Changing Your Mindset Through Intuitive Eating with Tianna Smith

Tianna: [00:00:00] When we focus on weight loss to try to improve our health, it does not work long term. It is not sustainable and people actually end up taking measures that are actually very unhealthy for them. And so I feel like in our society, we’ve become so afraid of weight gain and being fat that we take extreme measures to do things that really have nothing to do with actually being healthy. 

Hope: Do you want to wake up feeling like you’re stepping into who you’re meant to be into the best possible version of you? But if I told you that the key to your best life health and happiness are all around you You just have to find what works for you I’m Hope Pedraza, and I believe that there isn’t just one way to live a healthy and meaningful life, and that all you need is a little inspiration to make changes that last from the inside out.

Each week, I’ll be sharing tangible tips and inspirational interviews to help you on your journey. These are the steps to take to improve your life and live with purpose. [00:01:00] This is Hopeful and Wholesome. Hey y’all, thanks for tuning in today. Today, I have a really great conversation with Tiana Smith, Tiana is a registered dietitian.

She’s a certified intuitive eating counselor, and she specializes in eating disorders, disordered eating, and intuitive eating. She helps women who want to learn and trust and honor their bodies feel great mentally and physically, and we have a really intuitive and informative conversation about what is intuitive eating.

So I really think you’ll get a lot from this conversation that we have. She talks about her nutrition philosophy as a registered dietitian, And what intuitive eating is and how you can benefit from it. And then she also gives some tangible steps and tactics that you can take to kind of implement this philosophy in your own life.

It’s really informative. I’m really excited to bring this to y’all. And as an added bonus, she’s going to talk about her program that she has that she’s launching this month. If you want to learn more about intuitive eating and how to [00:02:00] implement This philosophy in your own life. It’s freeing. It’s just tuning into your own body.

It’s really great conversation I know y’all are gonna love tiana. So y’all enjoy. Okay, y’all let’s get going I’m, so excited to bring on tiana smith today. So we are talking about all things intuitive eating And kind of just her philosophy of nutrition, and I’m really excited to talk to y’all about that and bring that to y’all today.

So thanks so much for joining, Tiana. 

Tianna: Of course, thank you for having me. 

Hope: Yeah, for sure. So let’s kind of start with the big picture question for you as a dietitian. So what is your nutrition philosophy as a registered dietitian? 

Tianna: Yeah. So I am a certified intuitive eating counselor and a registered dietician.

And what I have seen over the 10 years of being a registered dietician is that there is so much focus on weight loss in our healthcare system and what I have [00:03:00] found. Over the years with working with hundreds of women is that when we focus on weight loss to try to improve our health, it does not work long term.

It is not sustainable. And people actually end up taking measures that are actually very unhealthy for them. And so, I feel like in our society, we’ve become so afraid of weight gain and being fat that we take extreme measures to do things that really have nothing to do with actually being healthy. And so, as a dietician and as an intuitive eating counselor, a lot of the work I do is around helping people actually feel their best by learning to trust and honor their bodies.

So, I have a firm belief that every single person on this earth was born with a few gifts, and that is the gift of hunger and fullness cues, [00:04:00] and the gift of cravings. And in our diet culture, and in our, unfortunately, our society as a whole, cravings have become demonized. And if we just explore some more curiosity around them, we actually would learn that when we honor our bodies, we’re going to eat a lot more balanced than if we’re trying to restrict a bunch of food groups and specific foods.

And so I’m very passionate about helping people learn that intuitive eating really is the healthiest way to live your life. And that dieting. actually results in poor health outcomes as seen by what I like to call weight cycling. And so a lot of the education I do with my clients is Around all of that that we need to fight back against diet culture and really learn to trust our bodies 

Hope: Yeah, so let’s get a [00:05:00] little bit deeper into the intuitive eating part of that so I mean you talked a little bit about it just then but can you go a little bit deeper on just how You work with your clientele on how to find that because a lot of people aren’t necessarily in tune with their bodies, right?

So how do you kind of I guess teach your clients how to do that how to be more intuitive with their eating? 

Tianna: Yeah, I love that you asked that because even Evelyn Traboli, she’s one of the authors of the book intuitive eating Even she says that reading the book and actually applying it can be very difficult.

