Revolutionizing Nutrition and Mental Health with Dr. David Wiss | ANEW Body Insight Podcast

Welcome to the ANEW Body Insight podcast, your guide to optimal health. Hosted by Dr. Supatra Tovar, a clinical psychologist, registered dietitian, fitness expert, and author of "Deprogram Diet Culture: Rethink Your Relationship with Food, Heal Your Mind, and Live a Diet-Free Life," and Chantal Donnelly, a physical therapist and author of "Settled: How to Find Calm in a Stress-Inducing World." 

In this episode, we welcome Dr. David Wiss, a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) and founder of Nutrition In Recovery. Dr. Wiss specializes in treating eating and substance use disorders. With a PhD in Public Health and a minor in Health Psychology from UCLA, Dr. Wiss has over 20 peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Wiss shares his journey into nutrition, starting with personal health challenges in his early 20s. His passion for helping others led him to establish Nutrition In Recovery, a group practice of RDNs focused on the complex interplay between nutrition and mental health.

Dr. Wiss discusses the intersection of nutrition and mental health, particularly eating and substance use disorders. He explains how his experiences shaped his career and inspired his mission to bridge the gap between traditional eating disorder paradigms and substance use disorder treatments. Dr. Wiss emphasizes a comprehensive and individualized treatment approach, highlighting the need for collaboration between these fields.

We explore ultra-processed food addiction and its similarities to substance use disorders. Dr. Wiss explains the role of the dopamine system and how early life adversity, trauma, and PTSD can prime individuals for addictive behaviors. He provides insights into the neurobiological mechanisms involved, including the impact of trauma on the nervous system, immune system, and brain structure and function.

Dr. Wiss also discusses his research on adverse childhood experiences (ACES) and their link to obesity and other mental health outcomes. He explains how ACES can lead to increased susceptibility to addiction-like eating behaviors and the biological pathways that underlie these connections. His research provides valuable insights into developing effective therapeutic interventions for individuals struggling with co-occurring eating and substance use disorders.

For more information about Dr. Wiss's work and to explore his innovative mobile app, visit Wise Mind Nutrition. Dr. Wiss's app offers a revolutionary approach to nutrition and mental health, providing users with personalized guidance and support.

Tune in to this episode of the ANEW Body Insight podcast for an in-depth discussion with Dr. David Wiss and gain valuable insights into the role of nutrition in mental health. Learn about his journey, research, and practical strategies for addressing eating and substance use disorders.

Learn More About Dr. David Wiss: For more information about Dr. Wiss and his work, visit Wise Mind Nutrition and explore his innovative mobil

Thank you for joining us on this journey to wellness. Remember, the insights and advice shared on the ANEW Body Insight Podcast are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making any changes to your health routine. To learn more about the podcast and stay updated on new episodes, visit ANEW Body Insight Podcast at anew-insight.com. To watch this episode on YouTube, visit @my.anew.insight. Follow us on social media at @my.anew.insight on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Threads for more updates and insights. Thank you for tuning in! Stay connected with us for more empowering stories and expert guidance. Until next time, stay well and keep evolving with ANEW Body Insight!

Transcript

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Welcome to the ANEW Body Insight podcast,

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empowering and inspiring your journey to optimal health.

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Hosted by Dr. Supatra Tovar, clinical psychologist,

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registered dietitian, fitness expert and author of Deprogram Diet Culture:

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Rethink Your Relationship with Food, Heal Your Mind and Live a Diet-Free Life,

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and Chantal Donnelly, physical therapist and author of Settled:

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How to Find Calm in a Stress Inducing world.

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We follow our guests’ journey to optimal health,

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providing you with the keys to unlock your own wellness path.

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Tune in and evolve with us.

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Welcome back to ANEW Body Insight podcast.

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We are back for our second half of the interview with Dr. David Wiss.

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Dr. David Wiss is a registered dietitian and nutritionist,

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and he gave us some amazing background as to why and how he got into nutrition.

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We went down some amazing paths talking about his research

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and how he looks at addiction very differently than a lot of people,

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thank goodness.

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And I'm excited to have him back.

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We're going to get into some more juicy topics.

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Thank you for coming back, Dr. Wiss.

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Yes, let's get juicy.

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Can do.

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You have had some additional training in the Institute

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of Functional Medicine and Psychiatry Redefined.

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And that that enriches your clinical approach.

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So how did these disciplines

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complement your work in nutrition and in mental health?

