Certified eating psychology expert and health coach, Elise Museles, offers you a way out of the stress and confusion with food, and leads you to a more joyful and relaxed way to eat, think, and live.
FWM: You have been revealing and rewriting food stories for over 10 years. Share your background.
My concept of Food Story: Rewrite the Way You Eat, Think, and Live was born from my own personal struggles with food and body image throughout my life. I went on my first diet when most kids were playing on the playground, and I continued to be fixated on dieting and calorie counting for many years.
Even starting my career as an attorney with the Department of Justice, I still found myself constantly consumed by food and the control it had on my life. Eventually, I realized that the problem wasn’t the food itself; it was my thoughts, feelings, and relationship with food that I needed to dig deeper and explore.
I decided to stop practicing law and follow my lifelong passion for health and wellness. I became certified in holistic nutrition and started supporting people with what they were eating. Even though I was helping others make healthier choices, deep down, I knew there was something missing from the nutrition equation. That’s when I discovered the field of Eating Psychology and immediately signed up for a training program to learn more.
This background, which focuses on the mind of the eater, differentiates me from other health experts because not only do I create wholesome and inviting recipes, I also empower people to get to the root of their unwanted health and eating challenges. By understanding their limiting beliefs and behaviors around food, they’re able to rewrite their personal narratives and reconnect back to the wisdom of their own bodies.
My advice and recipes have been featured in many renowned wellness publications and media sources, including the bestselling books Gutbliss and The Microbiome Solution, O, The Oprah Magazine, Health, Self, Forbes, ELLE, InTouch Weekly, the Washington Post, Well+Good, Elite Daily, The Chalkboard, Women’s Health, and mindbodygreen, among others. I’ve appeared on Good Morning Washington, WTOP Radio, the Dr. Taz Show on RadioMD, and other television and radio programs.
I’m also a grant recipient for a program I developed and taught, Cook INN Together, at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). I proudly serve on the board of directors of the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the nation’s leading organization for making safer choices and creating positive momentum for American health/wellness initiatives.
When I’m not helping others discover their food stories, you can find me in nature with my two adorable dogs, turning upside down on my yoga mat, shopping at the farmers’ market, or whipping up colorful meals for my hungry family of all guys!
FWM: Do you notice any trends?
Over ten years ago when I set out on this journey, people were much more private about their struggles. We didn’t talk out loud or write so openly about our challenges. There was a lot of shame and even secrecy for many in terms of how they related to food.
Now, I see a collective shift in the conversation, and we are becoming open about our issues and concerns. Collectively, we are more vulnerable and sharing our stories more than ever before. A huge part of my work is to highlight these stories so that people can feel connected and realize that they’re not alone.
I showcase these empowering conversations on my podcast, Once Upon a Food Story, and I share my own personal ups and downs with my food story in my new book and across my social media platforms as well.
I continue to encourage people to really dig deep and understand their inner narrative around food (and beyond) so they can flip the script and influence their families, their kids, their spouses… and we can create a better future for generations to come.
FWM: Tell us about your new book, Food Story: Rewrite the Way You Eat, Think, & Live. Why did you decide to write this book?
Food Story has been inside of me for years! I wanted to give people a safe space where they could connect the dots and think about their own story. I like to say that Food Story is so much more than a book: it’s a personal experience for the reader with questions for reflection, daily rituals, mood-boosting practices, prompts scattered throughout, and a fun science-backed approach to eating. By the end, you will feel less stressed and more at peace with food, your body, and your whole self!
Food Story is available at Book Shop, Indie Bound, through my publisher Sounds True, and online at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
FWM: How can we say goodbye to guilt and shame associated with food?
After a lifetime of experiencing guilt and shame associated with food, it doesn’t disappear in one fell swoop. However, there are steps to take that can lead you to releasing those emotions and reducing their power.
The first step is always awareness. So often we have the same inner dialogue and negative self-talk that we don’t even realize we are speaking to ourselves that way. Then, I like to encourage people to write down some of their thoughts and words that they are running through their minds. Then, ask yourself whether you would say these things to someone you love? The answer is usually no.