And so when I work with my clients, I do encourage them to read the book. It is very important. It is a wealth of information. And so with my clients, I have them simultaneously read the book and work with me so I can help guide them throughout their own intuitive eating journey. And so with my upcoming course, I actually am [00:06:00] really excited because in Food Freedom University, I am going to have nothing left unsaid.

I have spent months and months really curating a really comprehensive intuitive eating course. Where you’re going to get the knowledge and the guidance so that you can become an intuitive eater. And With my clients what I actually do initially is I will do menu planning with them to start and a lot of people get confused by that because they think well if I menu Planning am I really being an intuitive eater right and the answer is yes Absolutely, so through menu planning.

I’m always encouraging that you eat foods from all of the food groups you And that you choose foods that you genuinely enjoy, but people usually need their handheld just a little bit to help them so they don’t feel completely lost. And so that’s where early on. That menu planning is really key in helping people.

And [00:07:00] so I think that that’s something that’s unique that I do as a dietitian to help people feel more confident moving into practicing the principles of intuitive eating. So yeah, that’s how it starts. And then we go through. Every principle with a fine tooth comb and so you’re really getting a good idea of how to actually apply these things in your own personal life.

So it’s really good and I’ve had so many people that have just felt so free from being able to learn this and apply this. 

Hope: Well and I know that you have worked a lot with different eating disorder clinics and people with eating disorders and I know that You know covering for some of myself who had a really poor relationship with food when I was growing up You know as a dancer and stuff How do you approach that because a lot of it it is finding that intuitive piece right like tuning into your body But then a lot of it is kind of this mindset shift around food and like building a healthier relationship with food. So, how do you approach that?

Tianna: Yeah, [00:08:00] so I have specialized in eating disorders and disordered eating for 10 years. So, with my clients who struggle with an eating disorder, I do have to be very selective as to what principles we apply and when. And so with all of my clients regardless if they’re struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating or Even are just coming to me because they have health complications I always Encourage them to eat the foods that they genuinely like and to reject diet culture And that’s because when we eat the foods that we genuinely like we’re actually going to crave them less And I know that sounds super crazy because a lot of people think Well, if I eat what I like when I want it, I’m going to want it all the time, but I like to compare it to falling in love.

So the first time my husband said, I love you, it was this big, explosive, amazing moment. So exciting, right? [00:09:00] But, I hate to say but, but a few years into the relationship, although I still love my husband very much, when he says, I love you, it isn’t this big intense moment, it’s still very exciting, but I’m definitely not getting butterflies, like, just to hear that I love you.

And it’s similar with food. The novelty will wear off the more you allow yourself to have the foods that you enjoy. Right. So yeah, that is number one with all of my clients. I definitely encourage them to make peace with food by having the things that they enjoy so that they can experience. It’s, you know, less, less feelings of food having power over them because essentially that’s what, what happens with a lot of people is, is food kind of controls them and it affects the way that they think and do things.

So that’s what we want to really work [00:10:00] against and work away from. 

Hope: Yeah. Yeah. No, for sure. So, on the, kind of the other side of that with, cause you talk about the diet culture and kind of getting away from the diet culture and you mentioned diet cycling. So there is a lot of information out there and there’s a lot of really conflicting information out there.

So, how do you recommend people kind of navigate through all the conflicting information and And kind of, I guess, be okay with what you’re talking about, which is eating what you like and not, you know, going with a lot of the, I guess some of them are fad diets and a lot of the diets that take out certain food groups, whatever, how do you kind of navigate through all of that information?

Tianna: Yeah, I love that you asked this question because I feel like just about every client that comes to me Expresses that they just feel so confused. They don’t know who to trust I mean, there’s there’s a lot of doctors out there even that promote [00:11:00] Diets like intermittent fasting the ketogenic diet. I mean my own mother She was just told by her doctor to go on YouTube to learn how to apply intermittent fasting into her life so that she could lose weight.

Hope: Oh my gosh. 

Tianna: And I am, I’m just sitting here like, no, that’s so not appropriate. And it’s coming from a doctor, so I love doctors. I don’t want to make anyone think that I don’t appreciate and respect doctors, but you know, even doctors are, they’re not nutrition experts. And so, if you are wanting to learn from a legitimate nutrition expert.

