Diet Clubs, Dance, Dietetics and Eating Disorder Recovery, with Toni Rudd (The Binge Dietitian)

Today, I’m talking to Toni - The Binge Dietitian, a UK Registered Dietitian, who is based in Peru, and working with women all over the world who have binge eating behaviours. Previously, Toni worked within the UK National Health Service and has a range of experience with diabetes, weight management, learning disabilities and mental health. She now works online and is a weight inclusive and non-diet approach dietitian.   Throughout her dietetic career, Toni has always been passionate in sharing her love for food, and helping people to realise, that even with chronic conditions like diabetes, there is no list of foods that they should or shouldn't be eating. She has always experienced there being so much confusion with food advice among her clients and consequently brings this passion to educating her clients and busting nutritional misinformation and fads.   In the past, Toni wanted to be a dancer. When she was 18, she attended a dance college to pursue this dream. Unfortunately, her experience was far from positive, when Toni and her peers experienced teachers making unhelpful comments focusing on body image and appearance. In this environment, she also observed friends around her having a toxic relationship with food. These experiences understandably had a negative impact on her own self-esteem and body image. At this point, she made the courageous decision to leave this path. Following this period, Toni’s relationship with food and body image was a struggle. Even as training to be a dietitian, she was stuck in diet culture and body dissatisfaction, which had a detrimental impact on her well-being and self-esteem.   Today, Toni has left all of this behind and is now working in the non-diet space, online and is based in Peru. She started this work earlier this year following this exciting move with her husband. You can find Toni on Instagram as the @the.binge.dietitian and she is offering a free 30 minute call which you can book through her Instagram bio.   In this episode, Toni talks about her journey in healing her relationship with food and body image. She explores the early triggers of body dissatisfaction, triggered by the dance world and diet clubs. Toni then talks about restriction and food rules; how these can hinder people’s recovery and exacerbate binge eating. Toni explores how to break the rules and become freer with food. Toni also navigates emotional triggers and self-care and talks about the valuable work that she does with her clients today.   I hope that you enjoy the conversation.   To find more about Toni:- Website: thebingedietitian.com Instagram: @the.binge.dietitian