Hey, Insatiable listeners. Today I’m sharing a conversation I had with Sonia and Kathleen for their podcast Sisters in Sobriety all about food, belonging, and self-awareness during the holiday season.

In this episode, I answer big questions, like:

• How do cultural narratives around food shape our holiday habits?
• What role does food play in our sense of connection?
• How can we honor our health while participating in long-standing traditions?

We also discuss actionable strategies for balancing blood sugar, managing holiday expectations, and identifying emotional triggers that lead to overeating.

I hope this episode can be your a roadmap for mindful eating and resilience during this festive yet often challenging time. Happy holidays!

Hear me on Sisters in Sobriety:

• Emotional Eating & Self-Worth: Ali Shapiro’s Guide to True Food Freedom
• Breaking Free from the Food Guilt Cycle with Ali Shapiro
• Enjoying Food and Staying Balanced During the Holidays with Ali Shapiro

Send me (Ali) a text message.

Connect with Ali & Insatiable:

Join me on January 8th at 12pm EST for "Stop the Quick-Fix Cycle: Why Band-Aid Solutions Make Emotional Eating Worse (And How to Actually Get Results)" to discover why your struggles with food actually make sense and learn a revolutionary framework that transforms how you set goals—no more falling off track with food, plus receive a special bonus only available to live attendees. Completely free. CLICK HERE

Discover Truce with Food, a revolutionary 6-month program that opens just once per year and goes beyond food rules and willpower to uncover your hidden food story, transform your relationship with eating, and finally create lasting change through a proven approach that's helped hundreds find food freedom—registration closes January 20th. CLICK HERE

Ah, sugar…referred to as the sugar dragon, sugar siren, and sugar addiction. There are physical and emotional root causes and solutions of how to reduce sugar in your life.

In this episode, we will discuss:

• Why sugar is so dangerous and yet it comforts us
• 5 easy food swaps and additions to your diet to naturally prevent cravings
• The four emotional triggers that cause sugar cravings and how to work through triggers without sugar

For more support, I recommend my self-study course Freedom from Cravings: https://alishapiro.com/freedom-from-cravings/

Send me (Ali) a text message.

Connect with Ali & Insatiable:

Join me on January 8th at 12pm EST for "Stop the Quick-Fix Cycle: Why Band-Aid Solutions Make Emotional Eating Worse (And How to Actually Get Results)" to discover why your struggles with food actually make sense and learn a revolutionary framework that transforms how you set goals—no more falling off track with food, plus receive a special bonus only available to live attendees. Completely free. CLICK HERE

Discover Truce with Food, a revolutionary 6-month program that opens just once per year and goes beyond food rules and willpower to uncover your hidden food story, transform your relationship with eating, and finally create lasting change through a proven approach that's helped hundreds find food freedom—registration closes January 20th. CLICK HERE

Happy Halloween season, dear Insatiable listeners! As we move toward this sweet-and-spooky holiday, I wanted to share how we approach candy in my household — before, during, and after trick-or-treating.

In this episode, I'll explain the three flexible, biology-rooted rules that guide how I handle sweets for my almost five-year-old son, Eça. I also talk about how I approach candy for myself. Because it isn’t just for kids, and the idea that there’s food for kids and food for adults is just a marketing strategy.

Tune in to hear about:

• Why food “rules” need more nuance
• My 3 principles for candy consumption: blood sugar, immunity, & joy
• How to center joy & belonging in your Halloween traditions
• Moderation as a radical approach
• Our Halloween night protocols
• The challenges of intuitive eating for kids

 
Mentioned in this episode:

• Episode 280: What’s Missing From the “Emotional Eating” Conversation with Dr. Deborah MacNamara
• Episode 257: Alcohol, Food, and Body Image: Push Off From Here with Laura McKowen – Insatiable Special Episode
• Episode 234: How to Exercise to Prevent Sugar Cravings with Alisa Vitti
• Episode 233: Quitting Alcohol and Managing Sugar Cravings with Laura McKowen

Send me (Ali) a text message.

