The Gratefully Nourished Podcast with Alyssa Pike, RD

Today on the Gratefully Nourished podcast, I'm interviewing Christie Dondero Bettwy, Executive Director at Rock Recovery. We discuss her role at Rock, her experience with food and recovery from an eating disorder, how to embrace a healthy self image (and why that's hard!) and how she navigated a changing body during pregnancy. Learn more about Rock Recovery More about Christie: Christie has served for over a decade as the Executive Director for Rock Recovery, a mental health nonprofit that helps clients and communities overcome disordered eating by providing clinical, community and spiritual care. Having experienced full recovery herself, she is passionate about spreading the message that complete freedom from disordered eating is possible and helping remove barriers that keep people from experiencing it. She is an active speaker and shares her story with organizations and media outlets across the country. While a true city girl at heart, Christie now resides in the suburbs of Washington, DC with her husband and daughter.  Connect with Alyssa: @gratefully_nourished gratefullynourished.co

We have another episode about exercise! Today I'm asking personal trainer Kasey Shuler how to shift our view of exercise to be life-giving instead of draining. Kasey helps us redefine exercise, shares tangible tips for improving our fitness by grace and helps us discern which type of exercise is best on any given day. We also discuss her experience with food and exercise and how she found intuitive eating. More about Kasey: Kasey Shuler is an author, non-diet personal trainer, co-founder of the Joyful Health Collective and host of the Joyful Health Show podcast. Her mission is to help others find lasting health by starting with grace and finding their strength in the joy of the Lord. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Athens, Georgia, and would love to connect with you at joyfulhealth.co or on Instagram @joyfulhealthco. Get her free weekly devo to replace dieting scarcity mindset with Kingdom abundance. Connect with Alyssa: @gratefully_nourished⁠⁠ ⁠⁠gratefullynourished.co

Today's episode is a fun one because I have my friend Amanda joining me! Amanda and I became friends in 2020 - we live close to each other, go to the same church, and have weekly girl dinners with our friends :-) I'm so excited for you to hear this episode because we share BOTH of our positive pregnancy, labor & birth experiences as well as what we learned during the first year of motherhood. I had my son three weeks before Amanda had her daughter so we really did experience this massive life change alongside each other. We talk about: Our pregnancies, labor & birth experiences Positive hospital birth experiences Navigating the newborn phase & baby sleep Giving up control The self-sacrificial nature of being a mom Postpartum anxiety The importance of community What we would do differently/same What was most surprising & What others say they learned in the first year of motherhood I hope you find this episode honest, realistic & encouraging. Becoming a mom is such a major experience & you need community to support you when it feels overwhelming. You're not alone & you're doing a great job, mama! See the episode where I interview my friend Amber here. Follow Alyssa @gratefully_nourished Read the blog: gratefullynourished.co

Today's episode is all about our relationship with exercise! I am so excited to share my conversation with Amy Connell with you. We cover questions like: How can we improve our relationship with food, exercise and our body? How do we balance the desire to care for ourselves/our health without turning it into an idol? What does a healthy relationship with exercise look like? ...and so much more! More about Amy: Amy Connell is a weight-neutral certified personal trainer and nutrition coach. She helps women feel and function well in simple and grace-filled ways so they can fulfill their purpose. Amy serves faith-based women and teens through her books and podcasts. She and her husband have a college-aged son and one who is a senior in high school, and they regularly talk about how much money they will save on groceries when both boys are out of the house. Learn more about Your CORE Strength here. @gratefully_nourished⁠ ⁠gratefullynourished.co

Kylie and I are continuing our podcast series on the book Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms. In this episode, we dive into the chapters on conversation and bedtime. We hope you enjoy. COME SAY HI! Kylie's blog: immaeatthat.com Alyssa's blog: gratefullynourished.co Follow ⁠⁠@gratefully_nourished⁠⁠ on instagram

Have you ever wondered what the Bible has to say about food and our bodies? If so, this episode is for you! On today's episode of the Gratefully Nourished podcast, registered dietitian Alyssa Pike is interviewing theologian and writer Amy Gannett who provides a powerful (and maybe jarring!) theology of food and the body and shares her experience overcoming her own struggle with food and body image. If you find yourself worried that your body has disqualified you from the love of God or consumed by thoughts about food, you'll be encouraged by this conversation. More about Amy: Amy Gannett is a writer and Bible teacher passionate about equipping Christians to study the Bible through The Bible Study Schoolhouse. She is also the founder of Tiny Theologians, a line of discipleship tools for children. Amy and her husband, Austin, are church planters in eastern North Carolina. You can read more on her blog and follow her on Instagram. @gratefully_nourished gratefullynourished.co