Definitely look for a registered dietitian. And if you’re wanting to learn about intuitive eating, look for a certified intuitive eating counselor. I am both of those. I feel like the amount of experience and education hours that I have had compared to Somebody who maybe is a [00:12:00] health coach or even, you know, some doctors to be honest.

Hope: Yeah 

Tianna: Just the the nutrition focused education experience far outweighs any other Health profession so definitely look for for those two things and yeah, my heart goes out to everybody because There is, yeah, so much conflicting information. I mean, I shake my head so many times every single day, just things that I see on social media or on Google.

It’s overwhelming. 

Hope: Yeah. It is. It’s fun, especially when you see people who, like you were saying, they’re some sort of expert in one way or another, and they get these, you know, these crazy results from keto or whatever, and you see these amazing results they’ve gotten, and so people who aren’t as educated, you know, in nutrition think, oh, well, that has to work for me.

So it’s, yeah, I think it’s, it’s definitely confusing. When you see all of this in the well that has to work because she lost, you [00:13:00] know, 80 pounds doing this or whatever I think that makes it Really hard to know what to believe. 

Tianna: Yeah. And with that, we have to look at sustainability as well. So even when I’m looking at a research study, if a research study is not conducted first and foremost on humans, and secondly, something that is actually five years or more, I take it with a grain of salt because with food in our bodies, it has to be something that’s sustainable physically and mentally, right?

Otherwise, Like I said before, weight cycling is going to happen. And what that is, is when somebody loses weight, it could be a small amount of weight or a substantial amount of weight. If what they’re doing is not sustainable and diets are not sustainable, they have a 95 percent failure rate, they’re going to end up gaining all of that weight back plus some, and usually the weight that’s gained.

Goes towards the abdominal area of our bodies. [00:14:00] And that is an area where we would be at a greater risk of developing health conditions. And so really it’s dieting that’s resulting in a lot of health problems for a lot of people because of the weight cycling that they’re experiencing over the course of their life.

And so with intuitive eating, I never, ever promised that somebody’s going to lose weight. But I do promise that they are going to feel physically better than they ever have before. And that’s both mentally and physically. And so, you know, I really make it about health and not weight because we want this to be something that is sustainable for your health longterm.

Hope: Right. 

Well, and how do you, I guess, at least into my next question and just you, you know, it’s just, you’re personal opinion on this because I think that is when that’s kind of how we approach things in my studios We come more from a health perspective than a weight loss perspective is you’re not coming to our studio to lose weight You’re [00:15:00] coming to feel good and to get all the benefits from it So and in what you’re talking about in this diet centric culture that we’re in What do you think is Gonna be the catalyst and I think it has shifted a little bit I guess in recent years because there’s more stuff around body positivity and all of that but what do you think is gonna be the catalyst or something that’s gonna shift that focus because we are so focused on losing weight and Looking, you know a certain way or whatever.

So how do we I guess as a society, I guess that’s a big question, but how do we make that shift into more of what you’re saying and doing it for the health benefits and for health purposes rather than weight loss purposes? 

Tianna: Yeah. And, oh man, that I could go so deep into that question. Um, but with my clients, I do a lot of body image work.

Hope: Yeah. 

Tianna: So as a dietitian who specializes in eating disorders and disordered eating, body image is something that comes up pretty much in every [00:16:00] single session. And so one of the things that I like to try to help people see for themselves is that there is sort of this fear around. The fact that if I am fat or if I gain weight or if I don’t lose weight that I am unlovable That people will not want to be in my life that people will not want to connect with me and I will be more miserable. What I often see, though, is that dieting and being obsessive around food in our bodies isolates us more than anything.

And that breaks my heart. It makes me so sad to see so many of my clients who, in the past, have turned down invitations to go to dinner with a friend because they were embarrassed of how they looked. Or they were worried that what was served there wasn’t going to fit their diet plan. Or maybe they’re doing intermittent fasting and they can’t [00:17:00] eat during those hours.

All of those things take us away from connecting and experiencing what we need as humans. And I think this has been a great year in showing that, that, you know, we need to connect as human beings. And it’s so difficult when we don’t. And so with diet culture preying on our insecurities and saying all of your problems will be fixed when you lose weight, I just think that that’s crap.