Connect with Ali & Insatiable:

Join me on January 8th at 12pm EST for "Stop the Quick-Fix Cycle: Why Band-Aid Solutions Make Emotional Eating Worse (And How to Actually Get Results)" to discover why your struggles with food actually make sense and learn a revolutionary framework that transforms how you set goals—no more falling off track with food, plus receive a special bonus only available to live attendees. Completely free. CLICK HERE

Discover Truce with Food, a revolutionary 6-month program that opens just once per year and goes beyond food rules and willpower to uncover your hidden food story, transform your relationship with eating, and finally create lasting change through a proven approach that's helped hundreds find food freedom—registration closes January 20th. CLICK HERE

Not eating the right foods for our unique bodies creates anxiety. This anxiety shows up as a felt sense of anxiety AND also “needing something more” to eat but not knowing what that is or a general feeling of being unsatisfied with what they just ate.

To help us go into depth and teach us about this sugar-anxiety feedback loop, I’ve invited a holistic psychiatrist and my friend Dr. Ellen Vora onto the show. In this episode, we will discuss:

• Real and false anxiety
• How and why sugar creates anxiety
• Clean eating versus nutrient-dense foods
• Dr. Vora’s top foods to add in for reducing anxiety and sugar in one’s diet
• Caffeine’s role in anxiety and how to end your coffee habit

 
Mentioned in this episode:

• Read Dr. Vora's book, The Anatomy of Anxiety
• Ali’s Breakfast Experiment

Send me (Ali) a text message.

Connect with Ali & Insatiable:

Join me on January 8th at 12pm EST for "Stop the Quick-Fix Cycle: Why Band-Aid Solutions Make Emotional Eating Worse (And How to Actually Get Results)" to discover why your struggles with food actually make sense and learn a revolutionary framework that transforms how you set goals—no more falling off track with food, plus receive a special bonus only available to live attendees. Completely free. CLICK HERE

Discover Truce with Food, a revolutionary 6-month program that opens just once per year and goes beyond food rules and willpower to uncover your hidden food story, transform your relationship with eating, and finally create lasting change through a proven approach that's helped hundreds find food freedom—registration closes January 20th. CLICK HERE

I’ve shared on the show before that starting menopause radically changed my body. And we’ve talked about how hard it is to find smart, supportive, and true information about health, hormones, and HRT in midlife.

But now there is finally a book that shares everything I wish I knew five years ago! And I’m thrilled to talk about it with the authors today.

In this episode, I’m joined by Kristin Johnson and Maria Claps of Wise and Well, who wrote The Great Menopause Myth: The Truth on Mastering Midlife Hormonal Mayhem, Beating Uncomfortable Symptoms, and Aging to Thrive.

We discuss:

• How health declines during menopause
• The impacts of hormone loss as we age
• Deciding if HRT is right for you
• How to prepare yourself for HRT & manage your expectations
• Why you might need a new doctor in mid-life
• Weight loss during menopause
• The relationship between stress & weight gain
• Why “you have to pick your hormones or your alcohol”
• The importance of critical thinking & self-advocacy
• Why you probably don’t need to be on DIM

More about our guests: Maria, an FDN practitioner, and Kristin, an NTP Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition, are plainspoken friends and practitioners who share a passion for women's health, especially women's health at midlife. They are the authors of the widely acclaimed book "The Great Menopause Myth", a comprehensive, science based, yet easy to read guide for women who want their best chances at healthy longevity. As both are themselves menopausal, they've refined the art and science of thriving as a midlife woman based on both clinical and personal experience. They combine individualized nutrition and lifestyle changes tailored to midlife women's needs with mindset coaching, lab testing and hormone replacement therapy education to help women thrive so that they can stop or prevent their health from spinning out of control.

Connect with Kristin & Maria:

• Get The Great Menopause Myth
• Learn more about Wise and Well
• Explore the Mastering Midlife Mentorship

Send me (Ali) a text message.

