Episode 27: Intuitive Eating and Cancer with Amber Thomas, RD
Intuitive Eating and Cancer
This week on the Speaking of Hungry podcast I’m speaking with Amber Thomas, RD, and board-certified specialist in oncology nutrition. Amber takes 15 years of experience working with cancer patients in hospitals, cancer clinics, and the home health setting and now works privately with cancer patients as an online nutrition coach in her private practice, Cancer Nutrition Solutions. She is the first dietitian on the podcast who takes an intuitive eating approach to nutrition in cancer care.
Amber helps cancer patients manage treatment side effects, goal-setting strategies to support nourishment and healing both during and after treatment works with cancer patients to help them uses compassionate mindset work to help clients examine deep-held beliefs about food and cancer, overcome food fears, and empower their survivorship journey through food after treatment.
This is a great conversation whether you have a personal connection with cancer or are simply curious about the claims surrounding diet, nutrition, weight, and cancer risk. We chat about:
Her path to becoming a dietitian specializing in oncology and how her approach leaned toward intuitive eating and Health At Every Size (HAES).
How weight bias and weight stigma is a result of our society normalizing diets, disordered eating behaviors, and the pursuit to lose weight as “healthy”. Amber reflects on the weight stigma her cancer clients are faced with and how it affects their ability to nourish themselves and heal during and after treatment.
The harm we are doing by trying to intentionally change our body size when in a vast majority of cases maintaining weight loss and smaller body size is not sustainable.
The need to address the bigger picture of “why can’t people lose weight and keep it off?”
The sad reality that many cancer patients are coming into treatment believing their body size is part of the reason they have cancer.
How many cancer patients start treatment believing it will help them “finally lose the weight”. In reality, cancer dietitians DO NOT want their patients losing weight during treatment no matter what their size.
Amber’s goals for her patient’s nutrition plans and when it’s the right time to introduce intuitive eating concepts.
Amber’s thoughts on information out there regarding body size and cancer.
Reports about certain foods being linked to a higher risk for cancer including sugar and soy. Amber uses her expertise to explain if we should avoid these foods or not.
How the nutrition focus for cancer recovery should be “what can we add to diet?” vs. “what should we eliminate?”
Amber’s work to educate other healthcare professionals about taking a weight-neutral approach to oncology.
In this episode, I also answer a listener’s question regarding her struggle feeling guilt no matter what food she eats. Many of us may have a list of specific foods that we feel are “bad” or “off-limits”. What do you do when you feel this way about almost everything you eat? Listen here where I answer her question on what I recommend to help get to the root of what’s driving these feelings.
Want to know where you can find Amber? Connect with her here:
Amber's website - access free resources for cancer patients including handouts and videos, plus information on her 1:1 coaching
Join Amber's FREE private Facebook community for cancer survivors!
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Need help healing your relationship with food AND exercise?
I am currently booking clients for my 1-on-1 online intuitive eating program!
Let's chat! Schedule a FREE "Baby Steps to Ditch Dieting" 30-minute call with me. We will:
Talk about your dieting history and why those diets have not worked for you.
Identify any diet behaviors you are latching on to and explore why it may be hard for you to give up these behaviors.
Choose TWO of the top dieting behaviors you are SO ready to stop doing TODAY.
Make sure you leave the call with TWO clear, actionable steps to get you on your way to stop relying on diets and diet-like behaviors.