Conditioned Food Sensitivity

Shame - an inevitable part of chronic illness - can be a roadblock to recovery. Johannah shares the impact of shame on her health and how she found the courage to move past it. In addition to softening her symptoms, this journey has positively influenced every aspect of her life.   Johannah has a master's degree in education and a career in non-profit management. She is also the executive director...

I discuss five key points to help you reflect on this crucial question. I challenge black-and-white misperceptions about sensitivities and offer listeners a different perspective on how to approach food and their health.

When you have sensitivities, food can dominate your life. Batch cooking may be the answer to help you spend less time thinking about food or working in the kitchen. Kathlena (aka The Allergy Chef) tells us how batch cooking can bring time, financial, emotional and mental freedom. You can reach Kathlena through her website TheAllergyChef.com.

Audrey has been a FAST Freedom coach for six months and has done a fantastic job helping her clients move past their restricted diet struggles. She shares inspiring stories and examples of what changes have made the most significant difference in her clients' lives. Audrey is an IBS specialist dietitian, co-author of The 28-Day Plan for IBS Relief: 100 Low FODMAP Recipes to Soothe Your Symptoms of...

Depression is common for those suffering from food sensitivities or mysterious symptoms. I will discuss the reasons for this connection and strategies to get out of the rut and live a full life.

Johannah tells her moving story of feeling helpless when every doctor dismissed her symptoms. Eventually, she withdrew from the medical system and assumed her only option was to live with her debilitating symptoms. Luckily, Johannah met Dr. Drossman and learned that her symptoms stemmed from a previous food poisoning incident that led to disordered gut-brain communication. She worked with Dr. Dros...

Communicating with your doctor can be challenging – especially if your symptoms are difficult to explain and there is no straightforward treatment. Patients often feel disrespected and shut down during their appointments. However, a supportive partnership with your doctor is possible. Dr. Drossman will share his insightful tips from his book Gut Feelings - Disorders of the Gut-Brain Interaction an...

Dr. Drossman explains how we need to look at the big picture when searching for the cause of distressing symptoms (i.e. disorders of the gut-brain interaction). For example, when patients focus exclusively on the role of food, they may miss the treatments that are most likely to help them get back to a good quality of life. Dr. Douglas Drossman is trained in both gastroenterology and psychiatry. H...

Shelly answers one of my burning questions about the benefits of observing the breath vs regulating it. She takes us through a meditation to encourage longer, smoother and softer breathing (but not necessarily deep). This practice can help calm the nervous system, decrease hypervigilance and minimize a variety of physical or mental health symptoms. Shelly also explains that "deep" breathing can so...

When you lose the joy of eating because of a restricted diet, life can become bland. However, non-food sources of joy can bring back some pleasure and excitement. Melanie reminds us why joy is vital and how we can intentionally create opportunities to enrich our lives.  Melanie Mitchell Epp is an author, speaker and coach who knows that true change happens when we change how we think. She wrote an...

When you have sensitivities, getting overly focused on food and forgetting about your eating environment is easy. Instead, take the time to create an inviting environment and bring enjoyment back to your meal! In addition to more enjoyment, a better relationship with food can reduce your reactivity. Kristin will share her insightful tips to make meals more pleasurable, even on a restricted diet. K...

When you have food sensitivities, it is easy to get in a repetitive-food rut and resent food. Kathlena's stories and creative meal ideas will empower you to break out of this rut and rediscover the joy of eating. Kathlena has over 200 food allergies & intolerances, including most water. The members of her household also have food allergies and special diets, none of them the same. After being told...

After a severe food anaphylactic reaction, Kristina experienced significant anxiety when eating out. She shares her stories of how she got back to a comfortable relationship with food by rebuilding her body and food trust. Kristina Seefeldt has navigated anaphylactic food allergies her whole life. Born and raised in Alberta, Kristina moved to Toronto in 2015 to pursue her Master of Arts in Crimino...