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Yeah, at the core of my work is counseling.

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Right.

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Just creating a safe place for someone to feel heard, feel understood.

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And, you can go very far, as you know, you can go very far

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with a good bond, a good therapeutic relationship.

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And, you know, someone committed to doing some ongoing,

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support, care, work, however you want to call it.

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that is the core of, of of of my work.

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I've always done quite a bit of very nutrition

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focused work, which, you know, often involves using food

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logs in apps, which is a way for me to really get a sense

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of what's going on nutritionally and to offer advice there.

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And then the,

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third part of my work is testing,

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you know, and it's super important to use,

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very grounded and,

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you know, big picture thinking when it comes to testing.

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I think there's a lot of, you know, functional medicine’s blown up.

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It's just blown up in the last few years.

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And a lot of people confuse functional medicine for just testing.

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You're just doing a lot of,

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tests that are not covered by insurance.

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Right. And there's some truth to that.

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But I think functional medicine is really an effort

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to think holistically about someone's

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life history, to be able to draw a timeline

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and think about how these different things have on set and connected,

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and to think in systems, right, to think thinking what I like

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to call systems biology and testing is a huge part of that.

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So when I'm able to bring together some mental health assessment

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with some nutrition assessment and then do some blood, urine, stool stuff

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and bring it all together and be able to say,

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these are some things we need to think about.

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This is work we need to do.

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These are foods we should move toward or move away from.

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Here are really, indicated supplements for you.

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It can create a pretty,

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holistic approach to wellness.

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And, you know, the nutritional

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psychiatry field has really blown up.

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and it's a lot of, psychiatrists and psychiatric

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nurse practitioners who are moving into the nutrition space.

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And and I welcome it finally. Yeah.

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Let's go. Come on. Let's talk.

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It's about time.

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It's actually surprising, but not surprising that we have gone

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this long in medicine and in psychology and in psychiatry without addressing

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nutrition, which, you know, is fundamental for both your physical

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and your mental health.

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And we see, you know, just, as a layperson would see that there are mental health

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and their physical health improves when they improve their nutrition.

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So, you know, it's interesting because I kind of feel like you and I

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are at the forefront of kind of nutritional psychology and nutritional biology, but

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to me, it just seems like it's obvious.

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And I can't believe it's taken so long.

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Yeah.

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And it's been obvious to people, but there's, conflicts of interest.

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Right. The bigger picture. Yes.

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you know, we could get into or not, because I have so much to say

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about the commercial determinants of health.

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Oh, my goodness, me too.

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but yeah, that needless to say,

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there isn't like, a lot of, coverage.

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The system doesn't support it.

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There isn't funding for the research, so it makes it very, very slow moving.

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And especially, you know, registered dietitian nutritionist,

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you know, the the parent organization has moved really slow,

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gets done very little to promote the role of the dietitian in that space.

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And a lot of my colleagues are bummed that the mental health professionals

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are moving quicker into nutrition than the nutrition field is moving

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sort of into mental health.

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And I'm like, we guys got to help people. Who cares?

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Like we just got to be able to provide paths for people and collaborate, better.

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But I think if I were to summarize, the psychiatrists

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and the psychiatric nurse practitioners probably take a more,

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biomedical approach with obviously,

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medications and nutraceuticals, supplements, etc.

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and classically, you know, nutritionists, nutrition counselors, dietitians, etc.

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might take, a very food focused approach.

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And so I think that there's gaps in both.

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Right.

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If someone's doing nutritional psychiatry and just doing testing

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and taking supplements and not taking a deep dive

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into their relationship with food, you're not going to get the great outcome.

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And if someone's just doing nutrition counseling and, you know, mindful

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eating and getting more colors and more food groups, but there's some really clear

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genetic predispositions or imbalances that need to be addressed.

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from a supplement standpoint, you're going to not get the best outcome as well.

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So collaboration is the key.

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Or people like us that try to do a lot.

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Right.

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I think D.r Michael Greger said it best when it comes to,

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you know, true science about nutrition is that there is no money in Big Broccoli,

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which I think is hilarious.

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I just like because you see so much.

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Sums it up, doesn't it? Right?

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You see so much research funded by food companies

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or big agriculture or the Dairy Council and things like that.

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and that's what usually makes it into the literature.

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But a simple study on broccoli

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is not going to do it because there's no money to be made in it.

