Conscious Nutrition from a Clinical Nutritionist & Emotional Eater

BY: Guest Heather Fleming

I am Heather Fleming, a Clinical Nutritionist who is also an emotional eater, recovering perfectionist, and very rebellious with my relationship with food. Instead of obsessing about trying to follow a perfect diet, I created Conscious Nutrition to help people feel nourished both physically and emotionally.

We are meant to interpret our body’s signals instead of ignoring them and judging our cravings. I believe our bodies, taste buds and senses are giving us a sign to implement more nourishment and support.

Does that mean that chocolate cake every day is what your organs need? Prolly not. But what it may need is sweet.

Conscious Nutrition Taste Buds

Most health care professionals suggest just avoiding sweets so you don’t crave them more. This can be true, however, I haven’t met many people who can never eat sweets again. Once you eat intensive sweets, you can crave them for the next 72 hours due to your glycogen stores in your liver, blood sugar spike, and insulin receptivity.

I shared a dessert with a friend the other day, it was magical. The next day at about the exact same time, I had a sugar craving. Instead of feeling powerless, eating more sweets, or judging me, I drank heaps of sun tea with lime and honey. Then the next day, it lessened. This has taken me YEARS of practice and heaps of self-compassion. Also, check in with how you talk to yourself during these moments. Would you say these things to a friend?

Which organ does sweet support? Your nervous system.

And most of us are having some stress issues, so calming our nerves is important. That is why hunters and gatherers found the berries. We needed the sweet.

Conscious Nutrition’s Taste Chart