Author: Libby

by Libby

Different Factors to Consider in Eating Decisions (Beyond Hunger/Fullness)

Sometimes intuitive eating can get overly simplified to “eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full.”

I think it’s super important to listen to your hunger/fullness signals. At the same time, I also think there are other key factors to take into consideration when deciding what/when/how much to eat.

If feeling biological signals of hunger –> a clear sign to eat!!

BUT there are other “signs” or things to think about that may also indicate a need to eat.

We may think we are doing something “wrong” if we are eating when we aren’t technically feeling hungry, yet this may be just what our bodies need! If you *only* eat when you are feeling physically hungry, I’d bet you most likely aren’t eating enough.

In this post we will explore…

  • A few personal examples of me taking into account “other factors beyond hunger/fullness” when it comes to eating
  • Different factors to consider when making food decisions, including:
    • Tuning into your bodily signals
    • Thinking about your daily life situation / overall life circumstances
    • Trusting your overall intuition
  • Some closing thoughts and questions

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by Libby

Quinoa & Veggie Bowl with Pumpkin Sage Hummus

This hearty quinoa & veggie bowl with pumpkin sage hummus features everything you love about fall! Warm spices, fresh sage, and plenty of in-season veggies come together for a nourishing, easily customizable dinner or lunch. Top with freshly grated parmesan for the finishing touch!

Today I have the best fall dinner recipe for you!

This creation was dreamed up out of a desire to have a fall/winter version of the summer quinoa/veggie bowl with sun-dried tomato hummus that I love so much. Thankfully what I have come up with has met my high expectations!

One of the best parts about this recipe is that everything can be made in advance, making it perfect for meal prep or for busy evenings when you may have more time to cook earlier in the day. It also makes plenty of leftovers to enjoy all week long.

Read on for full recipe details!

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by Libby

Intuitive Eating Day in the Life {Saturday in September}

Happy Wednesday! How is your week going so far?

I have been loving the sunny days lately, fall cooking/baking, and crisper (but not too cold) temps.

Today I’m posting a day-in-the-life recap post full of delicious eats from an intuitive eating perspective!

To review, intuitive eating is a framework of eating designed to guide you in re-learning how to tune into your natural intuition when it comes to nourishing yourself. It is a combination of head knowledge (nutrition wisdom), listening to one’s body, tuning into what simply sounds good, and trusting one’s overall intuition when it comes to eating decisions.

The 10 principles are:

  1. Reject the diet mentality
  2. Honor your hunger
  3. Make peace w/ food
  4. Challenge the food police
  5. Discover the satisfaction factor
  6. Respect your fullness
  7. Cope with your emotions w/ kindness
  8. Movement – feel the difference
  9. Respect your body
  10. Honor your health w/ gentle nutrition

I don’t necessarily think about these principles formally in my head when I go about the day eating, but they do represent a lot of my natural/intuitive ways for navigating my own food decisions. I find the principles to be help to introduce to clients who are working through a disordered relationship with food and all the conflicting messages society tells us about what/when/how to eat.

On to an eats-focused day in the life post! As always, the heart behind these posts is to show an example of what it might look like to navigate food throughout the day from a more natural, intuitive, non-disordered perspective. What/when/how much to eat is always individualized and your eating choices and patterns probably look a lot different from mine!

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by Libby

Trade-Offs in the Pursuit of “Perfect” Food Choices

Lately I have been thinking about this idea of “trade-offs” in making food choices.

I think a lot of us find making trade-offs or compromises to be a natural/intuitive way to navigate health/wellness decisions in a number of areas of our lives.

A common example might be sleep. If you’re like me, maybe you value getting good-quality sleep, but from time to time you sacrifice your sleep in order to have a fun/later night hanging out with friends because you also see this as important for your emotional health and overall experience of fun/joy in life. Or maybe at other times you sacrifice sleep to travel, to provide emotional support to a friend or family member, or to get some sort of urgent/important task done.

Part of one of my key health values (good sleep) is sacrificed to some extent to support my some of my other health values (good relationships, fun, spontaneity from time to time, travel, etc.).

