Holistic Nutritionist Teri Mosey - Developing a Personal Relationship with Food

Teri Mosey has her Masters degree in Exercise Physiology, completed a chef training program, and earned a PhD in Holistic Nutrition.In this follow-up episode, Teri:Re-acquaints us with the definition of holistic nutrition - food is more than calories; we need to look at food in the context of an individual - their digestive health, immune status, stress level, emotional stability, and beliefs about the food they are eating.From her book: “Genes are not self-activating, meaning they cannot turn themselves on and off. Instead, proteins that are triggered by environmental signals determine which genes will be expressed to determine health or disease. These environmental signals can be in the form of our thoughts, emotions, nutrition lifestyle choices, and stress management.” - Teri speaks about epigenetics, the study of how our environment influences our genes. Our lifestyle choices which impact our genes include diet, sleep, exercise, etc.Teri advocates eating in a sustainable way by avoiding dieting.She cautions joining “programs” because they are temporary and guided by someone else.She says there is no quick fix. Once we stop dieting, we not only regain the weight, but more due to set point.She points out that in a diet culture, when we see food, we associate it with “diet” and weight. In doing so, we are tying our self worth and confidence to how we look to determine our happiness.She states that food is not only what is on the plate, but also how we create community.Teri outlines the three stages of developing our relationship with food - 1. Food beyond the calorie (physically, energetically, and emotionally), 2. Eating in Sync with the Seasons, and 3. Spiritual (Let Food Align You with Your Source).She cautions against treating symptoms. We need preventive care; focusing on the root causes of illness.She discusses the first two stages of developing a relationship with food in her book.Stage 1 - Food Beyond the Calorie -Food has inherent flavors, increase or decrease inflammation and acidity, and can be warming or cooling.Stage 2 - Eating with the Seasons - Pay attention to what foods are plentiful in the grocery store in season.Our nutrition is always evolving - Illness, training for a marathon, changing life cycles, etc. will change how we need to eat.Why are diets seductive?Marketing influences us. Change is hard.Bypassing life, diets act as a distraction from things that are out of control in life.For the holidays - Give yourself permission to eat what you like. Therefore, you will not have resentment and you will eat less of it. Make the gatherings about being with people. Eat mindfully and with love to eat with your friends. Be present.Practical Tips:Teri encourages us to heal ourselves in the kitchen so that we may treat ourselves well in our daily lives.