Food & Body Conversations / Carien Meyer Registered Dietitian

11/09/2026

I strongly encourage my clients to make mistakes around food!

A "mistake" might be:
Eating more than you intended.
Not planning enough food.
Having a meal that doesn't feel satisfying etc.

The important thing is how you view it afterwards.

To become a "skilled eater", mistakes supply so much helpful information to learn from!

But if you view mistakes as breaking a "rule," the resultant guilt and remorse takes up the space for learning, noticing and growing.

Where do YOU find yourself when it comes to learning from "food mistakes"?

I will be discussing this and similar topics in following posts. Stay tuned for more, and send me a message if there is a particular topic around food and body dynamics that you struggle with.

11/09/2026

08/09/2026

We can spend so much time thinking about what we should eat!

What we shouldn't eat.

Whether we've eaten “too much” or “too little”.

Whether we've been “good” with food.

So much food noise!

And sometimes, in all that thinking, we lose touch with a much simpler question:

What does my body actually need from me right now?

Maybe it's a meal.

Maybe it's a snack.

Maybe it's something more substantial than you were planning to have.

Maybe it's nourishment without needing to justify it.

Nutrition isn't about getting food “right”.

It's about learning to notice what your body needs — and responding with care.

What does your body need from you today? And, can you give it some of that? ♡

06/09/2026

There can be a particular kind of sadness that comes with getting older and having regrets about how you were around food.

Maybe you spent years dieting, worrying about your weight, feeling guilty after eating, or constantly trying to “get it right.”

Or perhaps food simply wasn’t the place where you cared for yourself very well. You put your own needs last, skipped meals, lived on the go, or kept telling yourself you’d look after yourself properly “one day”.

And then one day you realise you’re older, your body has changed, and you’re sitting with some of the consequences — and perhaps some regret too.

I don't think we need to pretend that doesn’t exist or hurt. But I also don't want regret to become another reason to be hard on yourself.

You can not change the years behind you. But you can change how much space food, your body and old patterns take up in the years ahead.

And THAT creates capacity for new ways of looking after yourself!

04/09/2026

One type of "food noise" ... when it isn't so much the food but all the RULES around it that causes double checking, the doubts, the micromanaging. This can be mentally exhausting! It may feel like yet another diet might bring relief when, in fact, a good look at the rules you have around eating might be called for. Supportive boundaries are not the same as rigid food rules!

03/09/2026

The actual meal is over, but in your mind, it's not.

When food has become something you analyze, regret, or try to compensate for, your mind can keep going long after the meal has ended.

It's draining. In a strange way, all that thinking can leave you feeling mentally "full" before you've even reached your next meal-making it harder to approach the next time you eat with much capacity and trust.

Part of changing may be just to work on turning down the "volume" of the noise. Instead of having to make the thoughts just disappear, try not listening at FULL volume.

It might look like expecting, even inviting the thoughts and actually give it full permission to take up 10 minutes of space and time. Write it down, talk it through. Then, intentionally turn the volume down by doing something that absorbs attention-phoning a friend, starting a new task, making the tea, and giving the hug. Let the aim not be to silence the mental clutter, but at least stop it from deciding the rest of the day.

If this resonates, follow for more reflections on eating, food noise, and decluttering your food space.




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01/09/2026

Do they see you eat WITH them?

I'm not talking about those times when sport, homework, or other commitments mean everyone eats at different times.

I'm talking about when Mom regularly provides food, perhaps sits with them while they eat, but stays "out of the meal" herself because she has rules about what she should eat, how much or when she is allowed.

Sometimes it looks ordinary. "I'll eat later/ I'm not hungry / I already ate."

But over time, your children can start to notice a pattern. They are eating. Mom is not.

And they may learn more from that than anything you say about food.

Are you making yourself the exception to the food rules you don't want your children to have?

You are not a bad mom if this feels familiar-these patterns can be deeply ingrained and really hard to change. But the freedom you want for your children can still be yours too. You might just need some support along the way. Moms are allowed to get help for themselves, too♡♡♡.

30/08/2026

Five thoughts for the woman who is tired of food taking up so much mental space and life. Some may resonate immediately, while others might need some time to "chew" on. ♡

Which one speaks to you?

28/08/2026

Have you ever felt quite happy IN your body....and then someone else's comment about their own body made you question yours?

It happens so easily. You overhear others talk about weight loss, and you doubt your own sense of body contentment

A friend in a smaller body says , "I feel huge," and before you know it, you are conscious of your own stomach.

Someone moans about their midlife shape, and joining in feels like the "right thing" to do as a sign of solidarity and support. ♡

Here's a powerful reminder: Empathy and support don't require agreement! You can listen without taking the dissatisfaction home with you.

You could say: "I am sorry you're feeling uncomfortable. I know that feeling."

A little practice is to notice the moment you feel yourself getting pulled in. "Is this actually how I was feeling before the conversation ? Is it coming from me or from her?"

Gently "disentangle." Bring yourself back INTO your own body, with a "What do my body NEED right now." Instead of "What should I look like now?".

Someone's discomfort can resonate with you, but you still don't have to make it yours.

A hard one. But it becomes a helpful skill the more you pause to disentangle. ♡



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27/08/2026

Is this you? That person whose relationship with food and eating looks fine from the outside.

You eat regularly, and might even consider yourself as someone who eats "well".

But perhaps there is more going on in your head.

You think about what you've eaten, what you should've eaten. You experience guilt. You compensate. You put food rules in place. You promise yourself you will be better tomorrow.

Nobody else may notice. But it's tiring to have food and eating take so much space and effort.

Disordered eating isn't always obvious, especially not in our culture these days.

It may look like eating, but not feeling free around eating.

Don't wait for others to notice to seek support. There is more freedom available for you too.