If you've ever wanted to understand the basics of eating disorders, this episode will help you do just that. In today's episode, Jessica shares how she got into the eating disorder field, we discuss the spectrum of eating behaviors -- ranging from positive to neutral to destructive to threatening, the three needs for recovery and common misconceptions about eating disorders. Jessica delivered several key insights that I know I'm going to be thinking about for a long time. I'm so grateful I got to sit down and talk with Jessica -- I share this on the podcast but her resource "Eating Disorders Bootcamp" is one of the main resources I devoured when I first started working in this area. More About Jessica: Jessica Setnick is the best kind of dietitian – she knows her stuff and is relatable and irreverent about it. She envisions a world where no on is ashamed to talk about their eating issues and everyone who wants help can get it. Everything she’s done in her career has focused in some way on eating disorder care and widening the circle of people who understand how to help, including health professionals, parents and friends. Check out Jessica's resource: FoodFairyTales.com Discount code: "healing"

Kylie and I are continuing our podcast series on the book Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms. In this episode, we dive into the chapters on work and play. We hope you enjoy. COME SAY HI! Kylie's blog: immaeatthat.com Alyssa's blog: gratefullynourished.co Follow ⁠@gratefully_nourished⁠ on instagram

Getting a cancer diagnosis or going through treatment is a life-altering experience, and Tuesday Hoelscher specializes in helping cancer patients and survivors navigate food during such an uncertain and stressful time. It was such a joy to sit down and talk with Tuesday about how to reduce one's risk for cancer while still keeping the bigger picture in mind: that we all have a unique set of risk factors and food is just one of them so we can do what we can without putting too much pressure on ourselves to be perfect. Plus, it's nice to know that there are only two foods and/or beverages associated with an increased risk of cancer. We discuss those, how to handle them and more on this episode, so you don't want to miss it! We also discuss new mom life a little bit and Tuesday encourages RDs to go for it with their business and shares a great final reminder about the nuance of health and nutrition :-) Enjoy this episode, leave a review and share with a friend :-) About Tuesday: Tuesday is a registered dietitian nutritionist who helps people with cancer thrive during treatment, reduce recurrence risk, and eat with less stress and fear so that they can get their energy back and feel like themselves again. CONNECT ON INSTA: @cancer.nutritionist.rd @gratefully_nourished

I'm so excited for you to listen to this conversation with Lauren! There are so many myths and misperceptions about dairy and beef farming, and Lauren is passionate about telling the story of farmers, and I think her perspective is so needed. We talk about how she grew up on a farm, how she became a registered dietitian, what she wishes people knew about farming and the types of farming so you can feel confident making the right decision for you and your family. Enjoy this episode, leave a review and share with a friend :-) Resources: https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/What-is-grass-fed-meat https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic/labeling Lauren's bio: Lauren Twigge is a Dallas based registered dietitian whose recipes and quotes have been featured on a variety of platforms including Eat This Not That, Real Simple, and The Every Girl. With a masters degree in Clinical Nutrition, a bachelors degree in Animal Science, and a childhood spent in agriculture, Lauren has a unique perspective on food. Her passion is to work at the crux of human nutrition and agriculture, a passion she pursues through her career as a social media educator, blogger, and keynote speaker. Twigge educates her audiences on a variety of nutrition topics including the truth about the agricultural industry, where our food comes from, and the role that various foods can play in a healthy diet. Learn more about Lauren's business here: https://www.laurentwiggenutrition.com/ CONNECT ON INSTA: @Nutrition.at.its.roots @Gratefully_nourished

Habits of the Household Book Series: Chapters 5 and 6 -- Family Devotions and Marriage We did it....we got our husbands to join us for this episode! We're excited for you to hear their perspectives on these chapters. We really cover a lot -- family devotions and marriage, yes, but also more about how we met our husbands, how our marriage has changed over the years, the challenges of marriage, parenting roles, how much we spend on groceries and so much more. One highlight from this episode and this entire series that Ive been thinking about a lot lately is..... something is better than nothing. Maybe you don't have time to listen to the whole series or you feel overwhelmed by all the ideas....same. Start where you are, listen to a snippet, and try to take one tangible prayer or task or touchpoint for your life or family. I'm rooting for you! COME SAY HI! Kylie's blog: immaeatthat.com Alyssa's blog: gratefullynourished.co Follow @gratefully_nourished Sign up for the Gratefully Nourished newsletter