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I spent my whole career on this hill, you know, screaming

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about conflicts of interest and Big Food and Big Pharma.

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And, you know, it's very obvious to me that these are

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the core issues that are recreating the problems that we have.

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And I think practitioners are left in this food system,

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and then we're left arguing amongst each other as well, these real systemic issues

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that are just recreating confusion and inequities continue to go on.

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And I've always been one to talk about this big picture,

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and it just seems like

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it's it's a it's a lane that a lot of people don't want to go down

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because it doesn't seem like, you know, it can be one.

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but but I do think that,

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you know, there's a lot happening there, especially with the evidence

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we have on ultra processed foods and how they affect mental health

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that, you know, if we rally together and think policy and think public health,

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we can make a difference.

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And that's the kind of difference that I want to be a part of.

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I help people one on one.

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I've been doing it for 11 years,

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but to think about being able to move the needle on the mega-corporations

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that control the narratives and influence the public discourse

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and actually market addictive food to children, like let's do. Yes.

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Oh please.

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I am joining that revolution with you.

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That's that's, what I'm all about.

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And especially when it comes to the nasty,

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effects of Diet Culture on, you know, everyday people.

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So I'm with you.

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And so I have something to add there.

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there's,

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as an eating disorder professional, right?

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A a big part of what we do is focus on Diet Culture

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as the upstream driver of a lot of binge eating and loss of control eating.

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Yes. I actually have a strong sense that a lot of the,

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ultra processed food addiction

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is an upstream driver of Diet Culture, and that if if we can actually,

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you know, target the mega-corporations that will have a decrease

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in the incidence and prevalence of restrictive eating disorders.

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A lot of people are engaging in dieting

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and restricting because the food environment is so unsafe.

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Yes, yes.

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And this is like a diverging perspective.

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I think in the eating disorder world, the common narrative is now

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the food is fine, the food environment's fine.

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Stop worrying about it.

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Just worry about you know, not dieting.

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And I think people that study, structural issues know, like know

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the food environment is a causal factor.

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It's creating confusion.

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And that if we address that, let's see the trickle down effect in Diet Culture.

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And I think people will have, you know, yup.

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You can see it in history.

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You can see before Big Food, you know, came about

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we didn't have as many of these problems.

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That's right. That's right.

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So yeah, we think about we think people think about interventions,

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that can be leveraged like what can we affect.

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And it makes sense to me why people just focus on Diet Culture and weight stigma,

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because it does seem like these other larger

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systemic issues are just completely out of reach.

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But I think we can do it all.

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I agree.

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I hope you two can do it all.

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I love listening to both of you.

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This is clearly both of your wheelhouses.

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I'm over here in the physical therapy stress

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side of things and I completely concur.

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And I think, stress is a big part of why people go to the processed food

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and end up in stuck in the Diet Culture spiral.

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So it's all connected.

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And I just love how passionate you both are.

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And I really do hope that you can make a dent

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into what we're seeing and what's yes, especially with someone with a 19 year old.

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We need to save that generation or they need to save themselves

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or I don't know what it is, but their food intake is not healthy

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because they're just they just have so many bad choices

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right at their fingertips.

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So easy for them to get access.

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So I have I would love to hear about your app.

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You have a, an, phone app, a mobile app.

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I guess they're called,

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and it's called the Wise Mind Nutritional app, am I right?

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Wise Mind Nutrition and it's three words and I kind of borrowed

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Wise Mind from dialectical behavioral therapy.

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Right.

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Which is an effort to merge different ways of thinking.

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Right.

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The, you know, the different parts of our mind, right?

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The more logical versus the more, emotional and bring them together.

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And it does represent answers. My question.

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I was going to ask you why you didn't call it Wiss Mind, but I don't know, like.

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I, I feel like, I didn't foresee how much difficulty

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I would have having a last name that's so close to and that.

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And then I get mad at people first for pronouncing my name wrong.

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Right? It's like, right. It's like, okay.

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yeah.

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If only they were pronouncing your last name as Wise.

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That would take care of the entire problem.

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Yeah, I've created the issue, but the the app is, you know, my app.

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But it's not about me.

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Of course, it is about people that have been struggling, finding a home,

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finding a, a message that resonates with them

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that isn't one of these predetermined food philosophies.

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So it's a place where people that have disordered

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eating and restriction could come and be safe.

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But it's also a place where people that have addiction,

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like eating and loss of control, could come and be safe.