Another example that comes to mind is with toxic exposures. I do my best to limit my exposure to certain toxins and take a number of actions to do so. In my life this looks like using a water filter, running an air purifier in our home, buying products without certain chemicals or fragrances in them, avoiding moldy/musty buildings whenever possible, and buying mostly organic food. At the same time, I know I could go crazy trying to avoid toxic exposures at all costs, so I accept that I will do my best within my limitations/reality of the world we live in and not overly stress about it. I sacrifice some of my desire to  totally avoid toxins in order to exist/function in the world!

What is interesting to me about this idea is how many of us struggle with this idea of trade-offs or compromises when it comes to food and nutrition.

You may feel like…

  • You have to eat the “healthiest” food at every opportunity
  • You are harming your health whenever each food choice isn’t “perfect”
  • You feel anxious eating foods from a restaurant or that a friend made when you don’t know exactly what’s in it
  • The only or “best” way to make a food decision should always be based purely on nutrition factors

What I’ve found in working with clients and in my own personal experience is that whenever we so overly fixate on “nutrition in the name of health,” our overall health (physical health included) suffers.

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by Libby

Understanding Anorexia: Set-Shifting

Today I wanted to return to an ongoing series I am doing regarding different facets of “understanding anorexia.” This series will focus on various factors related to anorexia, including biological predispositions, genetic/epigenetic factors, personality traits, micronutrient deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, environmental factors, and more. Anorexia is certainly a complex illness with many “pieces to the puzzle” (many of which are still not well understood). My hope is that these posts will continue to shine more and more light on aspects of what might be going on for each person suffering. (Or, bring more clarity to anyone who has recovered).

You can read my first post in this series on zinc deficiency and anorexia here.

Today I wanted to focus on the concept of “set-shifting” as it relates to anorexia.

This post will discuss:

  • What is set-shifting?
  • How might set-shifting relate to anorexia?
  • What are some practical tips and strategies to consider?

What is set-shifting? 

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by Libby

Everyday Eats {September 2023}

Hello everyone!

Welcome to September! I am somewhat relieved to be in the almost-fall season, with the slightly cooler temps and the more energizing-to-me activities this time of year (more opportunities for hiking in better weather/without bugs, college football, various fall plans, etc.). We also just got back from our yearly end-of-summer trip, this time heading to Holland for a night and then three nights of backcountry camping in the Nordhouse Dunes on Lake Michigan.

The weather, for the most part, could not have been better! Highlights of the trip included extended time outside, three beautiful sunsets, stunning beach views throughout the day, extended time without technology, and a wonderful stay at a bed and breakfast that we would definitely go back to in the future!

How was your Labor Day weekend? Thankfully Michigan football is also off to a good start!

As we round out summer and head into fall, I have a wide variety of delicious eats to share today. Hopefully you feel inspired to try some new and/or return to some favorite flavor & food combinations in the week or two ahead!

Some favorite eats from the past few weeks!

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by Libby

Improving Your Relationship with Food, Exercise & Body Image While in College

It’s hard to believe that over 10 years ago I headed off to Ann Arbor to begin my freshman year at the University of Michigan!

I’m sure like many people, reflecting back on it, college was for me a mix of fun/positive times and (many!) hard/stressful times.

Thankfully, I was mostly fully recovered from my eating disorder which had started/mostly been a thing in high school. I was doing well mentally and emotionally in regard to food, but was still working on some physical healing (hormones, GI, etc.).

I say “thankfully” because I know from my experience in college (via observing others, talking to friends, etc.) and from talking to clients/students still in college, how hard it can be to grow in having a healthy relationship with food, exercise, and body image during these pivotal years.

It seems to me that most people tend to experience more disorder and dysfunction on these fronts throughout college. There can be so much pressure to exercise a certain a way (queue the endless elliptical usage at the gym…), look a certain way, and eat certain foods and quantities deemed “healthy” or intended to lead to the “ideal body size.”

Given the pressures and challenges of the typical college environment, it can take some intentionality to grow positively in your relationship with food (and exercise + body image) during this time. Note: this intentionality is also true of “regular” life beyond or before college!!

