Food Psych #171: Healthcare Without Diet Culture with Jennifer Gaudiani
Physician and eating disorder specialist Jennifer Gaudiani joins us to discuss how healthcare professionals are doing harm by perpetuating diet culture, why people with eating disorders are often missed in our medical system, medical outcomes she has seen in some of her patients who have adopted Health At Every Size®, the role of social justice and acknowledging privilege in our work, and so much more! Plus, Christy answers a listener question about whether it’s a contradiction to be an eating-disorder treatment provider who also does bodybuilding and fitness competitions.
Jennifer Gaudiani, MD, CEDS, FAED, is the Founder/Medical Director of the Gaudiani Clinic. Board Certified in Internal Medicine, she completed her undergraduate degree at Harvard, medical school at Boston University School of Medicine, and her internal medicine residency/chief residency at Yale. From 2008 to 2016, she was one of the leaders of the ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders. She left after serving as its Medical Director to found the Gaudiani Clinic, which provides expert in-person and nationwide telemedicine outpatient medical care to patients of all genders with eating disorders/disordered eating and to those in recovery. The Clinic is a HAES-informed provider and embraces treating people of all shapes and sizes. Through a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach, the Clinic cares for the whole person, in the context of their values.
She has lectured nationally and internationally, is widely published in the scientific literature as well as on blogs and is a current member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Eating Disorders and the Academy for Eating Disorders Medical Care Standards Committee.
Dr. Gaudiani is one of very few outpatient internists who carries the Certified Eating Disorder Specialist designation. She is also a Fellow in the Academy for Eating Disorders. Find her online at GaudianiClinic.com.
This episode is brought to you by Paribus. Paribus helps you save money by monitoring online retailers to make sure that you get the best price, and will even help you get compensated if your shipment arrives late. Head to GetParibus.com to sign up.
Ready to learn how to cook, make movies, write books, and more from the masters? MasterClass has launched the All-Access Pass – a thoughtful gift for the home cooks or lifelong learners in your life. Food Psych listeners can get the All Access Pass at MasterClass.com/FOODPSYCH.
This episode is also brought to you by TomboyX. Go to tomboyx.com/foodpsych and check out their special bundles and pack pricing. Food Psych listeners will also get an extra 15% off with the code FOODPSYCH.
We Discuss:
How her privilege and family background shaped her relationship with food
Her sister’s struggle with bulimia, and how that influenced her work in eating disorders
Weight stigma in the medical field
Recognizing the harm that we as health professionals have done in perpetuating diet culture
When she realized ‘calories in, calories out’ doesn’t work
How she discovered the Health At Every Size® model and began to use it in her practice
Why people with eating disorders are often missed in our medical system
What an initial assessment looks like at her clinic
Medical outcomes that she has seen in some of her patients who have adopted HAES
The importance of having a multidisciplinary, HAES-informed team
The links between our healthcare system, the supposed “obesity epidemic,” and diet culture
How our bodies adapt to starvation
“Survival” genetics vs. “sensitive” genetics
How diets can make health issues worse
Why she doesn’t recommend moderation (and what she recommends instead)
Letting go of diet fads and embracing all foods
What draws people to problematic alternative-medicine practices, and what providers can do to help them re-engage in evidence-based healthcare
How she’s continuing to learn and integrate HAES into her practice and her book
The role of social justice and acknowledging privilege in our work
Jennifer’s book, Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders
The problems with our current diagnostic criteria for eating disorders
Atypical anorexia nervosa, and its high mortality and complication rates
How we can stop the spread of diet culture
Resources Mentioned
Some of the links below are affiliate links. Affiliates or not, we only recommend products and services that align with our values.
Submit your questions for a chance to have them answered on the podcast!
My online course, Intuitive Eating Fundamentals, which includes monthly listener Q&A podcasts and access to my private Facebook support group
Desiree Adaway’s work
Jennifer’s book, Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders (TW: Contains detailed descriptions of eating disorder behaviors)
Jennifer and the Gaudiani Clinic on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
This episode is brought to you by Paribus. Paribus helps you save money by monitoring online retailers to make sure that you get the best price, and will even help you get compensated if your shipment arrives late. Head to GetParibus.com to sign up.
Ready to learn how to cook, make movies, write books, and more from the masters? MasterClass has launched the All-Access Pass – a thoughtful gift for the home cooks or lifelong learners in your life. Food Psych listeners can get the All Access Pass at MasterClass.com/FOODPSYCH.
This episode is also brought to you by TomboyX. Go to tomboyx.com/foodpsych and check out their special bundles and pack pricing. Food Psych listeners will also get an extra 15% off with the code FOODPSYCH.
Listener Question of the Week
Is it contradictory for eating disorder professionals to promote body acceptance and intuitive eating alongside bodybuilding and fitness competitions? What is diet culture? Would bodybuilding and fitness competitions exist without it? How are other sports related to diet culture? What if you’re an eating disorder professional with diet culture beliefs? How do you approach someone who is sharing triggering content?
(Resources Mentioned: Sand Chang’s Food Psych® Podcast episode)