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So I, I spent a lot of time to make it a safe place

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for different types of people,

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rather than just make it this one lane for this one avatar right

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there isn't like one particular person that the app is for.

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It's for the chronic dieter.

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Right?

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It's I mean, I'm an eating disorder background person, but I created it

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for all the people that have anxiety, depression, PTSD, and ADHD

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so they could have a place to get some nutrition education.

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I originally built it as a, sort of master

00:13:38:24 - 00:13:41:24
class video series that has assignments.

00:13:42:06 - 00:13:45:15
And, you know, I thought, let's get with the times

00:13:45:15 - 00:13:48:15
and sort of packaged it into an app.

00:13:48:24 - 00:13:51:14
And I added some food logging features.

00:13:51:14 - 00:13:55:24
I used to use, a food log called Recovery Record for many, many years.

00:13:55:24 - 00:13:58:24
And I just thought about, like, can I make one that's better?

00:13:59:01 - 00:14:01:13
And, set out to do just that.

00:14:01:13 - 00:14:04:13
So it has different features.

00:14:04:18 - 00:14:05:09
the food log.

00:14:05:09 - 00:14:07:05
Some people are in there using just the food log,

00:14:07:05 - 00:14:08:21
and they don't care about the videos.

00:14:08:21 - 00:14:10:08
Other people are coming in

00:14:10:08 - 00:14:13:19
and doing videos and assignments and trying to do a deep dive and learn.

00:14:14:04 - 00:14:16:04
And then I built it with connection features

00:14:16:04 - 00:14:19:22
so that practitioners could follow their clients or patients

00:14:19:22 - 00:14:23:22
and be able to see what's going on with their journaling and their food logs.

00:14:24:23 - 00:14:25:19
still in the early

00:14:25:19 - 00:14:28:20
phases, which means we're still improving it, iterating it.

00:14:29:01 - 00:14:33:09
We actually have a pretty big, version two coming soon.

00:14:34:22 - 00:14:37:04
you know, it's kind of built for the person that's like,

00:14:37:04 - 00:14:38:22
ready to do some work.

00:14:38:22 - 00:14:42:18
You know, it's like kind of built for the person that's like, I'm committed.

00:14:42:18 - 00:14:46:12
I'm going to like, get in here every day and do some work.

00:14:46:12 - 00:14:51:06
And so the people that are, you know, really like,

00:14:51:18 - 00:14:55:08
showing up and willing are getting incredible results.

00:14:55:08 - 00:14:59:04
And, you know, I also I'm going to add a little bit more to make it

00:14:59:04 - 00:15:01:20
for the person that's struggling a little bit,

00:15:01:20 - 00:15:03:14
a little bit more on the fence, you know,

00:15:03:14 - 00:15:07:19
that needs a little bit more support, more notifications, more emails, more.

00:15:07:19 - 00:15:09:24
Right. So yes. Yes.

00:15:11:06 - 00:15:12:05
Question.

00:15:12:05 - 00:15:15:21
Is it interactive with you as their nutritionist

00:15:15:21 - 00:15:18:07
or anyone that else is in your practice?

00:15:18:07 - 00:15:21:05
Do you get to see that,

00:15:21:05 - 00:15:24:22
during a session with them so that you can track their progress that way?

00:15:25:09 - 00:15:30:09
I mean, yes, I follow all of my clients on the Wise Mind Nutrition app,

00:15:30:09 - 00:15:34:14
and I get to see what's going on with them to whatever extent they want to log.

00:15:34:18 - 00:15:38:05
But it's built for any nutritionist to use it with their clients.

00:15:38:05 - 00:15:40:05
So it's flexible.

00:15:40:05 - 00:15:45:01
And to be completely honest, I built it more for mental health professionals

00:15:45:11 - 00:15:46:17
to use with their clients

00:15:46:17 - 00:15:50:04
because I didn't think that there would be enough registered dietitians.

00:15:50:12 - 00:15:53:24
I know that nutrition doesn't cover, I'm sorry, insurance doesn't

00:15:53:24 - 00:15:56:01
cover nutrition for depression anxiety.

00:15:56:01 - 00:16:00:11
So all the mental health clinicians out there that have clients

00:16:00:11 - 00:16:04:21
that know they could benefit from a little bit more education

00:16:04:21 - 00:16:08:22
on sleep, sunlight, you know, nutrition, meditation.

