Better Than Healthy: Recent Episodes
Ashley
Better Than Healthy is a podcast dedicated to helping people go beyond the numbers and rules they were taught about health to create the result they actually want–feeling better, loving themselves more, and consistently taking care of themselves. Registered dietitian and mindset coach Ashley Braun shares her tools and approach to helping you create an easy relationship with food, exercise, and body image. She used the concepts she learned from health research, intuitive eating, and life coaching to heal her own challenges with emotional eating, overeating, and body image issues. Now her unique and simple approach based on her own experience, expertise, and client experiences helps people end their struggle with food and body image for good. Learn more at foodpeacenutrition.com.
Having bad body image days are inevitable. But they don't have to be frequent. Tune into this weeks episode for my top 3 tips for improving bad body image days.
Enjoy this episode? Check out this blog post with 9 positive body affirmations
Tune into this week's episode for the first episode of our gentle nutrition series on Carbohydrates. Learn all the basics you need to know about carbohydrates and the gentle nutrition approach to them.
Ready for health made easy? Join the waitlist for the simple health membership
Ever wonder why you seem more likely to overeat at night? Tune into this week to learn 5 reasons you may be overeating at night and what to do about it.
p.s. Ready to create an easy relationship with food? Join the wait list for the Simple Health member for you missing link to health made simple.
You're taught success is sticking to a specific macro or calorie plan, lifting the right weights, getting the right cardio, and of course staying within certain metrics on the scale.
But that rigid way of defining success falls away with an intuitive eating lifestyle. So, you'll need to redefine success and let go of those old rules in the gray area of intuitive eating.
How many times have you been told tips to manage your cravings, overcome your urges, and all those ways to not act on cravings?
In this week's episode we're talking about how to USE your body's cravings and urges, rather than trying to fight them.
For more information visit foodpeacenutrition.com
In this week's episode we're diving into the Nocebo effect and how your conditioned expectations of food impact your body.
Links to studies referenced:
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27145562/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21574706/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9650541/
If you want to learn more visit www.foodpeacenutrition.com
Tired of not feeling good enough? In this week's episode we dive into the habit of not enoughness and how to change it.
Our culture is full of messages about how you'll be tempted to do things you shouldn't
Tempted to overeat
Tempted to have the extra cookie
Tempted to skip your workout
But what is this message really telling you?
In this weeks episode we dive into how the messaging around temptation is really impacting our relationship with food and health.
Not all the habits learned in diet culture are bad or unhelpful
Yes some are unhealthy. But many just have a unhelpful energy and mindset behind them
In this week's episode we're discussing reclaiming things from diet culture.
This episode is for those times you
- feel bad hearing a friend talk about their latest diet
-the fitness instructor talk about getting bikini ready
And all those references to diet culture that bring you back to feeling bad about your body and health habits
For more information go to www.foodpeacenutrition.com
It’s inevitable that some days you just won’t feel well ~ illness, colds, poor sleep, stress, and life happens.
And when we don’t feel well it can be harder to take care of yourself or old habits may resurface.
Listen to this weeks episodes for tips for intuitive eating when you don’t feel well
For more information go to www.foodpeacenutrition.com
It can be tempting to hold on anger and sadness from years and years of diet culture, negative comments, and shaming yourself to try to "be better". But holding on to the anger and sadness just leaves you with more anger and sadness.
Forgiving diet culture isn't about forgiving the rules that you don't agree with. It's about releasing the anger and forgiving the you that didn't have the tools of intuitive eating you do now. Catch this week's episode to learn more about the role of forgiveness in healing your relationship with food, body image, and self.
Thinking about trying one last diet before intuitive eating? I get it the temptation is strong to try one more time before starting. In this weeks episode we dive into this topic
In this week’s episode we dive into taste cravings and when we may want to avoid a food for gentle nutrition. We also discuss satisfaction and how taste cravings can change.
Ever feel like you can't stop thinking about food. One of the common goals my clients have is they want to think about food less often. That they're tired of so much of their time and energy going to focusing on food.
