Vincci Tsui, RD, Calgary, AB Videos

I recently realized that I'm one of a very, very small number of dietitians (like, less than five) in private practice in Calgary who is a POC. Over the years, people have chosen to work with me partly for this reason—even though we may not have the same cultural background, I do understand what it's like to grow up living "between" cultures: trying to not just fit in, but flourish while living in the dominant culture, without losing connection to our culture of origin. I was so grateful for the opportunity to discuss this with Leah Hortin aka @antidiethealthcoach on a recent episode of the Anti-Diet Life podcast. The link to the episode is in my bio, or you can tune in from wherever you get your podcasts! #podcast #CulturalSensitivity #CulturalHumility #AntiDiet #dietitian #rd #yyc #yycdietitian

Many people think that I don't provide weight loss/management services in my practice because I 'don't like to talk about it." That's not true. Anyone who has worked with me will tell you that I have empathy for why people want to lose weight, and I ask about weight history and what's "worked." However, the evidence (and my clinical experience) tells us that we don't have a safe, reliable and effective way for people to lose weight and keep it off long-term. The resulting weight cycling between loss and gain is linked to worse health outcomes compared to people who maintain their weight, even if it is a higher weight. More importantly, promoting intentional weight loss is a form of anti-fat bias and weight stigma, because it reinforces the idea that larger bodies are less desirable. Weight stigma is independently linked to worse health outcomes, regardless of a person's weight. That being said, I know that people often hold on to the hope that they will lose weight when they work with me. That's ok! It's rarely about the number on the scale and more often about the life/lifestyle that you've been promised once you reach that number. Can we work toward those things without pursuing something that's probably not going to last? As you can tell from this long caption, I struggled so hard to choose which parts of this clip to include, so please go to @straightforward_nutrition / @healing_relationship_with_food and listen to the whole episode of Joyful + Nourishment podcast! Link in Bio) #WeightInclusive #WeightInclusiveCare #HealthAtEverySize #haes #haesrd #antidiet #dietitian #rd #WeightNeutrality #BodyAcceptance

It's OK to eat because you're happy It's OK to eat because you're sad It's OK to eat because you're stressed It's OK to eat because you're bored It's OK to eat because you're celebrating It's OK to eat because you're finishing the last few bites It's OK to eat because you're trying something new It's OK to eat because you're craving something It's OK to eat because you're looking for a pick-me-up It's OK to eat because everyone else is eating It's OK to eat because of nostalgia It's OK to eat because it tastes good It's OK to eat because it's part of your culture It's OK to eat because it's there It's OK to eat out of habit It's OK to eat no matter what It's OK to eat. What are some of the reasons that you eat? N.B.: Permission ≠ Obligation. Trust yourself to know what feels right for you while also giving your permission and compassion to get it wrong sometimes! Also remember that what is right for you is not always right for everyone else! #ItsOkToEat #AllFoodsFit #FedIsBest #UnconditionalPermissionToEat #UnconditionalPermission #IntuitiveEating #dietitian #rd

Getting started with working one-on-one with me used to be a multi-step, back-and-forth process: 1️⃣ You click on the link to Book a Free 20-min Appetizer Call, only to be met by a form with a bunch of questions, and a promise that I will get back to you. 2️⃣ I reply to your email with a link to my calendar to book, praying that my email doesn’t end up in spam. 3️⃣ You open the email, click on the link to my calendar, and finally get to book the call. 4️⃣ We have the call, where we get to learn a bit about each other, and you decide whether you want to book your initial appointment. 5️⃣ (Optional) If you didn’t book an appointment during our call, I will send you another link to my calendar (with your permission, of course!) to book whenever you are ready. I guess four or five steps isn’t that bad, but there is definitely room to simplify. Like, why can’t you just click the “Book a Free 20-min Appetizer Call” button and book the call? After eight (!) years of doing it the long way, I’m cutting the red tape. Try it for yourself - go to vinccitsui.com/appetizer-call (link in bio) to get in my calendar for a free 20-min Appetizer Call, because having food and body-related concerns is hard enough—let’s not make getting support any harder. #AppetizerCall #DiscoveryCall #dietitian #rd #yyc #yycdietitian #yeg #yegdietitian #RedTape #CutTheRedTape #scary #horror

An eating-disorder clinician that I follow recently shared this commentary published last week in the Journal of Eating Disorders arguing against the ideas that "All foods fit" and "There are no bad foods." The clinician who shared the article highlighted how in many treatment centres, refusal to eat foods would often be attributed to the eating disorder, and/or the patient would be seen as "noncompliant," without exploring other reasons why that food might not "fit" for that particular person. This is a valid concern so I was anticipating reading the article. 0/10, NEVER AGAIN. From the abstract, this commentary relies on weak claims about ultra-processed foods, weight, and dietary triggers of disease symptoms to back its argument. "All foods fit" and "There are no bad foods" are sweeping statements that lack nuance and deserve examination, but this article is not it. PMID: 38760868 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-024-01017-9 #AllFoodsFit #NoBadFoods #EatingDisorders #EatingDisorderRecovery #dietitian #rd #nutrition #ultraprocessedfood #upf #brooklyn99 #captainholt #ohhnoo