Emily Hahn, MPH, RDN, CED-S joins me on today's episode! We talk about how she got into the eating disorder field, the multiple hats she wears and practical tips for navigating a girls night out or date when you've been struggling with disordered eating. We talk about the first thing Emily does when trying to help people move from dieting and restriction to peace and freedom with food and what pregnancy and motherhood looked/looks like for Emily. Emily is a WELL of compassion and helpful information -- two things at the core of Gratefully Nourished's mission. It was a joy to talk with her! Enjoy this episode, leave a review and share with a friend :-) Emily's bio: Emily Hahn is an eating disorder, non-diet dietitian in Houston, Texas. She owns and operates a group practice of dietitians called We All Eat Nutrition Therapy. We All Eat is a HAES-aligned practice that specializes in Intuitive Eating and eating disorder recovery. Emily is a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist Supervisor through the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals, and is currently serving as President on the board of the Houston Eating Disorders Specialists. Emily is contracted with the Houston Ballet Academy where she provides nutrition education, individual consultations, and sits on multidisciplinary panels. Learn more about Emily's practice: https://wealleatnutrition.com/ Alyssa's bio: Alyssa Pike is Registered Dietitian who cares deeply about helping people make informed and thoughtful food and nutrition decisions. In addition to owning and operating Gratefully Nourished, Alyssa currently works for a science communications organization where works to improve public perception of nutrition through translating nutrition research into digestible content, developing consumer research projects and serving as a sound resource to media outlets. Additionally, she previously worked alongside clients at an eating disorder outpatient center to help them make peace with food and their body. Alyssa would be grateful to work alongside you or your team to help you make sense of all the confusing nutrition (mis)information and to make individualized and evidenced-based nutrition choices. Learn more about Alyssa's practice: https://gratefullynourished.co/ CONNECT ON INSTA: @wealleatnutrition

Kylie and I are reading and discussing the book Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms. In episode two of the series, we cover chapters three and four: Discipline and Screen time. We talk about how discipline never happens at a convenient moment and the idea of discipline as discipleship, plus a few tangible habits to practice in your household. For screen time, we discuss curation, the idea of instruments versus devices and how it's not about abstinence but about finding the right guardrails that's most important. We hope you enjoy! COME SAY HI! Kylie's blog: immaeatthat.com Alyssa's blog: gratefullynourished.co Follow @gratefully_nourished on instagram

Kylie and I are kicking off a new series on the book Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms. We dive into chapters one and two: waking and mealtimes. This was so fun to record! We hope you enjoy. Books/resources mentioned: Kylie mentioned: The Artist's Way Painting Outside the Lines Alyssa mentioned: Take Back Your Family Huckleberry app Risen Motherhood (Kylie was right about this, lol!)

Welcome back to the Gratefully Nourished podcast! I hope you enjoy this new season's focus on finding meaning in the midst of chaos plus the integration of all things motherhood, faith, life, and simplicity in addition to nutrition and health. Like I say in the intro, for a long time I struggled to make Gratefully Nourished all about nutrition. At this point, I know that's because health is more than just what we eat and I am more than just a registered dietitian. Join us as we talk about honoring our health without obsession and all the pieces of life in between. I'm so happy you're here! Rate, leave comments and tell me all the things :-) -Alyssa Kylie's blog: immaeatthat.com Alyssa's blog: gratefullynourished.co Follow @gratefully_nourished on instagram

We're rounding out this season with an episode all about eating disorder care. I'm delighted to introduce (or reacquaint) you to Emily Murray, RD, LDN, CEDS, who shares a little bit about her eating disorder experience and how she got into working with individuals suffering from eating disorders and struggling to find peace with food. We talk about how we each took non-traditional paths in the field of dietetics, discuss some differences between disordered eating and eating disorder care, how to know when it's time for a higher level of care and more!  More about Emily Murray, RD, LDN, CEDS: Emily is  a certified eating disorders specialist through the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp). In her private practice just outside of Nashville, TN, Emily primarily works with individuals who suffer from eating disorders with co-occuring mental health concerns, including but not limited to: emotional avoidance and dysregulation, co-occuring anxiety, OCD, & mood disorders, as well as trauma, addiction, and issues of self-esteem and self worth.Emily is often helping her clients sift through “food & feelings” and invites the deep, emotional work that is required to heal from disordered eating and eating disorders. Connect with Alyssa Pike, RD Instagram: @gratefully_nourished Gratefully Nourished Facebook community 