Because even when my clients have lost weight, they were never happy. It did not solve their problems. They did not feel good about themselves. There were still things that they wished that they could have changed. And so, if we can make that mindset shift to, you know, being able to feel confident no matter our body size and really focus on taking care of our health through honoring what our body is telling us [00:18:00] it needs.

I feel like people would be so much happier and so much healthier. And so that’s really the message that I’m always trying to share on, on my Instagram and, and with all of my clients. 

Hope: Yeah. It’s putting that, and I like that it’s putting that piece together. It’s, it’s, It’s kind of that mindset piece with the physical piece is that it’s, it’s about being happy too.

It’s like putting the happy with the healthy and I like that connection. Yeah. That’s good. So let’s switch gears just a little bit. And I do want to get into kind of your journey into dietetics. So what was your journey into being a registered dietitian into going down this path of intuitive eating?

Tianna: Yeah, so I had a friend in high school. So when I was 17, I had a friend who went to treatment for an eating disorder and when she finished, she said that her dietitian had made a huge impact on her life. And I was like, wow, that sounds like such an [00:19:00] interesting field. I feel like that would be really rewarding.

That’s what I’m going to do. And so despite not being good in science at all, like it did not come natural to me. I did my bachelor’s and my master’s and my dietetic internship. And yeah, it became a dietitian and it has just been the most rewarding career ever. Like it’s so much more fulfilling than I ever thought possible.

And when I was in high school and in early college, I definitely struggled with my relationship with food and my body. I couldn’t walk past any mirror or reflective surface without checking out my body and making sure that my body matched what I thought was, you know, ideal. Oftentimes it didn’t, and that brought a lot of distress to me.

I Really tried to restrict the foods that I enjoyed and I like to use the example of cookies because chocolate chip cookies Freshly [00:20:00] baked is my most favorite Treat and so I would tell myself Tiana you cannot have cookies like cookies are bad. They’re gonna make you fat. 

Hope: Yeah. 

Tianna: Nobody’s gonna want to be with you if you’re fat, you know All of these lies that that diet culture feeds us And what I would find myself doing is when I had the opportunity to eat cookies, I would sit down and have like 10 

Hope: Right. 

Tianna: So it hit me as I was learning about intuitive eating.

I was like man If I had a cookie every day, that would probably be a lot healthier than restricting them all week and then having 10 in one sitting right And so I learned to make peace with cookies and other foods, but I like to use cookies because again, they’re my favorite To where now I recognize You I can have something sweet every day if I want.

Some days I don’t even want it, which is crazy because 10 years ago I never thought that was possible, but I’m actually able to honor what my body’s telling me rather than trying to [00:21:00] restrict, restrict, restrict, and then end up overeating or binging on that, that food. So that’s really been my personal experience with making peace with food.

I feel like I absolutely honor my hunger and fullness cues much better than I ever did before. And I don’t obsess over food anymore. Like I have that mental freedom and it is such an amazing feeling. And so many of my clients also express that, that. It is just a breath of fresh air to not have to think about food all the time and to be able to just eat what you like when you want it and to be able to listen to your body and know when it’s appropriate to stop eating and, and to not turn to food to, for comfort or, or for, you know, managing difficult emotions.

So yeah, I feel like I have a very healthy relationship with food and a very healthy relationship with my body now, thanks to intuitive eating. So I’m very grateful for that. 

Hope: That’s awesome. So I [00:22:00] do, well, before I get to this next question, speaking of freedom, you have a course that’s coming out and I wanted you to talk a little bit about it because I feel like this is something really good for people to start out the new year doing.

So can you talk a little bit about the course that you have? 

Tianna: Yeah. So I was actually wrapping up session with a client about six months ago. And as she was leaving my office, she said, Tiana, I wish I could have learned about this sooner and I wish that more people could learn about intuitive eating and how to actually apply it.

And that’s when it hit me. That’s when I was like, I need to reach more people and I need to create a digital course so that more people can learn how to actually apply intuitive eating and not fall into thinking that intuitive eating is just about. Eating whatever you want, whenever you want. I think that’s a common misconception.

So, you know, as a very experienced dietician and, and as it is certified intuitive eating counselor, I felt [00:23:00] like, okay, now’s the time. And so my course is called food freedom university. It’s an eight week long online digital course. So I will have one pre recorded module with two to four lessons released each week.