Connect with Ali & Insatiable:

Join me on January 8th at 12pm EST for "Stop the Quick-Fix Cycle: Why Band-Aid Solutions Make Emotional Eating Worse (And How to Actually Get Results)" to discover why your struggles with food actually make sense and learn a revolutionary framework that transforms how you set goals—no more falling off track with food, plus receive a special bonus only available to live attendees. Completely free. CLICK HERE

Discover Truce with Food, a revolutionary 6-month program that opens just once per year and goes beyond food rules and willpower to uncover your hidden food story, transform your relationship with eating, and finally create lasting change through a proven approach that's helped hundreds find food freedom—registration closes January 20th. CLICK HERE

Too many of us feel like we have to go it alone with food. We put so much work into trying to lose weight and get healthy, but we just end up feeling isolated and ashamed.

In this episode, I’m joined by my clients Ginny and Isis to talk about why all of us (even the “bad joiners”!) need community support to heal our food triggers, and how working alongside other people can improve our self-awareness, self-talk, and self-esteem.

This is part two of a conversation about the transformations Ginny and Isis experienced in my program Why Am I Eating This Now?.

Tune in to hear us discuss:

• Why even “bad joiners” need community
• Self-monitoring vs self-awareness
• The ways Why Am I Eating This Now? can support weight loss
• How to satisfy your food noise triggers without food
• Why you are not your coping strategies
• Isis’ Ozempic experience
• What you can expect if you join Why Am I Eating This Now? this fall

 
And if you love this episode, make sure sign up for my free masterclass that’s happening tomorrow!

 
Mentioned in this episode:

• Episode 278: How to Better Understand Stress with Andrea Nakayama, Functional Medicine Nutritionist and Educator
• Food Freedom 2: Feel In Control, Not Controlled By Food
• Episode 280: What’s Missing From the “Emotional Eating” Conversation with Dr. Deborah MacNamara

Send me (Ali) a text message.

Connect with Ali & Insatiable:

Join me on January 8th at 12pm EST for "Stop the Quick-Fix Cycle: Why Band-Aid Solutions Make Emotional Eating Worse (And How to Actually Get Results)" to discover why your struggles with food actually make sense and learn a revolutionary framework that transforms how you set goals—no more falling off track with food, plus receive a special bonus only available to live attendees. Completely free. CLICK HERE

Discover Truce with Food, a revolutionary 6-month program that opens just once per year and goes beyond food rules and willpower to uncover your hidden food story, transform your relationship with eating, and finally create lasting change through a proven approach that's helped hundreds find food freedom—registration closes January 20th. CLICK HERE

Have you ever asked yourself, ‘why am I eating this now?’

I’ve talked about this in many of my past episodes, but today I’m excited to have two clients joining me to share their powerful stories of going from “failing” at every program they tried to addressing the root issues of their falling off track with food.

Tune in to hear Ginny and Isis talk about the diets they’ve been on, the health concerns they’re navigating, and how our work together transformed their eating habits, including food no longer being their go-to.

We discuss:

• Our unique health priorities & how they relate to what we eat
• The many ways popular diets shame & isolate us
• Why Ginny & Isis decided to join Why Am I Eating This Now?
• How to know you’re ready to invest in yourself
• Support for pulling yourself out of feeling powerless
• The importance of having a flexible path (not a rigid rulebook)

 
Part two of this conversation is coming next week. Make sure you sign up for my free masterclass before then!

Send me (Ali) a text message.

Connect with Ali & Insatiable:

Join me on January 8th at 12pm EST for "Stop the Quick-Fix Cycle: Why Band-Aid Solutions Make Emotional Eating Worse (And How to Actually Get Results)" to discover why your struggles with food actually make sense and learn a revolutionary framework that transforms how you set goals—no more falling off track with food, plus receive a special bonus only available to live attendees. Completely free. CLICK HERE

Discover Truce with Food, a revolutionary 6-month program that opens just once per year and goes beyond food rules and willpower to uncover your hidden food story, transform your relationship with eating, and finally create lasting change through a proven approach that's helped hundreds find food freedom—registration closes January 20th. CLICK HERE

As a cancer survivor, I’ve always felt like aging is a privilege. But now in my mid-forties, I’m learning firsthand that perimenopause, menopause and midlife bring their own set of body image issues and health concerns.