Writing down these parts of your food story is a cathartic step. It helps move some of the stored emotions from your body and put it down on paper.
In my book, I also talk about how sharing parts of your story that you are ashamed about—something you’ve hidden for a long time, like your struggles with food—can feel like a thousand pounds being lifted off your chest. While it might feel a little scary (or, let’s be honest, completely terrifying!) to expose an untold piece of your story out loud, it’s a huge opportunity to let it go.
When you rewrite your food story, guilt and shame no longer play a starring role!
FWM: Why is stress an anti-nutrient that impacts your digestion, metabolism, nutrient assimilation, and more?
Stress is the ultimate anti-nutrient. You can load up your plate with kale, quinoa, salmon, avocado, and all kinds of other incredibly nutritious food, but if you’re in an anxious state of mind when you sit down to eat, then your body will not receive all the nourishment from that meal.
Here’s how it works: when you feel agitated, worried, or tense while eating, this stressed-out mood actually changes your body’s physiology. Quick side note here: You may not think you’re stressed out at the table, but if you’re questioning your choices and hearing food noise, trust me, you are stressed. This is a low-level stress, but it is still stress. Any guilt, judgment about health, or shame about your choices is perceived as a stressor by the brain and turns on your sympathetic nervous system, triggering your body’s stress response, also known as the fight-or- flight mode. To your body, any kind of stress means, “Danger!” which kicks off a series of events to get you primed to deal with it.
What happens? Well, several things. Your sympathetic nervous system directs the body to produce more cortisol, a stress hormone. Your muscles tense. Your heart starts beating fast. Your blood pressure rises. Your blood sugar goes up. Your appetite increases, especially for sugary, high-carb foods. Your metabolism slows down. Your digestion shuts off. And your immune system is compromised. With all of this going on, especially having a digestive system offline, how can your body process that colorful, nutrient-dense dinner you prepared? In short, it can’t, or at least not fully and completely.
When you’re stressed, your body is triggered to protect itself, preserve energy, and store more fat, not digest and assimilate the nutrients in food. Plus your senses are impaired, so your food just doesn’t taste as good, and you don’t experience as much pleasure from your food as when you’re relaxed.
The big takeaway: what you think has a powerful effect on digestion, and your stressful thoughts start a hormonal cascade that impacts your every bite!
FWM: What will people learn from reading your book?
Food Story is your permission slip to unapologetically love yourself with every meal. This book empowers you to discover your hidden food story and release what’s not serving you, so you can reclaim your power and finally live your best life – without any stress about food.
I wrote this book because I want people to know that they can feel comfortable and confident in their relationship with food and themselves. They can reconnect to their body and its inner wisdom so that they’re healthy and happy. No more guilt. No more second-guessing. Because when you can cut out “Food Noise” that affects your choices, your habits, and your self-esteem, you can make choices that feel good to you!
When you find peace with food, it translates into other areas of your life, too!
FWM: You have inspired millions of people with your successful podcast, Once Upon A Food Story. What topics are you covering towards the holidays?
All of the conversations are unique! Each guest shares their personal food story and what eventually led them to where they are today. So often my guests end up having epiphanies during the interview when they connect the dots looking backwards. My hope is that the listener will see themselves, relate to some of the themes, and think about their own food story.
I cover topics from passing on a healthy food story to your kids to how to feed your brain to mindset shifts to support emotional eating, and so much more! I think all of the episodes would be helpful to someone during the holidays especially if they are feeling stressed or thinking about changes they would like to make in the new year.
You can find Once Upon a Food Story wherever you listen to podcasts!
FWM: You are a much sought-after speaker. What is next for you?
I show up every day on social media and have been doing more Instagram Lives highlighting the concepts from my book. It’s an engaging way to have relatable conversations with leading influencers and experts in the health & wellness space.
In addition to my own podcast, I’ve been interviewed for other podcasts that will air in 2022, and I have a few live events on the radar.
I love to teach, so there is also a Food Story course in the works. And my entrepreneurial spirit will dream up some more offerings too.
The best way to learn about speaking engagements and other opportunities to connect is to join my community on Instagram (@elisemuseles) or sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter on my website: elisemuseles.com.
