What Dietitians Wish you knew about Food, body, and healing
Insights from Registered Dietitians and Medical Professionals.
As a dietitian who works with clients who are healing from eating disorders and may experience chronic disconnection from their bodies, I see how heavy the pressure can feel. From social media to well-meaning friends to the wellness industry, there's this constant message that there’s a "correct" way to eat, move, and even recover. It’s subtle and loud all at once- showing up in how we talk about hunger, what we praise, what we avoid, and who gets to be seen as “healthy”.
But there’s no single right way to nourish your body or heal your relationship with food. There is no universal recovery plan that works for everyone. Healing isn’t about arriving at some ideal version of yourself. It’s not about perfect meals, perfectly timed hunger cues, or even loving your body every day. It's about building something deeper- trust, permission, and care.
In my work, I often witness the shame that creeps in when recovery doesn’t feel linear. Clients worry they’re “doing it wrong” if they struggle, or if healing doesn’t look like what they’ve seen online. And yet, it’s in those very messy, honest moments that so much of the real work happens.
That’s why I reached out to several incredible RDs and health professionals to hear what they wish more people knew about food, body, and healing. Here’s what they had to say- in their own words.
What Recovery Really Looks Like
Jessica Strawn-Clancy, MA, RD
What would you say to someone who feels like they’re “failing” at recovery?
Recovery is rarely a straight path, and progress can often feel like two steps forward, one step back.
“We are always growing and improving, but as humans, we may take steps backward. What matters is focusing on the steps forward and continuing, even if they are small. Through my own experiences with trauma and disordered eating, I’ve learned the importance of looking back to recognize patterns that have shaped where we are now,” says Jessica Clancy.
Jessica also shared her insight on how trauma can manifest in our healing journey, “The sooner we recognize the root of what has caused us harm, the quicker we can turn and change the patterns. I love the image of the trauma tree by Scott Whittle—it illustrates how our roots, often formed in childhood, but can be shaped by community, climate, or cultural influences. The trunk represents the emotions stored in our bodies from past experiences, while the branches symbolize our behaviors, actions, and self-perception”.
The Simplicity of Nourishment
Cynthia Odogwu, MD, Lifestyle and Family Medicine and Nutrition Expert
What do you wish more people knew about food, body, or healing?
Dr. Cynthia Odogwu shared her insight about having power in the basics. Nourishing your body doesn’t have to be dramatic or flashy- it can be grounded, consistent, and simple.
"Using food as medicine does not require exotic superfoods and elixirs. It can be as simple as increasing one’s fiber intake by eating a wide variety of plant foods. The effects of such a change include ensuring that you get and stay full after a meal, you provide important prebiotics to the bugs in your gut which then means good gut health for you and your bowel movements become regular. Achieving health and healing through food really can be simple," Cynthia stated.
Grieving the Fantasy of “Enough”
Cambria Steffler, MS, RD, LD, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor
What does “real” healing look like (or not look like)?
Cambria shared a powerful note about the idea of real healing.
"Real healing doesn’t always look ‘pretty’ on the outside. Sometimes it looks like grieving the body you thought you needed to have in order to be loved, accepted, or even respected. It looks like letting go of the fantasy that if you just tried hard enough to look a certain way, you’d finally be “enough.”
“Learning to care for yourself with kindness isn’t always joyful or linear—but it’s honest. And in that honesty, the fantasy of perfection begins to soften into the reality of a peaceful relationship with food, your body, and yourself,” said Cambria.
There’s No One-Size-Fits-All Nutrition
Tiana Mick, MS, RDN, LD
What’s one myth about nutrition or health that drives you up a wall?
Tiana Mick challenged the common myth that healing follows a one-size-fits-all approach.
“One of the most frustrating myths in nutrition is the idea that it’s a one-size-fits-all approach. Nothing could be further from the truth. Nutrition and health vary widely from person to person. Someone recovering from disordered eating will have vastly different nutritional needs than someone managing high blood sugar.
Unfortunately, this nuance is often lost in social media, where messages can oversimplify or misrepresent what health really looks like. Nutrition is not black and white, and food does not carry moral value. It isn’t inherently "good" or "bad." But when people share personal stories as universal truths, that complexity is often overlooked,” said Tiana.
Final Reflections
If you’re in the process of healing your relationship with food and your body, know this: it doesn’t have to look perfect to be valid. You don’t have to eat intuitively all the time. You don’t have to feel good in your body every day. You don’t even have to believe you’re healing all the time.
What matters is that you’re doing the work of turning toward yourself, of staying curious, of offering compassion where shame once lived. Healing doesn’t come from doing everything “right.” It comes from learning to trust yourself in the in-between spaces.
To those walking this path: you’re not alone. And you’re doing better than you think!
See ya next time! xoxo Kristin
References
Clancy, J. (2025). Personal communication.
Odogwu, C. (2025). Personal communication.
Steffler, C. (2025). Personal communication.
Mick, T. (2025). Personal communication.
Whittle, S. (2017). The Trauma Tree. [Used in trauma-informed therapy and education contexts to depict the root/branch metaphor of trauma].