Vigilance describes how careful you are with your food restrictions. Your quality of life will suffer if you are either under- or over-vigilant. Kristina shares her journey of finding a healthy degree of vigilance. Kristina Seefeldt has navigated anaphylactic food allergies her whole life. Born and raised in Alberta, Kristina moved to Toronto in 2015 to pursue her Master of Arts in Criminology at...

It is easy to get caught in a futile struggle to try and get other people to understand and accept your food sensitivities. Christine shares stories of how this led to frustration and why she keeps her explanations to a minimum. Christine Myers is a wife and a mom of two. She is a chronic illness warrior, nutritional therapy practitioner student, former pastry chef , content creator and a board me...

Christine shares her anger and frustration with food restriction and her journey to thriving and helping others. If you are stuck in food-restriction grief, Christine's down-to-earth stories will help you take steps forward.   Christine Myers is a wife and a mom of two. She is a chronic illness warrior, nutritional therapy practitioner student, former pastry chef , content creator and a board memb...

A hypervigilant limbic system looks for danger around every corner. When fear drives our awareness, we experience physical sensations more intensely and worry that it is the beginning of a symptom flare. Balanced awareness helps us differentiate between harmless physical sensations and symptoms. Kristy Arbon , BA, BSW, Cert. MSC is founder and CEO of HeartWorks Training LLC, teaching from a trauma...

Food labels (this food is high in histamine) and health labels (I am histamine intolerant) are easy to pick up from our fear-based media. Unfortunately, they profoundly affect our relationship with food and may lead to unnecessary restrictions. Let go of those labels and find the freedom to expand your diet. Alyssa Lavy, MS, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian who believes that food should be satisf...

Reintroducing dairy brought new freedom to Judy's life, but her inner dialogue questioned if the fifteen-year restriction was necessary or if she had unwittingly complicated her life. Judy describes how self-compassion helped her overcome this shame and regret.

Brooke describes how wellness culture can lead us down a path that makes the symptoms we are trying to "fix" worse. For example, we are bombarded by messages that the "right diet" will heal the gut and is a panacea for a myriad of medically unexplained symptoms. But with so many conflicting messages about what the "right diet" actually is, we are left confused and frustrated.   Brooke Bulloch , RD...

Kristina and her mom, Pat, reminisce about Kristina's challenges growing up with multiple, severe anaphylactic food allergies. Despite these restrictions, the family continued their foodie ways, and Kristina grew up with a positive relationship with food. They share the family rituals and traditions that made this possible. Kristina Seefeldt has navigated anaphylactic food allergies her whole life...

Madeline started her diet expansion journey with impulsive reintroductions. These unsuccessful attempts reinforced her fear and food restrictions. When she learned to step back and make intentional changes, she found success and ended her restricted diet struggles. Madeline Erlich is a Registered Dietitian and graduate student at the University of Toronto. She recently completed a post-graduate di...

After recording our initial self-compassion podcast, I realized that my inner dialogue was not as kind as I thought, and I asked Kristy for a follow-up episode. She shares her wisdom about softening resistance and connecting compassionately with ourselves when the present moment is challenging. Kristy Arbon is founder and CEO of HeartWorks Training LLC, teaching from a trauma-informed and strength...

Kristy talks about the importance of self-compassion when struggling with medically unexplained symptoms – especially when we feel frustrated and uncertain. We often look outside ourselves for nurturing in times of distress, but our inner champion is our greatest source of comfort. Kristy Arbon , BA, BSW, Cert. MSC is founder and CEO of HeartWorks Training LLC, teaching from a trauma-informed and...

Samantha's early life trauma left her vulnerable to being sucked into diet restrictions, which eventually led to a dark place in her life. Fortunately, she had the strength to find her way out and use her experiences to help others.   Samantha Gilbert , FNC, CHNP, CNC spent most of her life battling severe depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and body image dysmorphia. Since finding...