Erica Mouch Nutrition

Highly recommend reading this heart wrenching and honest article:
https://pipewrenchmag.com/dismantling-medical-fatphobia/

No Health, No Care: The Big Fat Loophole in the Hippocratic Oath "Providers didn’t all miss the day where med students were taught not to be cruel to fat people. Medical fatphobia is medicine’s status quo."

I very much stand with and believe Mikey, Lindley and ASDAH when it comes to the harm caused them.
Without the time, labor and effort of these folx (as well as many, many others who hold marginalized identities), would not be what it is - it wouldn’t even be a movement.
When any of us want to support oppressed and marginalized identities, if we hold up a figure who represents none of these, are we supporting the movement? Are you supporting fat liberation? Please know I have also been sitting with these over the past few days. I was grateful to read Mikey’s article shortly after it came out and then Lindley’s after she published hers. If you have been HAES(R) aligned and are feeling uncertain, let’s together question where our information and resources are coming from. Who is the predominant identity being represented? Are the people being given the platform representing this?
I hold so many privileged identities. Thin, white and cishet to name a few. When I talk with my clients about anti-fat bias or about the oppression fat bodies experience, I mention the wonderful folx I have learned from. I will also continue to ensure that not only am I supporting folx who are giving their time, labor and spoons to fat liberation but work harder to lift up the voices who are marginalized and oppressed.
My fellow thin, white dietitians. Who are we supporting when we talk about and ? Are we lifting each other up while keeping those with lived experience down? Who are we benefitting when we do this? Who should we be benefitting instead?

In your relationship with food, *key* word being relationship, things will change, ebb and flow. Just like any other human relationship.
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For me recently, this has meant leaning into whatever Im craving for breakfast. This has been including “non-breakfast” foods.
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The other day I was craving lentils for breakfast. I browsed my particular go to website and found this delicious halloumi, pepper and lentil dish. It was exactly what I was craving.
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So at 10 am, I had a grilled halloumi, sweet pepper and lentil salad with my coffee and fruit.
It was delicious and hit the spot.
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Unconditional permission with food really means what you are wanting, when you are wanting it while using thought, instinct and emotion to explore those choices. Today for breakfast I had two oreo cookies with my coffee.
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How has your relationship with food been changing recently?

Have you been trying to shift how you feel about your body and are finding it challenging?
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It is challenging - AND if you are simply ignoring your negative body thoughts - this can make it more challenging!
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Can you look at those negative thoughts with kindness and then send them on their way?
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Here’s an example: “My back rolls are (insert negative thought/comment).” **I see how I thought that would help me and now I thank my brain for doing what it thought would support me, knowing now that I will release that thought**. Next, shift to “my back rolls are exactly like my mom’s and grandma’s. My ancestors gifted these to me”

How do you learn what food makes you feel satisfied, nourished and energized?
After working to remove the diet mentality (which can very often get in the way of figuring it out), increase your curiosity around food.
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A good place to start is something that had a combination of carbohydrates, protein, fat and fiber. This combination of food tends to make our bodies feel pretty darn good. Next start to experiment with this more - change things here and there - maybe vary your protein or the fat you are having. After the meal, how long did you feel satisfied for? If it was 2 hours or less, you most likely needed more food or a different combination of food. If you felt particularly drowsy after the meal - get curious - have you eaten enough before that particular meal during the day? What combination of foods were present?
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Its pretty magical when you start to learn the ways your body is sharing its cues with you. Give yourself time, patience and kindness - it won’t happen overnight and for some of us - may even take years.
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What helped you learn what is satisfying and energizing for yourself?

Excited to share this!

January is typically filled with a bombardment of diet and weight loss ads. So many messages saying you aren’t good enough as you are.

Here’s the thing: You are good enough exactly as you are now.

Want a community that helps remind you of that? and I are thrilled to have just a group starting January 28th.

Not only does this mean you have virtual meetings every other week and supportive messaging (hello, anti-diet memes!!) but this 16 week group will also take you through the END OF MAY!!

Virtual meetings will be held every other Friday at 1 pm PST. You receive all of this for only $400 for all 16 weeks! This is about a co-pay or less per week.

What would having more community add to your own journey with food and body?

Looking for anti-diet community and support during the start of the New Year? I've got you covered!
For 16 lovely weeks, join us for virtual meetings every other week, regular community led messaging (memes and text support!) focused on building your intuitive eating practice and community. From January 28th through May 20th, find the anecdote to diet culture - community!
https://www.ericamouchnutrition.com/post/intuitive-eating-support-group-1

One common misconception I hear from folks is that they expect attuned eating to help them learn EXACTLY what they want to eat.

