do we have purpose?
These questions can open up the conversation about our bodies and help shift the emphasis from judge to functional. It may feel like a small shift-but it can be a significant one.

Let me know if this resonates with you?

04/06/2026

How good we are in turning meaningful practices into hacks, checklists, and self-improvement. When they were originally embedded in a rythm, in meaning, in faith, part of a bigger story and way of living. This post has been brewing in me, and I don't think an Instagram post can come close to exploring this, neither do I have the vocabulary to express myself as well as I would like to. And, I am not trying to just accuse (although I do intend to do that too!), as I am especially reflecting on my own way of living, values and faith that I SAY is important to me, but then live a life that is often so misaligned and tainted and informed by a different set of values).
For my clients, sometimes it takes a crisis, like recovering from an eating disorder, or another type of vulnerable place to get to a place of reevaluating and questioning what they've been doing on autopilot, swept up by the trends of the day.

Thoughts?

02/06/2026

In celebration of Dietitians Week, asked us to share why being a dietitian is more than a job and why our work matters:

I have the privilege of meeting people in many different seasons of life—teenagers struggling with body image, people facing mental health challenges, women navigating midlife changes, individuals (younger AND older) recovering from eating disorders, and people who are simply tired of feeling at war with food and their bodies.

Nutrition is an important part of what I do, but so is helping people develop a way of eating that is realistic, sustainable, and supportive of their health and wellbeing. Often, the work is not about what we eat, but also how we eat, how we care for ourselves, and how we navigate the messages we receive about food and bodies.

I am continually inspired by my clients and the courage it takes to challenge old patterns, to go against cultural brainwashing when it comes to health and beauty standards, to try something different, and move towards a more peaceful relationship with food and themselves....and as a result become more alligned with one's actual values and priorities.

Thank you to every client who has trusted me to walk part of that journey with them. It is a privilege I never take for granted.

27/05/2026

One of the core tensions in recovery is that two truths must be held at the same time: the body requires consistent, adequate nourishment to heal, and food and body cannot continue to hold an overly inflated role in a person’s emotional and relational life.

On one hand, restoring adequate nourishment is essential. Without it, the brain cannot engage in therapy, regulate emotions, or access flexibility in thinking, and the body cannot heal.

On the other hand, recovery also involves gently dismantling the harmful role that food and body have come to play. This means exploring what needs the eating disorder has been meeting and beginning to build new forms of empowerment rooted in relationships, values, and lived experience.

This dual process is what allows recovery to move beyond symptom change and toward something more sustainable and meaningful.

27/05/2026

Do you recognise any if these? I can add to these after each week of sessions. We live in a broken world, so misguided in terms of what is really important and of value. But, I am so proud of the women I work with, wanting freedom and perspective and peace....often FIRST for their daughters' sake, and then for their own sakes.

22/05/2026

Eating past fullness happens to everyone. Those who notice the 'overfullness' and move on are generally more able to respond to their hunger levels at the next meal...because nothing else "clutters" their food space.Those whose food space are now filled with guilt and shame, are less able to tune into their bodies' needs at the next meal because so many other feelings will now overrule listening to their bodies' cues....leading to restriction/undereating due to fear or, more overeating because the "rules" have already been broken. Can you relate?

15/05/2026

Some reflections after an interesting week of extreme weather, power outages, juggling life, and seeing my precious clients. I was reminded again of the fact that the way we interact with food is often about so much more than food. I see how this understanding brings relief to clients, as these insights create space and perspective to not stay stuck in micromanaging. Very often, a broader perspective is where meaningful change begins.

Happy weekend!

15/05/2026

♡♡♡

Living with a chronic illness while navigating eating disorder recovery is a unique and complex journey. Your body may feel unpredictable and out of control, but it holds incredible strength and resilience. Reflect on all you’ve overcome and the courage it takes to face daily struggles. Embrace the changes and find hope in rebuilding trust with your body.

Every step forward, no matter how small, is a testament to your strength and perseverance. Celebrate your progress and show yourself compassion for the challenges you encounter. You are stronger than you know.

13/05/2026

12/05/2026

Is this you? Do you feel out of control around specific foods because of all the "meaning" attached to it?

Yes, many of the foods we have access to today are highly processed, extremely pleasurable, and easy to overeat. Think of an apple versus a sugary sweet: one requires more chewing and offers a slower sensory experience, while the other gives immediate pleasure and quick “feedback” to the brain. For some people, these foods genuinely do feel much harder to eat in moderate amounts, and that experience deserves sensitivity and compassion.

At the same time, I often see that it’s not only the food itself driving the sense of losing control — it’s also the emotional charge and meaning attached to it. The fear of the food. The “I shouldn’t have this.” The guilt after eating it. The desperate trying to resist it. All of this can build momentum around the food and pull us further away from awareness, attunement, and satisfaction.

Many adults I work with never had the chance to learn how to relate to these foods in a calm, regulated way because they were treated as “forbidden.” As a result, eating them often becomes loaded with shame, secrecy, urgency, or self-judgment.

But having a healthy relationship with all foods is a skill that can be learned — or relearned.

When you begin to feel emotionally safe around food, even the foods that once felt “dangerous,” it becomes more possible to approach eating in a matter-of-fact way: integrating pleasure with awareness of your body’s signals, satisfaction, comfort, and care.

foodandbody