"What do you mean I should give myself 'unconditional permission to eat'? That'll just make me eat MORE, not LESS!" Unconditional permission to eat comes from the idea that restriction is one of the main drivers of unplanned eating. It may be that you're not eating enough physically (not just in terms of energy/nutrients, but also in terms of flavours/textures - do you eat sweet foods anywhere else in your day?) Often with sugar/sweets, however, it's mental restriction - the more that we tell ourselves we can't have something, the more that we want it and/or go into "last supper" sort of mentality when we do eat it. Of course, it's not as simple as saying "I have unconditional permission." Sometimes it's recognizing why you were not fully letting yourself eat these foods in the first place. Is it worry about: 🍬 Weight gain, or a desire for weight loss? (This is a completely valid fear given that fatphobia, healthism and ableism are dominant forces in our culture that are closely linked. How might understanding the role of these forces change our relationship with our own bodies and weight?) 🍭 Diabetes? (Eating carbs/sugar is NOT what causes diabetes) 🍬 Food addiction? (Even though it may feel as intense as substance addiction, food/sugar addiction is not the same thing and treatment with abstinence-based approaches generally increase restriction) 🍭 Binge eating? (This does often happen when you give yourself unconditional permission to eat and it can take time—sometimes months—to habituate to the idea that it's truly OK to eat these foods) All that being said, unconditional permission to eat (and intuitive eating as a whole) is not always effective/helpful, such as when access to food is an issue. If possible, getting support from a dietitian or other provider familiar with disordered eating or intuitive eating can help you find what works for you. #ChansDailyGramChallenge #IntuitiveEating #UnconditionalPermissionToEat #sugar #DisorderedEating

For all the attention that's given to the "Honour Your Hunger" and "Feel Your Fullness" principles of Intuitive Eating, I've found that the one principle that *really* trips people up is "Make Peace with Food". It's the one principle where you are actively pushing back against diet culture beliefs and behaviours (vs. theoretically pushing back, like in the "Reject Diet Culture" principle) and where you are often forced to confront your own fatphobia, healthism, and/or ableism. Making Peace with Food can include: 😱 Questioning, breaking, and letting go of food rules 😱 Viewing foods as "morally equal" (vs "good"/"bad" or "healthy"/"unhealthy") 😱 *Unconditional* permission to eat all foods, at any time, in any amount Between the joy and pleasure that can come with eating foods that you haven't eaten for a long time and the anxiety and panic around weight gain or health - this process can be an emotional roller coaster! 🎢 Fortunately, you don't have to do it alone. Get support from a dietitian familiar with intuitive eating, a certified intuitive eating counselor or someone (like me!) who is both. Check out my website or shoot me an email to find out how to work with me (links in bio) *Note: Intuitive eating is not necessarily accessible to everyone. I (and others!) are happy to help you find/define a way of eating that fits your needs. #IntuitiveEating #MakePeaceWithFood #UnconditionalPermissionToEat #AllFoodsFit #dietitian #rd #nutrition #yyc #yycDietitian #AsianDietitian #AsianCanadian #WeightInclusive #WeightInclusiveCare #HealthAtEverySize #haes #haesrd #IntuitiveEatingDietitian #IntuitiveEatingCounselor #IntuitiveEatingRD

I am so, so grateful to everyone who took the time to share what they'd like to see in this feed. I am also so, so sorry that some of you (and the algorithm) are going to be disappointed that I'm not that kind of dietitian 😅 #ChansDailyGramChallenge #dietitian #Nutrition #rd #yyc #yycdietitian #yeg #yegdietitian #AsianCanadian #AsianDietitian #WeightInclusive #WeightInclusiveCare #HealthAtEverySize #haes #haesrd #IntuitiveEating #MindfulEating #FatPositive #FatAcceptance #RelationshipWithFood #RelationshipToFood #DisorderedEating #EatingDisorders #barbie

RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD SELF-CHECKUP 🩺 1️⃣ How much time/brain space do you spend thinking about your food choices and eating habits? Given that most people eat multiple times a day, every day, it’s normal that we do spend a fair amount of time and energy thinking about food and eating. However, if thinking about food and eating is getting in the way of other priorities and interests, then perhaps it’s a sign that you might want to re-evaluate your relationship with food. 2️⃣ What emotions generally come up when you think about food/eating? Are they pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral? Does thinking about food or eating make you feel joyful and excited, or does it make you feel anxious or guilty? Do these feelings change when you think about certain foods, or certain amounts of food? 3️⃣ Do you have any food rules? What happens when you break them? It’s not necessarily a bad thing to have rules around food—rules help create structure and safety, and can simplify decision making. However, for some people these rules can quickly add up and become overwhelming. Others find that they’re rearranging their whole lives just to ensure that they’re following the rules, and if they do happen to break them, it sends them into a shame spiral. 4️⃣ Do you trust yourself around food? This may seem like an odd question, but it’s not uncommon for some people to say, “I can’t have [insert food] in my house because I’ll just eat it all.” or “I have no self-control when it comes to [insert food].” 5️⃣ What comes up for you when you reflect on your answers to the previous questions? Just as different relationships between different people can look quite different from one another, different people’s relationships with food can look different from one another as well. There are no “correct” answers to any of these questions. A person can spend a significant amount of time and energy thinking about their food and eating habits