In this week's episode I'm sharing an example that explains why this happens and how you can start thinking about food less.
We're doing something a little different this episode. I'm taking you along on how I coach myself through a topic in my own intuitive eating journey.
The most important part of learning all of this around intuitive eating and health is how we apply the information. So I wanted to show you how I apply the mindset coaching to areas of my relationship with food, exercise, and body image to demonstrate how you can do the same.
This week's episode will take you through the power of owning your struggle areas, evaluating whether you want to continue allowing them to form your habits, and the power of leaning into your values when making decision.
If you want to learn more about doing this work with me, join the waitlist for the Simple Health membership to learn more and hear about the founding member benefits over the next few weeks.
Our minds love when we win. No matter how big or small the win in. So practice looking for wins in every little thing you do. It's one of the simplest ways to keep yourself motivated and excited for the changes and habits you want to create.
Body positivity and body neutrality are two different concepts in the body image healing space. And I don't think either are exactly right.
We don't always feel positive about everything. And feeling neutral or attached to what our body is capable of, doesn't really serve us either.
Tune in to this week's episode to learn more about
- body positivity vs body neutrality (and why I don't really use either option)
- What I do teach my clients (and what I did myself) to heal body image and feel more comfortable with our appearance and physical abilities.
Does food cause you stress? Anxiety? Pride for eating the right ways? This type of emotional response to food adds to a complicated relationship with food. Food can be morally neutral. Diet culture teaches that you’re doing good or bad based on how well you’re following those lifestyle changes. But food can just be food. Food can be simple.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- What is food neutrality
- Unlearning “good” and “bad” foods
- Steps for a more neutral and easy approach to food
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
Have you ever experienced where you know you don't want to do something, but you keep doing it. It's like it happens and you aren't really sure why?
When we have a well-practiced habit, we do things without thinking about them. We have to interrupt our own autopilot programming to change those habits.
Get your free copy of the Interrupting Autopilot Workbook here.
Too often people feel guilty for missing a workout. Feel lazy and like they aren’t doing it right. So in this weeks episode we dive into the value of resting
Increasing energy levels is a major motivator for many people when they decide to change their habits. In this week's podcast episode I share my favorite question for helping me increase my energy levels.
One of the biggest fears around starting intuitive eating is about weight. There is lots of information around weight, dieting, and health out there. So in this weeks episode we're diving into what a variety of research studies say about weight and weight loss.
I'll be adding a link here to a list of the research studies I reviewed (if it's not here yet check back soon)
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
I used to hear staying focused on the finish line would help me stayed motivated and keep me moving in the right direction. But sometimes that just kept me focused on how much distance was left to go.
What you'll hear in this episode:
- Ways we learn to focus on the result over the steps getting us there
- The impact on lifelong goals
- Why you should consider switching to focusing on the process or the end goals
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
Even when we give ourselves full permission to eat, we can subtly be mentally restricting. So if you’re struggling to stop eating when full, it’s possible the reason is you need to focus on the honoring your hunger stage of intuitive eating.
This episode covers
- signs of mental restriction
- ways you may still be mentally restricting food
-how it impacts intuitive eating journey
It seems important to always be aware of what's going on. That tracking your food and exercise is what keeps you aware and on track. And isn't awareness what helps bring change?
What you'll learn in this episode:
- Signs you're using the data and information against yourself
- Learning what you truly want the data for and valuing creating that experience over the data
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
It's inevitable on this intuitive eating journey that you'll run into old beliefs around weight, dieting, and exercise. Sometimes they'll pop up from the back of your mind and other times the people around you. In this episode, we'll talk freely about the experience of going against the grain with intuitive eating beliefs and some of the more challenging parts of intuitive eating.