And in addition to that, I will be doing weekly Q& A’s live over Facebook. In addition to that too, I’m going to be offering my individual sessions at 20 percent off. So I really want people to feel like if they need the individual support, they can get that from me. But I am really excited for people also to have support from others who are learning the exact same things at the exact same time because That’s something that my individual clients don’t get and oftentimes they feel a little bit lonely in their journey when all of their friends are talking about the latest fad diet they’re trying and they’re really trying to Listen and trust their bodies.

So I’m so [00:24:00] excited to create this community for people to really be able to support one another But I also want to be there for them individually. So that will be one of the bonuses in the course. 

Hope: Awesome. That’s amazing. I know a lot of people are going to find that really helpful starting out the new year And yeah, I love that So I do like to give some takeaways and episodes some things people can kind of take with them So with your philosophy of intuitive eating I know that there’s some principles you like to teach your clients.

So are there a couple that you can explain or give to listeners here that they can kind of take with them and implement kind of on their own to kind of shift their mindset around food and kind of lean more towards the intuitive eating side of things? 

Tianna: Yes, absolutely. So one of the things that I always like to encourage is thinking about where you’re at in regards to hunger and fullness.

So with my clients, I give them a scale, and obviously [00:25:00] since we’re on a podcast, I can’t show you that scale, but you can reach out to me on Instagram at dietician dot Tiana, and I’d be happy to, to give that to you if you’d like an easier way of explaining it over the podcast. is asking yourself before and after you eat.

Do I feel pleasantly full, unpleasantly full, or content? And if it’s before the meal, asking yourself those same questions but in regards to your hunger. So before we eat, we should just be starting to feel hungry. For a lot of people, they go way too long without eating, and they’re ravenous. They feel that deep, primal hunger.

Which ends up ultimately resulting in overeating and eating too quickly and really not being mindful and tasting your food. So I always say we should, again, just start to feel hungry. And then once we’re done eating, we should feel pleasantly full. We should feel pretty neutral, [00:26:00] pretty comfortable.

Again, if you’re going too long without eating, it’s likely you’re not going to feel that way. It’s likely you’re going to overeat and feel kind of sick, which is not ideal. Yeah. And so, you know, having this sense of a hyper consciousness around our hunger and fullness cues is something that I always encourage early on in intuitive eating.

A lot of people don’t do this. They just eat mindlessly and don’t even think about how they’re feeling. 

Hope: Right. 

Tianna: And so, you know, that’s a big one that I always recommend from the get go. And then the second one I’ve already touched on this a little bit, but I’ll, I’ll mention it again is give yourself that permission to eat the foods that you enjoy.

Like I said, the novelty is going to wear off. I like to share a story about a client that I am still working with. When I first started working with her, she said, Tiana, my number one binge food is potato chips. She said, I cannot [00:27:00] have potato chips in my house. I will eat the entire bag if they are in my pantry.

And I think that she was expecting me to say, okay, don’t buy potato chips. Keep those out of your house. But instead I surprised her and I said, I want you to go buy potato chips and I want you to have a somewhat appropriate portion, a small baggie, whatever it is. for a snack every single day until you get sick of it.

So next week, we’ll talk about this again. I’ll see if you got sick of it yet. If not, we’ll keep going. But I also want you to remind yourself that this is not a bad food. That even though diet culture has convinced you that this food is bad, I want you to tell yourself that it’s going to still nourish your body.

And so she took away the mental restriction and the physical restriction. She had potato chips for about three days. After the third day, she said, Tiana, I don’t even think I really like potato chips. And I was like, [00:28:00] and that is what I’m talking about. That is food exposure at its finest. 

Hope: That’s so crazy.

Tianna: And I’ve had a number of clients too. I had another client who she was saying that her kids wanted dessert every single dinner after dinner, they wanted it every single night. And so I said, okay, I want you to go home. And I want you to tell your kids that you have the best dietitian ever. And she said that we can have ice cream every single night if we want.

Hope: Yeah. 

Tianna: And again, she was like, the craziest thing happened. After a few days, they forgot that we even had ice cream in the freezer. And I’m like, yeah, they’re not feeling this sense of urgency to eat this food because it’s no longer forbidden. 

Hope: Right. 

Tianna: And so, so again, we need to challenge this thought and this belief that diet culture has told us and fed us that certain foods are bad and that certain foods are forbidden because those [00:29:00] foods are going to hold so much more power over us and we’re just going to want them that much more.