00:16:08:22 - 00:16:10:14
There's cooking classes

00:16:10:14 - 00:16:14:08
that they would support their client through the Wise Mind Nutrition app.

00:16:14:08 - 00:16:19:01
And basically outsource some of the education to me and to my team

00:16:19:08 - 00:16:22:05
and then just be able to follow along,

00:16:22:05 - 00:16:25:07
for the person who is taking the journey.

00:16:26:09 - 00:16:26:19
yeah.

00:16:26:19 - 00:16:27:23
And so, yeah, I've got a

00:16:27:23 - 00:16:32:05
I've got a lot of therapists that are using the app with their clients

00:16:32:05 - 00:16:36:01
and getting good results and being able to stay in your, scope.

00:16:36:10 - 00:16:36:18
Right?

00:16:36:18 - 00:16:39:03
Like you don't have to be a nutrition educator.

00:16:39:03 - 00:16:42:20
Let me provide the education and you just provide the support.

00:16:43:03 - 00:16:45:23
But I also have a lot of people that are doing the Wise

00:16:45:23 - 00:16:48:21
Mind Nutrition program, with no connections.

00:16:48:21 - 00:16:51:19
They're just they're just like I said, they're taking charge.

00:16:51:19 - 00:16:53:07
They want a different life.

00:16:53:07 - 00:16:55:02
And they're doing food logs every day,

00:16:55:02 - 00:16:58:05
watching videos, doing assignments, downloading recipes,

00:16:58:21 - 00:17:02:10
cooking things, going to the grocery store and just making it happen.

00:17:02:10 - 00:17:04:24
And so I love seeing those people, too.

00:17:04:24 - 00:17:06:11
They're saying, I, I'm here.

00:17:06:11 - 00:17:09:07
I don't need, anyone to follow me.

00:17:09:07 - 00:17:11:01
So, yeah, I try to make it.

00:17:11:01 - 00:17:15:19
It's I mean, it's me in most of the videos, but I try to make it

00:17:16:01 - 00:17:21:04
so that, you know, someone else could also be involved in the process.

00:17:21:14 - 00:17:22:05
That's great.

00:17:22:05 - 00:17:22:23
I love that.

00:17:22:23 - 00:17:25:08
I love that it's, you know, all encompassing.

00:17:25:08 - 00:17:27:06
I love that it's for everyone.

00:17:27:06 - 00:17:32:03
And this seems to be at the at the core of your own values.

00:17:32:03 - 00:17:37:13
You had, you know, stated that inclusivity and a non-judgmental approach

00:17:37:13 - 00:17:41:08
are essential, values in your practice.

00:17:41:08 - 00:17:44:17
How do you ensure that these values are upheld

00:17:45:00 - 00:17:48:00
with the interactions that you have with your clients?

00:17:48:01 - 00:17:49:22
Yeah. Thank you. It's funny.

00:17:49:22 - 00:17:53:03
You know, my core values as a scientist

00:17:53:03 - 00:17:56:23
and as an intellectual are thinking about,

00:17:58:00 - 00:18:01:00
these complicated intersections, right?

00:18:01:06 - 00:18:04:17
Being inclusive for the person that doesn't just have,

00:18:04:23 - 00:18:08:24
you know, one diagnosis but has a cluster of different things.

00:18:08:24 - 00:18:11:16
Right? That's kind of the way that my mind thinks.

00:18:11:16 - 00:18:16:05
And I built the app that way so that I could be accommodating

00:18:16:10 - 00:18:19:14
to different people, as opposed to just thinking about

00:18:20:00 - 00:18:23:00
one kind of target market.

00:18:24:00 - 00:18:28:03
but it turns out that that makes it difficult for marketing and advertising,

00:18:28:09 - 00:18:29:21
because we live in a world where

00:18:29:21 - 00:18:32:21
it's like, no, you just have to pick a person, right?

00:18:33:03 - 00:18:35:13
And I've like, you know, really thought long and hard.

00:18:35:13 - 00:18:39:15
Do I just want to make this diet for depression because, like, you know,

00:18:39:15 - 00:18:44:04
we have the most evidence that nutrition is effective for depression, right.

00:18:44:04 - 00:18:45:16
And like there's been a few times

00:18:45:16 - 00:18:49:17
and I've wanted to like pivot just for the sake of algorithms.

00:18:50:02 - 00:18:53:19
And I was like, no, I don't want to because I want I want this

00:18:53:19 - 00:18:57:14
to still be a place where people that have different,

00:18:59:06 - 00:19:01:14
different backgrounds could come in.