Research:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21673488/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31261984/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6856014/
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
Intuitive eating currently isn't the most popular choice. It's not the normal way to go about eating. And while one day I dream to see everyone having a simple and easy relationship with food, I acknowledge not everyone believes that's possible. Which makes it difficult for people to pursue intuitive eating when they feel people may reject their choice.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- The feeling of belonging we get by a similar goal
- The value of internal validation
- Finding belonging when choosing the less common method
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
Our minds like to focus on the negative because our brains see that as a way to prevent danger. So we tend to focus on the no. And often in intuitive eating saying no is associated with restricting.
The fear of saying no to food leaves many people feeling stuck afraid they'll go back to restricting their food and fall back into that old mindset. It makes it difficult when people try to navigate saying no to food that sounds good because it doesn't make them feel good.
The trick is to realize when saying no to one thing, you're really saying yes to another.
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you
The things we trust ourselves to do consistently changes how we show up to them. If you trust yourself to overeat you will. If you trust that you'll never consistently exercise, then that'll be true to. The best thing you can do for yourself is decide where you want to grow your self-trust.
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you
Often people think once they reach the goal or finish a project their life will finally slow down or be better. But what if that’s just delaying the things they want to experience.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- How to stop putting off what you want for weight
- How waiting for the goal as a reward holds us back
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
When intuitive eating sounds good in theory, but you’re worried about your health. Know that's a normal fear and it’s where gentle nutrition comes in. Gentle nutrition is using what research tells us about food for you to help you feel good physically (just without the drama diet culture wraps up into health).
What you'll learn in this episode:
- What makes gentle nutrition different from diet and wellness culture advice
- How to use the information we know about food FOR you not against you
- Recognizing when it’s not yet time to add gentle nutrition to your intuitive eating journey
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
Health and wellness culture is full of milestones to check off and feel good about yourself. But if you miss this marks (like missing a workout and only being able to check off 29 of the workouts in a 30 day workout challenge) it usually leaves people feeling guilty and not good enough.
Sometimes we spend our time chasing the vanity metrics that make us look good, but really just add more anxiety and stress.
In this episode you'll learn:
- How I was using a podcasting vanity metric against myself
- Where I used to do this when dieting
- And how to move away from vanity metrics
If your relationship with your body, food, and the scale was a movie, what would the title be? Would the story depict a journey of up and downs. Of yo-yo diets and a constant lifelong struggle with weight?
As we start the new year everyone seems to gain a surge of energy and motivation to change. But by the end of January most of that motivation fizzles out and people go back to the stories of their struggle with healthy habits.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- Why it’s so hard to change habits
- Recognizing the story holding you back from ending the lifelong struggle with weight and healthy habits
- How to create sustainable change by changing how you see yourself first
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
In this episode you'll hear my answer to the question "I feel guilty for still eating so much around the holiday's when I no longer plan to diet after. What do I do?"
You'll learn:
- How intuitive eating changes eating around the holidays
- Managing diet talk and the urge to diet around the new year
What you'll learn in this episode:
- How diet culture influences our relationship with exercise
- Why it’s so challenging to stick with
- Switching to gentle exercise approach
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- Subtle ways we body shame ourselves
- Tips to start building more respect for our bodies
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- How we learned to use emotions to cope
- What it means to truly process emotions
- Tips to cope with emotions without food
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
Enjoying feeling fully satisfied with food isn’t celebrated in health culture. Instead you’re taught to find satisfaction in the “healthy” foods, which can leave us feeling…less than satisfied. Not because those foods aren’t satisfying, but because of the mindset behind it. Tune into this weeks episode to learn more about the principle of intuitive eating - finding the satisfaction factor
What you'll learn in this episode:
- Difference between satisfaction and pleasure with food
- Why food satisfaction matters
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
Feeling your fullness is one of my favorite principles of intuitive eating because I don’t think it’s talked about enough. Join me for this week's episode to hear my take on incorporating honoring your fullness into your intuitive eating practice.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- What it means to feel your fullness
- How to avoid it becoming a hunger fullness diet
- Levels of fullness
- Tips for learning to feel your fullness
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
To celebrate the tenth episode of the Better Than Healthy Podcast I’m sharing 10 lessons I learned on my own intuitive eating and food freedom journey.