As we (as a culture/society) enter the back-to-school season, I wanted to provide some thoughts and reflections on ways you might consider going about improving your relationship with food/exercise/body image during the school year in particular.

Hopefully you will find the following thoughts especially helpful/relevant if you are a college student, and, for everyone else, also helpful for everyday living in our diet/body size-obsessed culture!

Thoughts on Improving Your Relationship with Food, Exercise, & Body Image While in College (or beyond for that matter!): 

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by Libby

Healthy Food Boundaries vs. Unhealthy Restriction

Something I am passionate about when it comes to food is the idea of increasing permission with food. Working on “permission with food” is almost always a big part of disordered eating recovery.

Giving yourself greater permission with food might look like…

  • Allowing yourself foods that you like but typically avoid because they are “less healthy” (and doing so without guilt or “compensatory measures” like restricting the next day)
  • Growing in flexibility with how you approach food, such as enjoying a dessert at a time of day you might not normally eat dessert
  • In general, starting to heal any food rules you might consciously or subconsciously be using to navigate food decisions in a fear or anxiety-based way

Many of us may know from experience that restricting food intake and/or NOT giving yourself permission with food is a surefire way to experience chaos and obsession with food. You can read more on this idea and the cycle of restriction in this blog post. Chaos/obsession with food might look like binge eating, compulsively eating, and/or obsessively thinking about food (whether or not you “act” on those obsessions by eating).

If you are growing in healing your relationship with food and your body, maybe you have started to experience some of the benefits (nutritionally and mentally/emotionally) of giving yourself greater permission with food. HOWEVER, you may also be at a place in your journey of wondering when/if it is “okay” to say no to a food without doing this from a place of restriction…(the place/mentality you are working so hard to leave!).

When making a food choice, is there a healthy/life-giving way to say no to a certain food without it coming from a dieting/restricting mentality?

In other words, what is the difference between setting what I call a “healthy food boundary” versus engaging in unhealthy, disordered eating-type restriction?

Let’s begin to explore this idea in the rest of this post! As always, I’d love to hear any thoughts that you have (feel free to leave them in the comments or message me personally).

To get us thinking, let’s consider an example evening dessert scenario.

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by Libby

Everyday Eats {August 2023}

Hello & Happy Wednesday!

We were out of town visiting family in Iowa last week. It was nice to have a break from our normal routines!

We enjoyed the scenery, going on walks, time with family, the Iowa corn 🙂 , and the chance to just relax more without having to think about the regular to-dos/stressors of life.

And, of course, some delicious eats! (some of which will be featured below!)

As we continue on into August, I’m hoping to take advantage of all the amazing fresh produce in-season for the next month. Hello fresh peaches, tomatoes, and corn!

What are you hoping to make before summer is over? I’m dreaming up a burrata salad w/ fresh tomatoes, a chicken dishes w/ fresh peaches, & quite possibly some fruit crisp!

Plenty of delicious seasonal summer eats from the past month!

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by Libby

Libby’s Favorite Overnight Oats

Overnight oats are a hearty and satisfying make-ahead breakfast, perfect for busy mornings or for simplifying your everyday morning routine! Made with oats, chia seeds, and your choice of milk + yogurt, this overnight oats recipe can be customized based on whatever flavor combinations and toppings you prefer. 

Today I’m sharing the simple recipe that I use daily for my favorite overnight oats!

In my opinion, overnight oats are the perfect summer breakfast because they…

–> Taste amazing topped w/ the juiciest seasonal summer fruit.
–> Are nice and creamy and cold.
–> Provide a great boost of energy + nutrition to start the day.
–> Are made in advance, making getting breakfast together in the morning a breeze.
–> Need only a few simple ingredients to make!

Better yet, the flavor/topping combinations are endless!

This quick + easy recipe has been my go-to warmer weather breakfast for years. Now I even have Alec on board! 🙂

I prefer to enjoy my overnight oats post-run or walk. Topped with plenty of peanut butter (obviously!) and – to wash it all down – a refreshing glass of iced coffee with almond or chocolate cashew milk mixed in. But you do you!

Keep reading for your new favorite summer breakfast recipe!

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