Sometimes this can be the case. Sometimes you will know that you want a cheeseburger and french fries. Other times you may only know inklings of what you want - warm food, spicy food, crunchy etc.

Coming from diet culture, where everything is black and white, it can seem like attuned eating ‘should’ also have some of these elements (like always knowing what you want to eat) but in reality, there is so much grey.

What is it like to allow yourself to NOT know exactly what you want to eat?

One of my wonderful clients wanted to anonymously share their body liberation journey because they felt what is so often represented in the world and social media is NOT what they experienced.
What about their words surprised you?
What did you identify with?
A huge thank you to my client for wanting to share their experience!
(Please note, none of the cartoons are my actual client😊)

Erica Mouch Nutrition updated their business hours.

Erica Mouch Nutrition updated their address.

If it looks like there isn’t mush room in this bowl, you are correct. Its filled with all these Fungis! 😂😇
I have been really loving on mushrooms recently. I do have to blame the movie Pig (about a truffle pig, possibly Nicholas Cage’s finest film) which featured many incredible ‘shrooms!
Mushrooms are a wonderful source of umami. Umami is essential to satisfaction. It adds depth, richness and savory flavors to dishes. If you are eating something and are not going Mmmmm!, consider the umami aspect - could it be missing?
I used these mushrooms for a lentil, kale and mushroom bowl topped with breadcrumbs. I also made a potato and mushroom breakfast hash because it made me feel like a champignon 😂
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Also, a word of advice, never set your password as ‘mushroom’. Its not stroganoff!

This is one of my favorite dinners. Its simple and yet feels like so much self care. I love the variety of textures, flavors and possibilities. I can add fruit (apples, grapes etc) or nuts, olives - basically whatever food fits my fancy. Its literally a meal based on what do I want to eat?
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I know food freedom can be scary. I know it can feel like too much discomfort sometimes or that there are too many things that “don’t fit” with this plate or dinner/meal. I also know that a life without food rules allows so much more mental space, greater flexibility in social situations, more satisfaction and enjoyment. Food freedom can feel terrifying and on the other side, on that scary, uncomfortable other side, is so much peace.
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Whats one of your favorite meals? What components of it are breaking food rules you may have had?

It is SO normal when you are moving away from diet culture and to attuned eating to feel shame, guilt or the strong desire to change your body. When you feel these, try these four things!
1. Ask yourself, “ What else is going on?”
Diet Culture has conditioned us that when we feel out of control, have a lot of uncertainty or strong negative emotions, that turning to “fix ourselves” will make this uncertainty better. Diet Culture has trained us to focus on us, ourselves verses look externally at what else is going on - all of the external factors that are also impacting us (work, family, an unjust world, etc). So pause, zoom out and ask “what is making me feel this way? What else is going on?”
2. Recognize the thought and try to shift it to neutral or affirming. Try a self-compassion break! Kristin Neff’s self compassion break can be so beneficial. Feel the emotional discomfort in your body. Next: A. Say this is a moment of suffering or this hurts. B. Remind yourself other people feel this way, you are not alone. (Common humanity) C. Say to yourself, May I be kind to myself or May I learn to accept myself as I am.
3. Talk to the voice or feelings. Thank them then send them on their way!
4. Remind yourself of the bigger picture - who benefits when you feel shame or guilt about your body or your food habits?

Hi! I’m the owner behind Erica Mouch Nutrition. I limit the number of photos on myself here because I choose to not center myself and hopefully instead amplify fat and marginalized voices while also amplifying the message of body diversity and attuned eating. So here is a rare one ☺️Its been awhile since Ive shared anything about me, so Im opening up a bit 😅
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A few fun facts about me:
My favorite food is oysters. Please don’t serve mine with mignonette. I like lemon and hot sauce only!
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I grew up in Tokyo, Japan and to date its the longest Ive lived anywhere in my life. (I move a lot). Seattle is coming up on a close second.
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I’m a middle child, a manifestor (any other human design fans out there?) and enneagram 2w3 (and sometimes a 3w2 🤣)
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I have an incurable chronic illness, MCAS that has impacted many areas of my life. Its one reason of many Im passionate about calling HAES Human At Every Size (verses health). If we use the ‘health’ definition, Im excluded because of MCAS. Having it has allowed me to be a much more empathetic human.
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I am so grateful and appreciative to be able support my clients through their eating disorder and with their relationship with food/body. I love what I do!
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Whats your Human Design Type or enneagram?

Intuitive eating has been around for decades AND in the past few years, its really increased in popularity and interest! At the same time, I think this has made some common misconceptions pop up too.
Here are some things I wish we talked about more in the attuned eating/intuitive eating. This list is NOT comprehensive. What would you add?