My clients ask me questions like: Should I lift weights to stay strong? Is it normal or OK to gain weight in midlife? Will I ever sleep through the night again? How do I focus on my health and not get caught up in vanity yet still want to look good for my age?

I hear you! And we all know that we can’t trust anyone on Instagram to give us the answers.

So in today’s episode, Dr. Jannine Krause joins me to talk about the free, simple things you can do to support your body as you age. Because you don’t have to “go downhill” as is often the default expectation, and you can take control of your health as you get older.

We discuss:

• Jannine’s path to Naturopathic medicine
• Body image issues in perimenopause & menopause
• How to approach calorie restriction & the problem with extreme calorie deficits
• Diagnosing stomach acid issues & H. pylori
• Simple steps to heal your gut without supplements
• Why we need to pay attention to insulin sensitivity as we age
• What to do before you start fasting or biohacking
• Protein intake recommendations & sustainability
• How rest & recharge in a minute or less

 
More about our guest: Dr. Jannine Krause is a naturopathic doctor, acupuncturist, and host of The Health Fix Podcast specializing in helping women over 40 not age like their mothers or society. She has a doctorate in naturopathic medicine, master’s in acupuncture, and bachelor’s in biology.

Connect with Jannine:

• Website
• Instagram
• Youtube

Mentioned in this episode:

• HCL Challenge PDF
• Lumen
• Kate Northrup

Send me (Ali) a text message.

Connect with Ali & Insatiable:

Join me on January 8th at 12pm EST for "Stop the Quick-Fix Cycle: Why Band-Aid Solutions Make Emotional Eating Worse (And How to Actually Get Results)" to discover why your struggles with food actually make sense and learn a revolutionary framework that transforms how you set goals—no more falling off track with food, plus receive a special bonus only available to live attendees. Completely free. CLICK HERE

Discover Truce with Food, a revolutionary 6-month program that opens just once per year and goes beyond food rules and willpower to uncover your hidden food story, transform your relationship with eating, and finally create lasting change through a proven approach that's helped hundreds find food freedom—registration closes January 20th. CLICK HERE

Have you ever struggled with family dinners, comfort foods, or getting your kids to eat? Or do you feel like you should be working harder to change your own eating habits? If you answered yes, then this episode just might help you make life-changing connections that have been elusive for years.

In this conversation with parenting expert Dr. Deborah MacNamara, we explore how food connects to our deep need for belonging, why there’s no such thing as a “picky eater,” and the many ways we can heal our relationships with food, fullness, and needing other people.

We discuss:

• The difference between attachment and belonging
• What Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is missing
• How to focus on receptivity in relationships with our kids
• Why food is often the place our relationship dynamics play out
• The surprising connection between food, fullness, and vulnerability
• Self-soothing vs satiation
• Why feelings are different than emotions
• The problematic invasiveness of “work mode”
• Experimenting with being “needy” so we can learn to depend on others

 
More about our guest: Dr. Deborah MacNamara is the author of two books, Nourished: Connection, food and caring for our kids (and everyone else we love), and Rest, Play, Grow: Making sense of preschoolers (or anyone who acts like one). She is on Faculty at the Neufeld Institute and the Director of Kid’s Best Bet counselling.

 
Connect with Deborah:

• Website
• Books
• Facebook
• Instagram

 
Mentioned in this episode:

• Dr. Gordon Neufeld & Dr. Gabor Maté
• The Religion of Wellness Culture with Anne Helen Petersen (Episode 252)

Send me (Ali) a text message.

Connect with Ali & Insatiable:

Join me on January 8th at 12pm EST for "Stop the Quick-Fix Cycle: Why Band-Aid Solutions Make Emotional Eating Worse (And How to Actually Get Results)" to discover why your struggles with food actually make sense and learn a revolutionary framework that transforms how you set goals—no more falling off track with food, plus receive a special bonus only available to live attendees. Completely free. CLICK HERE

Discover Truce with Food, a revolutionary 6-month program that opens just once per year and goes beyond food rules and willpower to uncover your hidden food story, transform your relationship with eating, and finally create lasting change through a proven approach that's helped hundreds find food freedom—registration closes January 20th. CLICK HERE

I'm thrilled to bring you the powerful, perspective-shifting stories of two recent participants in my Truce with Food group program. In this deep dive conversation, we explore the idea of restriction as a moving target, not just in our food struggles, but throughout our lives. This reframing of restriction is a concept we also work through—in a supportive group setting and with effective tools—in my upcoming  Why Am I Eating This Now program that launches in September.