00:19:01:14 - 00:19:05:13
They could come in and feel heard rather than deselecting people

00:19:05:13 - 00:19:09:01
just for the sake of, you know, kind of marketing per se.

00:19:09:07 - 00:19:14:07
So, you know, I, I've worked really hard to make it, safe,

00:19:14:13 - 00:19:17:13
have different faces popping in, not just mine.

00:19:18:18 - 00:19:21:18
I know the downfalls of my face as well.

00:19:24:06 - 00:19:26:18
you have a good face. Yes.

00:19:26:18 - 00:19:28:08
but I understand what you're saying.

00:19:28:08 - 00:19:30:15
I appreciate you understanding.

00:19:30:15 - 00:19:33:09
And we appreciate you not worrying about the algorithm,

00:19:33:09 - 00:19:37:14
but really worrying about the fact that everybody needs this information.

00:19:37:14 - 00:19:38:24
I mean, I could use that out

00:19:38:24 - 00:19:42:00
for some of my patients who keep coming back to me with,

00:19:42:15 - 00:19:44:04
why do I have so much pain?

00:19:44:04 - 00:19:47:20
And I'm thinking there is a systemic inflammation problem.

00:19:47:20 - 00:19:51:06
Could it be there food, you know, I mean, that's there's

00:19:51:06 - 00:19:55:24
just so many different uses and different populations who could use this.

00:19:56:10 - 00:19:56:24
Yeah.

00:19:56:24 - 00:20:00:20
And I and I haven't really gotten it out the, in terms of spreading the word

00:20:00:20 - 00:20:05:13
the way that I plan to, it's been this first, these first, the last 6 or 7 months

00:20:05:24 - 00:20:09:03
have been getting good feedback from the users

00:20:09:03 - 00:20:12:03
and the people that are finishing the program and figuring out

00:20:12:06 - 00:20:15:10
what needs to be improved, what needs to go smoother.

00:20:15:10 - 00:20:16:16
So it's a like you're.

00:20:16:16 - 00:20:18:24
Getting the word out now.

00:20:18:24 - 00:20:21:06
Getting the word out now. Indeed. Yeah.

00:20:23:10 - 00:20:24:01
and I have

00:20:24:01 - 00:20:27:04
about 90 blogs art wisemindnutrition.com.

00:20:27:04 - 00:20:32:20
There's a lot of writing that I've done about these topics and these intersection

00:20:32:20 - 00:20:35:20
spaces and nutrition for substance use

00:20:35:20 - 00:20:38:24
disorder, food addiction, eating disorder.

00:20:38:24 - 00:20:43:10
And so I put in a lot of those are all, you know, real crafted

00:20:43:19 - 00:20:47:01
Wise Mind Nutrition blogs that I also recommend. Wonderful.

00:20:48:16 - 00:20:51:12
You know, we're using the word inclusivity,

00:20:51:12 - 00:20:53:10
meaning you wanted this app to be

00:20:53:10 - 00:20:57:17
for as many different populations and diagnoses as possible,

00:20:57:17 - 00:21:01:04
but you also mentioned earlier, I think it was in our first episode,

00:21:01:17 - 00:21:06:11
you talked a little bit about environment, and there sort of an inclusivity issue

00:21:06:11 - 00:21:09:11
with access to healthy food.

00:21:11:04 - 00:21:16:02
within your app, is there a way that you help people who might not have

00:21:16:02 - 00:21:20:24
access to, you know, a close farmer's market or a decent grocery store?

00:21:21:15 - 00:21:23:20
So there's some, you there? Thank you.

00:21:24:23 - 00:21:25:08
I think

00:21:25:08 - 00:21:29:05
I've, I've just, you know, really stayed away from hot

00:21:29:05 - 00:21:34:03
button issues that would leave someone feeling marginalized in the app.

00:21:34:03 - 00:21:34:11
Right?

00:21:34:11 - 00:21:37:11
So I don't talk specifically,

00:21:37:16 - 00:21:41:09
as from our earlier topics about, like, eating disorder or food addiction.

00:21:41:22 - 00:21:45:00
I don't talk about conventional versus organic.

00:21:45:00 - 00:21:49:14
I try to avoid things that would leave someone feeling left out there like,

00:21:50:01 - 00:21:54:04
this this doesn't work for me, or I can't afford these recommendations.

