In this second episode of a four-part series, I'll be talking about the importance of awareness in achieving lasting food freedom and making sustainable changes to your eating habits. Building on the introduction to the ABCs of food freedom from the previous episode, I'll explain how awareness is the first crucial step towards a healthier relationship with food.

Contrary to what you might expect, I do actually believe tracking your food can be a valuable tool—especially at the beginning of a new lifestyle change. However, my approach differs from traditional methods of food tracking. Instead of focusing on calories, macros, or points, I recommend tracking your food along with the time you eat, your hunger levels, mood, and energy before and after meals. This more mindful way of tracking helps you understand how different foods and eating patterns affect your body (and mind!), and provides insights into your body's unique needs.

By becoming aware of these factors, you can make informed decisions about your diet, such as adjusting portion sizes, meal timing, or even incorporating more variety and enjoyment into your meals. This episode emphasizes that awareness is not about restriction but about understanding and responding to your body's signals. Tune in to learn how to cultivate awareness and set the stage for exploring the next steps in the ABCs of food freedom: beliefs and consistency.

In this episode of the Two-Minute Wellness podcast, I'll be discussing the challenges and fears that come with moving away from traditional food tracking methods like calorie counting and macro tracking. I share my personal journey of overcoming my dependence on apps and programs like MyFitnessPal and Weight Watchers to guide my food choices, and acknowledge the fear that accompanies transitioning to a more intuitive approach to eating.

Learning to trust your own body instead of relying on other people, programs or apps to tell you how much or what to eat can be a daunting and scary process. But I'll introduce you to my unique method, which I call the ABCs of lasting food freedom. It stands for Awareness, Beliefs, and Consistency. These three elements helped me stop tracking every bite and start listening to my body's natural signals. And they can help you, too.

This episode is the first in a series where I'll delve deeper into each component of my method, offering practical tips and insights for those looking to cultivate a healthier, more intuitive relationship with food. Tune in to learn how to move from tracking everything to trusting your body and finally finding true food freedom.

In this episode of the Two-Minute Wellness podcast, we're delving into the concept of intuitive eating. I'll also be sharing my unique, mindful approach to food and nutrition.

While intuitive eating encourages trusting your body's cravings and signals, my approach also emphasizes the importance of building a healthy foundation to truly understand and respond to those cues.

Relying solely on intuitive eating can be challenging without a solid nutritional base. A more mindful approach that balances enjoyment with nourishment allows you to indulge in treats while maintaining a nutritious diet that sets you up to feel energized and good.

Join me as I discuss how to integrate healthier foods you enjoy into your meals, prepare them deliciously, and still leave room for the fun foods you love. Learn how a mindful eating strategy can enhance your relationship with food, helping you feel great and live a balanced, vibrant life.

In this episode of the Two-Minute Wellness podcast, I'm sharing a simple, yet transformative exercise I learned in therapy. This exercise played a crucial role in healing my relationship with food and it's something you can easily try at home and apply today.

Several years ago, while I was sitting in my therapist's office, she asked me to look around the room and pick out objects that caught my eye or spoke to me in some way. Then, I was asked to describe why I was drawn to them and what feelings they invoked. This exercise was challenging at first, but it became a pivotal step in my journey toward understanding my emotions and applying this awareness to my eating habits.

By learning to appreciate objects for their intrinsic pleasure, I began to apply the same principle to food, allowing myself to enjoy foods for their taste and the joy they brought, rather than solely for their nutritional value.

In the episode, I'll guide you through this practice, so you too can break free from rigid eating patterns and find a more balanced and joyful relationship with food.

In this episode of the Two-Minute Wellness podcast, I'm sharing my approach to balanced eating, which can be summed up with the phrase "food is for fuel and for fun."

In a nutshell, I believe food is meant to be a source of nourishment and nutrition and it should also be a source of pleasure and enjoyment!

Focusing solely on healthy foods can make healthy eating feel stressful and also take away from the joy of social gatherings and celebrations.

Something that's helped me embrace the balance between fuel and fun is the concept of food "buckets": the healthy bucket for nutritious foods like fruits, veggies, and good proteins, and some fun buckets for foods that enhance experiences or encourage connection.

Adopting this flexible "bucket" mindset can help you let go of the guilt you may feel when you choose less healthy foods. Whether it’s enjoying a cocktail during happy hour, a cupcake at the office, or popcorn at the movies, I believe all foods can (and should) fit into a healthy lifestyle.

Tune in to discover how creating your own buckets can transform your relationship with food and enhance your overall well-being.

Welcome to the very first episode of the Two-Minute Wellness podcast!

I'm so happy you're here! My vision for this podcast is for it to feel like I'm your best friend who happens to know a thing or two about nutrition and wellness. If we went to grab coffee, these are the things we'd talk about.

We'll keep each episode short, sweet, actionable, and motivating so you can take what you hear and apply it to your everyday life to become healthier and happier.

For this first episode (recorded on my 34th birthday on a new moon in case you love this stuff as much as I do), I'm diving into the idea of fresh starts, particularly within the context of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

I understand completely the feeling of always needing to stay "on plan" when you're trying to eat healthier or lose weight. And so I'm also very familiar with the spiral of negative thoughts that occurs when we go "off plan" or slip up. But these negative thoughts don't serve us.

I'm challenging and encouraging you to embrace the idea that you can start over immediately—instead of waiting for the end of the day, week, or month to start fresh.

Join me in this very first episode of the Two-Minute Wellness podcast to learn how to embrace the power of fresh starts and implement them as often as you need in your wellness journey.

*NEW PODCAST LAUNCHING AUGUST 2024*

Hi, I'm Lia, and welcome to the Two Minute Wellness Podcast. I'm a holistic nutritionist, and I believe the best kind of healthy is the happy kind of healthy. For most of my teenage years and early twenties, I struggled with food and my weight. I spent years dieting, counting calories, and feeling out of control around food.

I felt frustrated, ashamed, and I didn't think I'd ever be able to eat "normally" again. Finally, at my wits' end, I decided to try something different. I decided to give up control and trust my body. I stopped counting calories, macros, and points, and I started tuning in to what I actually wanted to eat and which foods made me feel good.

I began moving my body in ways that made me happy instead of ways that burned the most calories, and I've honestly never looked back. If you're struggling with food or are curious about how to be healthy without counting macros, spending hours on meal prep, or skipping happy hours, you're in the right place.

Each episode of the Two Minute Wellness Podcast will be short and sweet, providing simple, bite-sized tips and information you can apply to your everyday life to be healthier and happier.