For my birthday, which happened a few weeks ago ☺️, I made kuku sabzi. This is a delicious Persian frittata with cilantro, parsley, leeks and dill - thus the lovely green color. This was super easy to make and hit the spot! I had been wanting to make kuku sabzi for awhile and for some reason had never gotten around to it. Cooking on my birthday is one of the ways I relax especially if I have good music on, a glass of wine or a cocktail in hand and am with people I love.
Freedom with food means every day can be filled with the foods you love, that meet your body’s intuition and make you feel satisfied and nourished. We only have one life! Do you want to spend yours counting, tracking and weighing food? Or would you rather spend it being a joyous, delicious element of your life (without any of the weighing or tracking!!).
What food do you like on your birthday? How do you celebrate yourself?

When is the last time you made food that LOOKED as delicious as it tasted? I’m challenging you to do that one day this week or weekend. When you do, pay attention to how you eat that dish. For me, I felt like I enjoyed it more, savored it more and felt like I had put more care into the dish (which felt like self care!)
For many of my clients, food has become a bit boring especially as our cities, towns and states are starting to open up. I’m feeling this antsy-ness with food too. So I chose a visually appealing dish, plated it with extra care and enjoyed the heck out of it. Like a at-home fine dining experience.
These niçoise toasts were so easy to make and took 10 min tops. Perfect for spring and summer weather!
Link for the recipe (by ) in the comments.

Apparently (I didnt know until 5 min ago!) today is “National Eat What You Want Day. If that isn’t a day created by diet culture, I don’t know what is...
I hear regularly that “if I ate what I want, I’d only eat pizza and ice cream” - guess what? I call BS.
When you eat what you want, you aren’t doing it without listening to your body’s wisdom. If you ate pizza and ice cream all day, in the beginning if would be awesome AND at some point you would want something different. Your body has so much wisdom that it won’t let you eat only a few foods or even only “unhealthy” food. It may feel that way if you’ve been restricting, controlling your weight or limiting these foods - in fact I expect it too.
It won’t always be that way. What would it take to trust your body, eat what you want and let your body’s wisdom guide you?

Do you know what this unique looking vegetable is? Read below to find out 😊
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Can we talk about VARIETY? One of my all time favorite pieces to talk about.
Did you know that folx who practice attuned/intuitive eating tend to have more variety and color in their food choices than folx who don’t? This supports bodies in so many ways - providing more satisfaction, more vitamins, minerals and fiber!
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One way I try to support my own variety is by seeking out fruits and vegetables I don’t know and preparing them in ways that are super delicious (i.e. contain fat and flavor!).
I grabbed this cool looking veg, called celtuce, stem lettuce, asparagus or wosun/quingsun (in China and Taiwan) and gave it a try. Although lettuce is in the name, its often eaten more for stem rather than its leaves which can be quite bitter.
In order to eat this veg, you chop off the leaves (and save them!) and peel the outside with a vegetable peeler. Once peeled, chop into any shape/size desired. I sautéed mine with brown butter and lemon.
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It has such a delicious water chestnut or jicama texture and a really clean, maybe sunchoke style flavor (mixed with water chestnut). It picks up the flavor of whatever you cook it with really well. Super versatile, I highly recommend trying it.
What do you do to support variety with attuned eating?

Let me preface this by saying I am still learning, I will make mistakes. I also want to highlight that almost everything I have learned (about being anti-racist, HAES(R) and being fat positive) is from the labor of folx of color and fat folx...
Being anti-fat body or fatphobic is being anti-black...
I know I am not the first to think or say this AND I think its one we white folx need to be talking about a lot more. ..
I highly recommend reading Sabrina Strings book, “Fearing The Black Body, The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia” which explores this idea and how blackness became tied to fatness.

Check out my first EVER reels for a quick, “How did I figure out what snack I wanted?”
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A common misconception I hear is that once you “get” intuitive eating, you will know exactly what you want every time you want food. This is almost NEVER the case.
Its more of a process and there is NO wrong answer.
✨Sometimes you choose something and change your mind. ✨Sometimes you don’t really want anything but know you need food. Having go-tos or some favorites that have combinations of protein and carbohydrates is a great way to work with this.
✨Sometimes you eat your snack and need more, and/or something else
✨Sometimes what you want, you don’t have! Using tools like exploring the temperature, taste and texture can be great ways to *get close.* Its okay if it doesn’t quite hit the satisfaction mark, remind yourself you can have it later or tomorrow (and then actually go get it, when it still sounds good).
✨Sometimes you just want play food - gummy bears, jelly beans, potato chips, french fries etc. Snacks/Meals DON’T have to be made of anything in particular.
✨Sometimes you eat and don’t feel anything in particular afterward. We aren’t looking for Disneyland for your Tastebuds for every meal and snack.
What of these surprised you?