00:21:54:11 - 00:21:58:05
But inherently, the message in there is to eat real food

00:21:58:05 - 00:22:01:18
and find joy in it and connect to it and be able to like,

00:22:02:10 - 00:22:04:23
procure it however you can and,

00:22:04:23 - 00:22:07:23
you know, spend some time with it in the kitchen,

00:22:07:23 - 00:22:12:01
sit down and have meals, you know, with others if possible.

00:22:12:06 - 00:22:14:11
So it really is just about bringing the joy

00:22:14:11 - 00:22:17:11
and the celebration back to food and back to bodies,

00:22:17:17 - 00:22:21:17
you know, so that people, you know, feel like, you know, anyone,

00:22:22:22 - 00:22:24:23
you know, can can take this path.

00:22:24:23 - 00:22:26:17
And of course, I made the app,

00:22:26:17 - 00:22:30:17
like when I was going to do a masterclass, it was going to be this expensive thing.

00:22:30:17 - 00:22:33:03
And now it's like 29 bucks.

00:22:33:03 - 00:22:35:22
That's a wonderful I love that. Yeah.

00:22:35:22 - 00:22:39:00
And I'm sure that, your counseling experience

00:22:39:00 - 00:22:43:19
really helped to influence what you put on this app.

00:22:43:19 - 00:22:45:06
Can you tell us,

00:22:45:06 - 00:22:47:17
you know, some of the most significant lessons or 1

00:22:47:17 - 00:22:51:20
or 2 of the most significant lessons you've learned in your work with people?

00:22:52:00 - 00:22:55:05
What really stands out for you that's influence what you're doing right

00:22:55:05 - 00:22:58:05
now? Yeah. Thank you.

00:22:58:12 - 00:23:01:12
I think that early in my career,

00:23:01:22 - 00:23:04:13
some of the training I got was to,

00:23:04:13 - 00:23:07:19
you know, position myself as an expert.

00:23:08:07 - 00:23:12:04
And I think in those early days of doing one on one, I was I come in

00:23:12:04 - 00:23:16:14
and, and I got the answers and it became very clear to me

00:23:16:14 - 00:23:20:11
within a few years of practice that that was going to be burnout work.

00:23:20:23 - 00:23:21:18
Right?

00:23:21:18 - 00:23:25:17
especially when you're like, you know, frustrated that you created

00:23:25:17 - 00:23:30:15
some elaborate plan for someone and they they weren't able to to see it through.

00:23:30:23 - 00:23:36:04
And so, you know, my clinical practice has been me being curious.

00:23:36:14 - 00:23:41:13
Me learning, me wanting to know more about what the person is saying

00:23:41:20 - 00:23:46:09
and being more of like a coach, a shoulder to shoulder type of a guide

00:23:46:18 - 00:23:51:11
and helping people feel confident rather than dependent on me.

00:23:51:12 - 00:23:51:21
Right?

00:23:51:21 - 00:23:55:01
I want people to feel as competent,

00:23:55:01 - 00:23:58:21
confident eaters not to lean too heavily on someone.

00:23:58:21 - 00:24:02:17
And so I try to make less decisions for people and more

00:24:02:17 - 00:24:06:18
so just root for people to learn how to make decisions on their own.

00:24:07:02 - 00:24:08:24
And the app is just that,

00:24:08:24 - 00:24:12:04
which is it's not like, oh, I'm, I'm telling you what to do.

00:24:12:10 - 00:24:15:20
I'm offering you different ways to think about different issues,

00:24:16:01 - 00:24:18:00
giving you things to consider.

00:24:18:00 - 00:24:19:10
I want you to make a choice.

00:24:19:10 - 00:24:20:07
And the app might be there

00:24:20:07 - 00:24:23:07
to, like, hold you accountable to the choice that you made.

00:24:23:11 - 00:24:25:03
So it's not a diet program.

00:24:25:03 - 00:24:28:08
And I think when people see a nutrition app, it's pretty safe to assume

00:24:28:11 - 00:24:31:14
that it's probably some sort of a point of view, a diet.

00:24:31:14 - 00:24:31:24
Right.

00:24:31:24 - 00:24:37:01
And I've made it just the opposite of that so that like, there isn't a agenda.

00:24:37:11 - 00:24:40:23
I don't I'm not trying to get someone to eat like me.

00:24:41:08 - 00:24:41:13
Right.