Have you ever wanted to bring the message of food freedom to your local church community? Body BLoved has created a wonderful resource for you! In this episode, we talk about so many good things, including the importance of getting curious about where we learned our current beliefs around food and body image, the value in starting small and respecting our own limitations as well as encouragement for how to bring the food freedom message to your local church community. More about Nicole Mesita, RD: Nicole Mesita works in private practice as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and is the co-founder of "Body Bloved" a resource for Christian women who want to discover healing relationships with food, fitness, and body image through the unconditional love of God. She is a Mom of two girls and serves alongside her beloved husband in their local church. Through her education and diverse career experiences, God prompted her to help people of all shapes and sizes discover health and peace with their body through the unconditional love of Jesus. Nicole most enjoys spending time around a table and eating delicious food with the people she loves. More about the BodyBLoved Group Food Freedom Bible Study: Body BLoved recently launched a group curriculum of their popular online course "Food Freedom Bible Study." The curriculum was made so that anyone could take the non-diet message and share it with their local church. You don't need to be an expert in this material and you don't need to have the perfect relationship with food or your body to bring this message, you just need a willing heart to see yourselves and others set free from the lies the enemy tries to use to keep us in bondage. This is an opportunity to create a safe place and community among other believers who want freedom. 90 day access for Group Food Freedom bible study Lifetime access for Group Food Freedom bible study Link to starter pack for launching the group course at your local church  Gratefully Nourished affiliate link: gratefullynourished25 Connect with Alyssa Pike, RD Instagram: @gratefully_nourished Gratefully Nourished Facebook community 

Brittany Braswell, MS, RDN joins me for this episode, and I'm so excited to share it with you! We dive into how Brittany got into this work and why she chose to integrate a Christ-centered approach to eating disorder and disordered eating recovery into her practice. We discuss the importance of keeping nutrition in its rightful place -- a helpful tool to improve our health -- without shame or obsession, identity, overcoming limiting beliefs and more.  One of my favorite parts of this episode was when Brittany said, "one of the most difficult parts of recovery is choosing to take unpredictable action." So good! More about Brittany: Brittany is a Registered Dietitian specialized in the treatment of eating disorders and body image.  She owns a Christ-centered coaching practice for Christian women ready to break free from the bondage of food guilt and body shame. Brittany is on a mission to help women ditch chronic food and body obsession using a Christ-centered approach to help them overcome the lies of diet culture and rediscover their God-given identity. Free resources to help with food freedom and body image: www.brittanybraswellrd.com/resources Find Brittany on Instagram and Facebook @brittanybraswellrd Connect with Alyssa Pike, RD Instagram: @gratefully_nourished Gratefully Nourished Facebook community 

Kassandra Baker joins me for this episode, and it's a goooood one! We dive into Kassandra's personal experience with eating disorders and how life is different now that she is recovered. We also discuss navigating weight changes throughout the healing process and why identity is so central to living free from food and body image struggles. Kassandra also shares a powerful testimony of her experience of the Gospel and invites us to have our own experience. Kassandra's definition of the Beauty Idol: Worship of the current cultural definition of beauty above God. Going to unhealthy lengths to fit the beauty standard. Choosing not to do something (trip, job, exercise, etc.) because of how you look. Finding your identity in how you look rather than who you are in Christ. Thinking less of someone who doesn’t meet the cultural beauty standards. Book mentioned: The Freedom of Self Forgetfulness More about Kassandra: Kassandra Baker knows what it’s like to have a love/hate relationship with food and her body.  It’s her own personal experience and recovery from two eating disorders that drive her passion to encourage women to find freedom.  She is a Certified Health, Life, and Mental Health Coach and Public Speaker, helping women who are trapped in unhealthy habits such as perfectionism, disordered eating, legalism, and people-pleasing, so they can LIVE FREE in Christ. For more info, check out www.KassandraBaker.com Kassandra has offered to give three complimentary Breaking Free Strategy Sessions to the first three listeners who email her at Info@KassandraBaker.com. Check out her resource page here. Connect with Alyssa Pike, RD Instagram: @gratefully_nourished Gratefully Nourished Facebook community  Work with Alyssa

I recently shared that my husband and I are pregnant with our first child, a baby boy due in December 2022! So Kylie and I are talking all things pregnancy, including what our experiences have been like, what's been hard, body image and more. Work with Kylie Alyssa's Instagram: @gratefully_nourished Gratefully Nourished Facebook community  Work with Alyssa