Hope: Yeah. 

Tianna: So I have one more story to share with you about that. 

Hope: Yeah. 

Tianna: So 

this is going to be kind of funny, but I have a client too that I was working with who she’s Christian and was abstaining. From sex before she got married. I know this sounds like it’s Kind of taking a turn here, but But I asked her I said, what was that like when you were dating?

She was like, oh my goodness It was it was so hard. And then she’s like, yeah, once we got married, I was like ehh, I could care less about it. 

Hope: Take it or leave it. 

Tianna: That’s another great example. We want what we can’t have. We always want what we can’t have. And we’re gonna want to rebel when there’s food rules put upon us. 

Hope: Right right 

Tianna: So again, yeah, those are the top two things I want people to really keep in mind when you’re wanting to start your intuitive eating journey because I think that, you know, those are probably the two most powerful things that come up [00:30:00] often in my sessions.

Hope: Yeah, that’s, well, and it’s amazing just that it seems Like such a small shift in your mindset and it makes such a difference where people are no longer like, they’re like, Yeah, I can take it or leave it. Like that’s, that’s pretty, it is powerful. That’s awesome. 

Tianna: Yeah. 

Hope: Before I ask you this last question, I know you mentioned before Instagram, but just tell everybody where they can find you if they want to find out about your course and just all the good information that you’re putting out there.

Tianna: Yeah, so the best place to find me is on instagram. So i’m at Dietitian dot tiana. You can also check me out through my website. It’s realistic roots nutrition dot com And there you’ll find all the info about Food Freedom University. You can find more information about my individual sessions. If you jump on my email list as well, I will send you the top ten things that I recommend for my clients.

And so, a lot of people will start with that and practice those things. And then if they need [00:31:00] to look into the course or my individual sessions. So, yeah, 

Awesome. Perfect. Well, 

Hope: I’ll put links to all that in the show notes. Everybody can find that that’s super valuable. And then I like to end with the same question for everyone.

What do you think is the most important change people can make to live with purpose? 

Tianna: So I think that the most important thing that we can do is be mindful of our bodies. And I’m speaking specifically about our bodies because I am a dietician. One thing that we didn’t talk about today is movement and for me the way that I live with purpose in moving my body and being mindful of my body is through practicing yoga and this is something that I really Like fell in love with, I’ll say I fell in love with yoga this year during COVID because I actually developed a very painful slipped rib situation where I had three ribs slipping out of place in my back and my [00:32:00] chiropractor kept telling me, you need to do these postures and you need to come in two to three times a week to get your ribs popped back in.

And I couldn’t sit, I couldn’t lay down. I mean, it was awful. And so I asked myself like, okay, what does my body need? Like what would feel really good for my body right now? And it was yoga. And so I committed to doing 20 minutes of yoga every single day. And I am proud to say that yoga completely healed my rib situation where yeah, I have zero pain and so I think yeah, if we can just be more mindful of what we need and Actually do that rather than listening to maybe some of these outside sources that really aren’t gonna help us in the long run That would be so amazing for so many people. Our bodies are so amazing at communicating to us what they need.

And so, yeah, I, I didn’t need to [00:33:00] continue to go get adjusted every two to three or two to three times a week. I needed to heal and I needed to heal through yoga. So yeah, that’s what I would say to that. 

Hope: I love that. And I, I totally agree. I think we all need to be more in tune and listen to our bodies. I think that would fix so many things, right?

I love that. 

Tianna: Absolutely. 

Hope: Yeah. so much, Tianna. I appreciate this. This was super valuable. And I’m excited to send people over to your website, your Instagram page, so they can learn more and be more in tune with their bodies. This is great. So thank you so much. 

Tianna: Thank you. I’ve had such a great time. I really appreciate you having me.

Hope: Thanks for listening to hopeful and wholesome y’all if you found value in this week’s episode Please subscribe on itunes wherever you get your podcast and leave a review to let me know what you thought I’d love to know what you find useful in these episodes So I know how I can provide the most value I can to my listeners And if you have topics that you want to know more about i’d love to hear those as well So shoot me a message on instagram facebook or [00:34:00] linkedin.

It’s at the hope pedraza or visit my website hopeful and wholesome. com Thanks, y’all.