00:24:41:13 - 00:24:44:03
That's the only thing about having a personal story with nutrition.

00:24:44:03 - 00:24:45:16
And everyone is committed

00:24:45:16 - 00:24:49:16
to crusading to the world to get them to convert to your own diet.

00:24:49:17 - 00:24:51:08
I'm a dietary agnostic.

00:24:51:08 - 00:24:56:07
I don't have a way of eating a label, and I try to just get people

00:24:56:10 - 00:24:59:23
to create and claim their own nutritional identity

00:25:00:08 - 00:25:04:07
and be able to like, leave my clinical practice, leave the app

00:25:04:13 - 00:25:07:20
feeling like they can go on in this tricky food environment

00:25:08:01 - 00:25:09:24
to be able to show up for their life.

00:25:09:24 - 00:25:11:05
And it's like I'm, you know,

00:25:11:05 - 00:25:15:01
I'm always here if you need me, but like, you got this. Go. I love that.

00:25:15:01 - 00:25:17:04
That's exactly what I tell my clients.

00:25:17:04 - 00:25:20:23
I say, you know, hopefully by the end of treatment

00:25:20:23 - 00:25:24:00
you will have become your own best expert.

00:25:24:06 - 00:25:26:10
You will know what is best for your body.

00:25:26:10 - 00:25:29:00
You will know what foods fuel you.

00:25:29:00 - 00:25:31:13
You will know how to listen to your body.

00:25:31:13 - 00:25:36:18
And you know then guide yourself as opposed to following

00:25:37:05 - 00:25:40:11
whoever is the guru out there, whoever is the, you know,

00:25:40:14 - 00:25:42:16
the leading diet, blah blah blah.

00:25:42:16 - 00:25:44:06
I think it's so important

00:25:44:06 - 00:25:49:13
for them to all tap into their body, their intuition and you know what?

00:25:49:15 - 00:25:54:04
And their own knowledge base, because we don't have any control over that

00:25:54:04 - 00:25:59:13
and outside of the office from us, that's what they're going to have to rely on.

00:25:59:13 - 00:26:03:11
So I'm really, really impressed with the work that you're doing, David.

00:26:03:18 - 00:26:07:07
And I cannot believe that we are out of time,

00:26:07:07 - 00:26:11:23
because I would love to—boooo— pick your brain some more.

00:26:11:23 - 00:26:15:09
So we might have to have you back on the show at some point,

00:26:15:09 - 00:26:18:21
so we can ask all of the other questions that we have for you.

00:26:19:05 - 00:26:23:15
But for now, thank you so much, Dr. David Wiss

00:26:23:15 - 00:26:27:08
we are so glad that you're out there doing what you're doing.

00:26:28:01 - 00:26:29:18
Thank you so much for having me.

00:26:29:18 - 00:26:33:20
And yes, there is my clinical practice, Nutrition in Recovery.

00:26:34:02 - 00:26:37:08
And then of course the app is Wise Mind Nutrition

00:26:37:08 - 00:26:40:17
And is it nutritioninrecovery.com?

00:26:41:09 - 00:26:44:05
Well, that's that's the website. Yeah. Okay.

00:26:44:05 - 00:26:45:21
We will have links to that.

00:26:45:21 - 00:26:49:18
In the captions of this podcast—Are you on Instagram at all?

00:26:49:18 - 00:26:51:00
Oh, yeah.

00:26:51:00 - 00:26:54:08
@drdavidwiss is the Instagram

00:26:54:08 - 00:26:58:12
and I have a @wisemindnutrition on TikTok as well.

00:26:59:00 - 00:27:00:14
Okay. Wonderful.

00:27:00:14 - 00:27:04:17
Well thank you everyone for tuning in to the ANEW Body Insight podcast.

00:27:05:02 - 00:27:06:00
We look forward

00:27:06:00 - 00:27:10:16
to our next exciting interview and really hope you join us next time.

00:27:10:23 - 00:27:13:04
Thank you so much. Thanks.

00:27:14:17 - 00:27:18:15
Thanks for tuning into the ANEW Body Insight podcast.

00:27:18:22 - 00:27:22:09
Please remember, the content shared on this podcast is for entertainment

00:27:22:09 - 00:27:25:11
purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

00:27:25:21 - 00:27:26:23
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00:27:26:23 - 00:27:31:00
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00:27:31:05 - 00:27:33:05
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00:27:35:21 - 00:27:39:11
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