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
You know that voice that tell you not to eat certain food and that you should be eating more of the "healthy" one's? That's our inner food police that tells us we're guilty for doing food and health wrong. Those thoughts bring shame and guilt that we don't need to be experiencing every day.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- What are the food police?
- The problem with focusing so much on food rules
- Questioning your food rules
- Deciding what you want to believe about food
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
Ready to end the daily struggle with food? I used to view food and health as a constant battle. I felt like I was fighting myself everyday. Now I know I can always trust myself around food because I made peace with food and healed that relationship.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- What it means to make peace with food
- How to stop viewing food as an enemy
- Food addiction isn’t really a problem
- Tips to healing your relationship with food
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
This week we’re discussing the second principle of intuitive eating - honoring your hunger.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- What it means to honor your hunger in intuitive eating
- How dieting teaches you to avoid your hunger
- Why it’s a problem
- How to start honoring your hunger
- Different types of hunger
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
You've heard the problems with comparing yourself to other people, but what about comparing yourself to you. We've heard the goals of getting a little better than you were yesterday. But does that goal serve you?
What you'll learn in this episode:
- Where self comparison goes wrong
- Why we want to compare ourselves
- Why it's not helping you
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
It can be hard to imagine eating without food rules after years of dieting and considering food based on what health experts told you. It takes time to relearn how to use the information from experts while remaining your own authority. To stop following what you’re supposed to eat and make food decisions for yourself based on what’s best for you.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- What it means to eat without rules
- The mindset behind no food rules
- Tips for how to eat without rules without overeating
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
Ever tried repeated a positive affirmation over and over and over again, only to end up no closer to believing it?
You’ve likely heard if you repeat something enough, you’ll start to believe it. And maybe you've even have tried some affirmations like I’m smart, I’m beautiful, I’m strong, I love my body, and others.
But just saying positive affirmations doesn’t help. You have to believe the sentence you’re saying (even just a little bit) for it to make any difference.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- Why positive affirmations may not be working for you
- How to tell if it’s an affirmation that may work for you
- What to do when the positive affirmation just makes you feel worse
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
For years I believed I could motivate myself through making myself feel bad. I didn't consciously realize I was doing this, but it was what I did. It seemed useful because it would lead to some actions for a little bit.
But using not wanting to feel bad as my motivation never lead me to any consistent changes. And I've seen this in my clients too. If you want to stay motivated to consistently exercise and do healthy habits, it takes growing your relationship with yourself.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- Why most people fell into the habit of believing motivated through shame and negativity works
- Why it never really works to use shame for long term motivation
- How building self-love, self-trust, and compassion creates long term motivation for health, intuitive eating, exercising, and more
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
It's easy to think of hunger as just wanting food, without taking the time to consider why you're wanting the food. The why behind anything you do is the secret to creating the experiences you want.
There is no right or wrong reason to it, but it can be helpful to understand what's driving the craving to eat. Because sometimes you may not like that reasons.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- The 3 main types of hunger that I teach my clients - physical, taste, and emotional
- How to tell the difference between the types of hunger
- How to start using the different types of hunger to help you feel better physically and mentally
Featured:
- Please write a review! It means so much to me and helps the podcast reach other people who would find this content helpful.
- Get my 3 Steps to Stop Emotional Eating guide here -> https://live-series-foodpeacenutrition.ck.page/530af23912
- Want to work with me 1:1 to stop thinking about food all the time, feel better physically, and finally feel comfortable with your body? Schedule your free consult call here to learn more and walk away knowing exactly how to make it happen for you.
Do you know what it takes to be healthy? Years ago I would've defined as working out consistently and eating well. Now I know it's so much more than the rules we're taught about health. Listen to this weeks episode for insight into how intuitive eating can help you go beyond traditional health standards and start creating more of what you truly want - feeling better physically and mentally.