We live in a world filled with all or nothing mindset. Diet Culture reinforces this with “just eat this” or “if you achieve this body goal, you’ll be happy forever.” The very way diets are set up is you follow this eating plan until you reach this goal. Then you move onto the next goal (and the next...). Its faux certainty really, false promises that you can achieve X and move on.
Moving away from Diet Culture has none of this - because it relies on YOU. Your body, your body’s wisdom. It required you to look inside, to listen, to get curious and find any and all answers from YOU. This requires one heck of a lot of grey. Grey is scary, it is unknown AND is has so many shades. (Like 50 Shades 😂). It is unknown and often uncharted territory. We have to look to your body and your body’s wisdom to find possible answers. These answers can change throughout your lifetime because your body changes. I see you, sitting in the discomfort, sitting in the grey and listening hard (or trying) to your body’s phenomenal wisdom. You’ve got this, you are not alone.
What about being in the grey is the most challenging for you?

Sometimes as a provider, I need this reminder too - the reminder to hold this for my clients every single step of the way.
I am so proud of you for hanging in there! Hanging in there is sometimes the most we can do and that is okay.
I appreciate Shira’s insight and this reminder so very much 🙏🏼✨💛

Movement is something Im passionate talking about with my clients as they learn their body’s wisdom and unlearn the messages diet culture has taught them. One thing Ive been thinking about for awhile, is the need to unlearn what Diet Culture has taught us about exercise/movement in the same way.
🐄(moo-vement! 😜)
I was diagnosed about two years ago with a chronic illness that dramatically changed the way I can move my body. I also still have tremendous privilege in the ways I am able to continue move my body. I’ve had to undo a lot of what diet culture taught me with regard to movement, how I relate to my body AND these are some of the ideas/principles that helped. Number 9? I have to thank for highlighting the important role that grief plays for us, especially with movement.
Which of these principles (or suggestions, really!) do you identify with the most?

Happy St Patricks day! Looking for something to brighten your day but is only slightly green? Add it to your water. Cucumber water or mint or kiwi are all great ways to add some festivity that may be a tiny bit simpler, which is something I feel we could all use in our lives.

Many of our lives have gotten a little more bland or a monotonous. If you are looking for ways to make things feel less blah, start with small things! Pick an infused water to make it feel more spa like, go all out for dinner or lunch with candlelight, a table cloth and some restaurant style music. Have breakfast for dinner and dessert for breakfast! These are some of the ways Im trying to liven things up.
What have you been doing?

Im incredibly excited to announce that Cori Rosenthal, MA, LMFT and I are starting a virtual Health At Every Size Eating Disorder Support Group, on April 2nd.
We are offering 16 weeks of support with biweekly virtual meetings for less than $20 a week!

Happy Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) Day! Fellow RDNs, let’s use this day to acknowledge and remember many of the privileges we have. This day was created to “increase the awareness of RDNs as the indispensable providers of food and nutrition services.” As we are trying to make ourselves indispensable and honor term nutrition expert, also remembering the lenses through which we view the world, food and health is especially important.
I am a cishet, thin, white female who grew up with an abundance of food, a wide variety of vegetables and a mom who cooked delicious homemade meals almost every single night.
I am fortunate and humbled to have learned from my clients who may have had different experiences and as a result, work to explore how food was and is different for them. When we are supporting health, lets remember we are supporting people and individuals first! 🙏🏼❤️

Lets talk about food, cravings/preferences and *gestures wildly at everything*. This has been on my mind a lot recently.
Prior to March 2020, I was an avid home cook. I loved coming home, making a delicious meal while rocking out to some good tunes, dancing around the kitchen and singing. It was a way I connected to my body, supported my mood and bonus!, resulted in delicious food.
Much of that desire is gone for me. Somewhere toward the end of March, I stopped craving food and stopped wanting to cook. Anyone who knows me, knows this was a huge part of my identity.
I could have fought this and tried to fix it. Instead, I got curious and tried to lean in more. I’m sitting with it and sitting with the suck of it. Anyone who has done this knows how challenging it is.
I’m also able to start hearing some whispers of cravings. Like the stories Ive been posting recently and then this delicious breakfast. I woke up wanting beans for breakfast and then started to ask myself what additional flavors and textures and viola. One of my most satisfying meals in the past many months: Black bean and kale with pickled fresno peppers, smoked gouda cheese and an egg.
Give me a 💛 if food has shifted dramatically for you since March 2020 also!