Links + Thoughts
Another edition of things I've read and thoughts I've had that you might enjoy reading about, too
Happy Birthday to The Full Life!
Before we get into the good stuff, The Full Life is celebrating its 2nd birthday in September. I hit publish on my first post on September 26th, 2023, and we’ve been riding this wave ever since!
It’s been a fun ride so far, and I love having a space to share my thoughts and offer some support beyond my one-on-one clients. With this celebration in mind, I’m offering 25% off a paid subscription for the month of September.
If you would like to support this project, now is a great time to jump on board! You’ll also have access to next week’s paid-only essay, lots of resources, the entire archive of newsletters, and Getting Full sessions.
Getting Full Meal + Support Group
I’m going to try switching up the format for Getting Full and will be “going live” on Tuesday, September 16th at 11 am CT. I’ll be picking an “unhelpful” nutrition belief to talk through from an evidence-based, food-positive lens - if there’s one you’ve been wanting me to tackle, let me know! I’ll record the session for paid subscribers, so you can watch it on your own time if you aren’t able to join me live.
September: Tuesday, September 16th at 11 am CT, Challenging Unhelpful Nutrition Beliefs
October: Tuesday, October 21st at 11 am CT, Ask me anything
November: Thursday, November 13th at 12 pm CT, Handling the Holidays
Mark your calendars, I’ll send the link as we get closer to the date! Remember that Getting Full is a perk for paid subscribers, so upgrade your subscription if you’d like to join us!
Links:
Today’s edition of things that made me say “DUH”. In case you were wondering, going to therapy is helpful when you are trying to recover from an eating disorder. We don’t skimp on therapy, my friends! If you ever need help getting connected to a therapist or dietitian, I would LOVE to help. Send me a message with where you are located, and I’ll check my networks.
“Extreme Picky Eating” is usually code for undiagnosed ARFID (Avoidant, Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) and can be blown off in doctor’s visits as something the child will grow out of. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case, and getting early ARFID treatment can be a game-changer for parents and kids. I like taking a parent coaching approach for young kids with ARFID, but here are some other treatments that can help if you or your child are ready to start tackling ARFID!
An Italian food history lesson.
A resource developed by some great dietitians for those who have insulin resistance.
The kids need us to do better. This was a great piece on how early beauty standards start impacting little girls.
This was so good, but it needs a content warning for specific talk of ED bx. Talks about the co-occurrence of GI issues and disordered eating.
We should ALL be in support of companies needing to prove that the health claims they make are real. Supplements can be straight-up dangerous, and right now they are underregulated—even before they try to upend current standards for proof of efficacy. Many supplements are found to have unlisted ingredients, additives, and chemicals when they are third-party tested. Many can cause issues like liver disease even when used as prescribed. Unregulated distribution of supplements could cause serious harm.
Do I love the title? No. However, understanding the risks of weight regain feels crucial in this current weight-obsessed climate. At least 50% of people discontinue GLP-1s for reasons like cost and side effects. The reality is, if you go off of these medications, which is incredibly likely at some point, you are likely to regain the weight and often very quickly. In a world where an elite athlete is now touting her “success” with weight loss drugs, it feels important to point out that they aren’t necessarily a miracle and there are downsides to this avenue of weight control.
Ragen Chastain is an amazing resource for those interested in dissecting research to evaluate it’s use in clinical recommendations or making personal lifestyle changes. Here, she evaluates a new study that once again shows a correlation between poor health outcomes and weight cycling. There is a part one and a part two.
In 1-5 years, when we inevitably start trying to associate some change that was made around 2025 with higher rates of iron deficiency anemia, can we all please try to remember that all that happened was we changed the criteria to be diagnosed?
The always talented
talks about the Kardashians’ newest grift: the face sculpting wrap.Thoughts:
I would be thrilled if RFK would resign. Make sure you’re following people on social media or Substack who will give you evidence-based recommendations for your health and well-being. Many organizations are starting to deviate from CDC and FDA recommendations due to the political influence that is driving the changes.
Lean into the creative opportunities of entering a new season. Get excited about fun foods that will be back in season, cozy soups, and using your oven without fear of heating your entire house. You might need a new schedule for how to enjoy the outdoors and the daylight. Schedules can be changed - you are allowed to embrace a new season with new rhythms and schedules.
Send me any recommendations you have for Fall dog allergies. My poor dog, Barry, has developed some crazy Fall allergies since we moved to Saint Louis. It’s hard to keep him comfy every time September hits.
Photo by Christine Siracusa on Unsplash
The food that inspired me this month:
The easiest, most delicious way to eat mushrooms.
Get some baby portabellas (or regular portabellas) and thinly slice them.
Throw them in a pan (it should look like a lot when you start to cook them. They’ll shrink!)
Add in some butter, a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and some old red or white wine. I don’t measure it, but you should add about a tbsp of fat per serving (between the butter and olive oil), and a good dash of wine per serving, maybe about 1-2 tbsp. Salt and pepper generously. Add red pepper flakes if you like a little spice in your life.
I keep a bottle of old wine (I have a bad habit of opening a bottle, having a glass or two, and then forgetting about it until it goes bad) next to my stove for this purpose. If I have more wine to add, I’m not precious about it and just use a funnel to mix the two bottles. If I’m just using it to cook with, I personally can’t tell the difference. Call it a red blend.
Let it cook until all of the liquid cooks out of the mushrooms and they begin to brown slightly. Stir every once in a while, but you want them to brown, so don’t stir too often.
This is THE BEST way to eat mushrooms. So good every time. Very little effort is involved.
Happy Monday, everyone! Take care of yourselves. Eat yummy food. You deserve all the good things.
Gretchen
Happy birthday, Full Life! Thanks for showing up and doing this work!