If the conversation in this episode ressonates with you, be sure to sign-up for the waitlist to be included in an upcoming FREE masterclass. In the Why Am I Eating This Now? program, we'll also unpack why the same hard work and discipline that has gotten you so far in life often backfires when you try and apply it to your eating and what’s really happening when your food discipline disappears in the moments when you feel like you need it most. 12 WEEKS. MASTER COACHING. GROUP SUPPORT. Learn more

Among the Questions Explored:

• How can "being in choice" begin to loosen the feeling of restriction?
• What does the often repeated HALT tool miss?
• How can the TAIL tool help you begin to dampen food noise?
• How do our upbringing and early food struggles show up in our present-day lives?
• While this work isn't therapy, how can it still be therapeutic? 
• How can we begin repairing trust in ourselves for sustainable transformation?
• How can midlife be viewed as a deeper calling?

Send me (Ali) a text message.

Connect with Ali & Insatiable:

Join me on January 8th at 12pm EST for "Stop the Quick-Fix Cycle: Why Band-Aid Solutions Make Emotional Eating Worse (And How to Actually Get Results)" to discover why your struggles with food actually make sense and learn a revolutionary framework that transforms how you set goals—no more falling off track with food, plus receive a special bonus only available to live attendees. Completely free. CLICK HERE

Discover Truce with Food, a revolutionary 6-month program that opens just once per year and goes beyond food rules and willpower to uncover your hidden food story, transform your relationship with eating, and finally create lasting change through a proven approach that's helped hundreds find food freedom—registration closes January 20th. CLICK HERE

Stress. We experience it so much in our lives today, yet do we truly understand it? We bring stress to our healing, to our eating, to our health challenges, but how often do we pause to take in the whole picture of what's really going on? How can we begin to tune into ourselves among all the noise out there? How can we start moving through stress more effectively? In this conversation with Functional Medicine Nutritionist and educator, Andrea Nakayama, we go deep on all things stress and how to "separate the problem from the solution" for a more holistic understanding of what's really going on.

Among the Questions Explored:

• How can we develop a deeper understanding of stress?
• How can being self-aware be self-care?
• Why do quick fixes and endless data often do more harm than good?
• How can working within a group on food and other stressful issues be life changing? 
• How has functional medicine gone off the rails?

Guest: Over two decades ago, Andrea Nakayama's husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor and given 6 months to live while she was pregnant with their first and only child. In response, she doubled down on an area she was passionate about—nutrition—in an attempt to extend his lifespan beyond his 30s. They made it over two years, and in the wake of his death, she discovered that she had developed Hashimoto’s. The transition from caregiver to patient challenged her to advocate for herself and others within a healthcare system that routinely pushes cases like hers and her late husband’s to the margins. As the host of the 15-Minute Matrix Podcast and the founder of Functional Nutrition Alliance, Andrea is leading thousands of students and practitioners around the globe in a revolution to offer better solutions to the growing chronic illness epidemic.

Connect with Andrea Nakayama: 

• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Website

Send me (Ali) a text message.

Connect with Ali & Insatiable:

Join me on January 8th at 12pm EST for "Stop the Quick-Fix Cycle: Why Band-Aid Solutions Make Emotional Eating Worse (And How to Actually Get Results)" to discover why your struggles with food actually make sense and learn a revolutionary framework that transforms how you set goals—no more falling off track with food, plus receive a special bonus only available to live attendees. Completely free. CLICK HERE

Discover Truce with Food, a revolutionary 6-month program that opens just once per year and goes beyond food rules and willpower to uncover your hidden food story, transform your relationship with eating, and finally create lasting change through a proven approach that's helped hundreds find food freedom—registration closes January 20th. CLICK HERE