by Ayala Lefkowitz When you hear the words “eating disorder,” what do you picture? While many people picture a certain body type, eating disorders do not discriminate. People in all types of bodies can be struggling with an eating disorder, and the misconception that someone must be underweight to have a diagnosable eating disorder keeps many people from getting the treatment they need to recover. Even once in treatment, many people struggle to accept that they need help beca

If feeding your child with ADHD feels frustrating, you're not alone. Maybe they refuse a perfectly good meal but suddenly become desperate for something else they spotted in the freezer. Maybe they forget to eat all day and then come home acting like they could eat the entire pantry. Maybe their pickiness is driving you batty. These behaviors can be frustrating, but they're often rooted in the way the ADHD brain works. Food can be genuinely more complicated for these kids. Th

by Ayala Lefkowitz Image by Yaffi Lvova, RDN and dietitian extraordinaire Over the last few months, you may have seen (or heard about) the new “upside-down” food pyramid put out by the USDA. This new pyramid caused a big stir in the nutrition world due to its confusing presentation, conflicting information, and dramatic shift in nutrition recommendations from previous guidelines. Let’s break down the helpful and unhelpful parts of this new model. One of the first things you

Sometimes we feel frustrated not only with how our bodies look, but also with the things they do. Perfectionism, anxiety, and the desire for control are all close cousins of eating disorders and so these struggles are very familiar to my clients. This poem is for the brave people working to accept themselves inside and out. ISO A Well-Behaved Body Tummies growl and groan and grumble Legs can fall or trip or stumble Noses sniff and snort and sneeze Stomachs clench and dro

Do you know a child who runs the show at home? The French call such a child l'enfant roi , "the child king". This character rules their family by acting like a little emperor, often due to blurred parental authority and a lack of boundaries. The child king challenges adult roles and holds the ultimate authority at home. In other words, the kid is spoiled. Many people who don't fully understand eating problems attribute picky eating to king-like behavior. And I don't think the

By 2026, it's likely that someone you know is using weight loss injections. Maybe you have a relative taking Ozempic or a friend who is using Mounjaro. Maybe you've heard talk about Saxenda or Zepbound. From our magazines to our Shabbos table conversations, they’ve made themselves hard to ignore. The flood of talk around them may feel overwhelming, and it's tempting to frame weight loss injections as either a miracle cure or a moral failure. As is often the case in nutrition

Two things happened today that inspired this post. The first is an encounter with a mother who was shocked (and dismayed) that I was not prescribing weight loss for her pre-teen daughter who was growing steadily along the same growth curve since age 2. The second is a parenting quote that landed hard. (Stay tuned - more on that below.) As a general rule, parents want what is best for their children, and I believe that the parents I meet are well-intentioned. When a mom is se

If you’ve ever used a navigation app like Waze, you know the moment: you miss a turn, realize a little too late, and brace yourself for…what? A scolding? A lecture? A “How could you?” But instead, Waze simply says: “Recalculating.” No judgment. No shame. Just a gentle redirection toward where you want to go. This small design choice offers a powerful lesson for eating disorder recovery. People often imagine recovery as a clean, forward-moving trajectory: once you make the cho

Note: This post was written by Ayala, not chatGPT. :) These days, ChatGPT is doing it all. From creating recipes, writing social media posts, or creating an itinerary for your vacation, it seems that there is no hole ChatGPT can’t fill. You may be wondering, "Can ChatGPT be my dietitian too?" On the one hand, using ChatGPT as a dietitian sounds like a wonderful idea. It is free, available 24/7 (even at midnight!), and can spit out meal plans faster than even your most season

The following is an email from a former client who reflects on how her eating disorder recovery is impacting motherhood. She graciously agreed to share this beautiful piece on the blog: Back when I was in recovery, I was sure that what I was learning about were calories, body image and nutrients. Looking back now, I’m starting to see more and more lessons that have become ingrained in me (rather slowly, I’ll admit) since those sessions. Recently, our little guy decided that

If you are battling an eating disorder, you know how loud the noise can get. You spend a lot of time in your head with the goal of...

I don't know if this is what Eric Carle had in mind when he wrote the book, but his caterpillar's eating follows a pattern I see in my...

Binge eating happens all year round, but holiday season definitely makes it more of a topic of conversation. But is what you're talking...

This is a line I often hear from people who need to gain weight for their health. Many times, these are people who have worked hard at...

This is a loaded question that's on many people's minds. Perhaps you've struggled with an eating disorder and don't want your child to...

If you wouldn't mind some self-care but hesitate because you don't think you have the necessary time or money, this post is for you. Did...

This is a deep-seated fear many of my clients encounter when they contemplate letting go of an eating disorder rule or stopping to diet....

Note: I'm writing about donuts in the spirit of the season, but feel free to substitute with any other relevant food. :) When I'm sitting...

An eating disorder can be so many things - a coping mechanism, a friend (albeit a destructive one), a distraction, a false identiy, and a...

Our brains collect messages about food and body from very early on. However, young children have had less time to accumulate ideas from...