In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Cristina Castagnini sits down with Dana Sturtevant, a registered dietitian, author, and co-founder of the Center for Body Trust, to explore why diets fail and how to develop a healthier relationship with food and body image. Dana discusses how to trust your body, the impact of social determinants on health, and why recovery from disordered eating requires more than just changing what we eat.

Dana Sturtevant, M.S., R.D. (she/her) is the co-founder of the Center for Body Trust, co-author of the book Reclaiming Body Trust, and co-host of The Body Trust Podcast. As a registered dietitian, she helps people divest from diet culture, explore what it means to be embodied, and move toward more compassionate forms of radical care. Her work as a speaker, educator, and trainer focuses on humanizing health care, advancing health equity, and advocating for food and body sovereignty. For the past 20 years, Dana has trained thousands of health care providers in Motivational Interviewing. As a sought-after speaker and writer, Dana is a champion for weight-inclusive models of care and offers supervision, training, and consultation for helping professionals and health care organizations.      

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Dana's journey from traditional dietetics to becoming an advocate for body trust
  • Why the dominant weight paradigm is fundamentally flawed
  • The problematic nature of prescribing eating disorder behaviors to larger bodies while diagnosing them as disorders in thin bodies
  • The impact of GLP-1 medications and their concerning side effects
  • How social determinants of health have a greater impact on wellbeing than individual diet choices
  • The relationship between perfectionism and disordered eating
  • The Minnesota Starvation Study and its relevance to modern diet culture

IMPORTANT TIMECODES FROM THE EPISODE:

  • 00:00 Introduction to Behind the Bite
  • 00:56 Breaking Free from Diet Culture with Dana Sturtevant
  • 02:33 Dana's Journey and Insights on Weight Paradigms
  • 08:13 The Concept of Body Trust
  • 13:03 Challenges and Misconceptions in Diet Culture
  • 16:52 The Impact of Social Media and Influencers
  • 31:30 Rebuilding Trust in Your Body
  • 45:17 Conclusion and Resources

HOW TO CONNECT WITH DANA TO LEARN MORE:

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Part of the Los Angeles Tribune Podcast Network, produced by the Tweaky Tales.

**Disclaimer:**

This podcast is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information regarding the subject matter covered. It is given with the understanding that neither the host, the publisher, nor the guests are rendering legal, clinical, or other professional information. If you want or need a professional, you should find one to work with who can address your individual needs and situation.