Embodied Nutrition

Starting November 1, 42 millions of Americans may face reduced access to SNAP benefits. Consistent and reliable access to food is foundational to our health and should not be up for negotiation. Reduced food access doesn’t just leave people hungry—it also results in mental, emotional, social, and physical health manifestations that can have a lasting impact.

For example (Gallegos, 2025):
🧒 Children who don’t get enough food are more likely to experience stunted growth, developmental delays, poor cognitive and academic outcomes, behavioral concerns, and increased risk for infection.

🤰 Pregnant individuals with limited nutrition face higher risk of preterm birth and low birth weight.

🧓 Adults and older adults may experience fatigue, weakened immunity, higher risk of chronic disease, reduced life expectancy, and mental health manifestations like anxiety, depression, and disordered eating.

🧠 Even short-term undernutrition can deeply impact mind, body, and emotions of otherwise healthy individuals, as shown by research like the Minnesota Starvation Study.

If you are like me, you get overwhelmed by how big this issue is and you feel anger that millions of Americans won’t know where their next meal is coming from. I’m confident that if we focus locally, we can make a significant impact.

I’m starting a food drive this upcoming Monday to support Beverly Bootstramp’s Food Assistance Program. Every contribution helps protect health, energy, and well-being of Beverly, Manchester, Essex, Hamilton, or Wenham citizens.

📍 Drop-off location: 100 Cummings Center, front office (go to 100 L entrance)
🗓 Dates: Nov 3rd - Nov 26th
🥫 Most Wanted Items: Peanut Butter, Boxed Pasta, Mac & Cheese, Canned Veggies, Canned Beans, Cereal, Tuna, Cooking Oil/Sprays, Non-dairy shelf-stable milk, Canned fruit, Soap, Paper Towels, Household cleaning products, Personal Hygiene (full size), Shampoo, Conditioner, Soap, Deodorant, Razors, Toothpaste/toothbrushes

Let’s make sure no one in our community has to face hunger alone. Together, we can nourish bodies, minds, and hearts. 💛

Let’s set the scene: It’s Friday evening in 1998. You make your way to Blockbuster to rent Spice World for the fifth time. Your younger brother disagrees with the selection, and some negotiation occurs in the comedy aisle. You settle on Dumb and Dumber; classic. The check-out line is packed and you pretend you don’t see that cute boy from school. Luckily all twelve butterfly clips are perfectly aligned on the top of your head. While in line, you notice a sale on movie candy. You pick out the gummy bears, your favorite. You go home happy, and snack on the candy while laughing along to the movie. You enjoyed a few handfuls of candy and shared some with your brother. Not a single thought about calories or sugar crosses your mind. You go to bed a blissed out 10 year old. TGIF.

END SCENE.

Do you have your own memories of “childlike” fun with food?

A lot of us have a story of when joy disappeared from the act of eating. In fact, eating for the fun of it has become taboo and shameful.

The good news is that we can reclaim this joy.

One way to do this is by identifying some foods you enjoyed as a child (or any time when there was more food freedom) and think about what you would like to try. This can be a great thing to process with your therapist or dietitian! Some of my favorite sessions are when I have the privilege of enjoying a client’s beloved food for the first time in years. DM me if you’d like to work together on this.

Challenge: How can you incorporate joy into your meals and snacks today?

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You don’t need a new diet plan or set of rules to follow. The body knows exactly what serves its vitality. Most people neglect to recognize this because we have been conditioned to trust the advice of “experts” and have internalized all the ways our body is “wrong”.

Hungry at 10 pm: wrong.

Feeling unmotivated to workout: wrong

Craving chicken nuggets (aka me everyday this week): wrong

But what if we challenged these associations? What if we trusted our internal wisdom and asked “Dear Body, what are you trying to communicate”?

The 10 pm hunger is a way to let you know that your body is needing more fuel before bed, so you don’t wake up starving. Feeling unmotivated to work out may mean that your body requires rest or engagement in a non-movement hobby. Craving chicken nuggets may mean your body is needing a satisfying and nostalgic form of carbs, protein, and fat. The basic building blocks of every cell in our body.

So please stop invaliding your body’s attempts to get your attention. Over time your inner knowing will develop-- it’s pretty cool, ngl.

Learning to listen to the body is a set of skills that you can develop through your own research or with a clinician trained in the principles of Intuitive Eating. I currently have openings for nutrition therapy if you would like some guidance with reconnecting to your body. DM or email me to connect :)

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Gentle reminder as we start another week: coffee is not a meal. It provides a fun and quick boost of energy, but is chemically very different from food. Try having some food along with your coffee. Your GI system and nervous system will thank you 🙏🏻.