Food, Feelings & Freedom with Dr Tara Porter

Tw: This podcast discusses themes of eating disorders and baby loss. We have lots of other episodes you can listen to , so please skip this one if you find these topics distressing.

In this powerful and heartfelt episode, Sandra is joined by Dr. Tara Porter to dive deep into the psychology behind disordered eating, perfectionism, and our lifelong emotional relationship with food. From teens struggling with peer pressure to adults caught in a 60-year cycle of dieting and shame, this is a candid, compassionate conversation that resonates across generations.

We discuss:

Disordered Eating vs. Eating Disorders:

Tara explains the blurred line between the two and how both are shaped by emotional triggers, societal pressures, and early-life patterns.

The Shame Cycle:

Why restriction and overeating often go hand in hand—and how guilt, secrecy, and perfectionism keep people stuck in toxic loops.

The Influence of Childhood & Culture:

From skipping school lunches to coping with grief, food becomes both comfort and control. Tara and Sandra unpack how cultural messages (like “good vs. bad” foods) are internalized early and influence eating patterns for decades.

Perfectionism & Mental Health:

Dr. Tara highlights the dangers of perfectionism and how it's linked to anxiety, depression, and eating struggles. She unpacks the “what-the-hell effect” and how chasing a perfect diet leads to self-sabotage.

The "Good Enough" Concept:

A core theme from Tara’s parenting book, this episode explores how not feeling “good enough” fuels everything from disordered eating to low self-worth. Includes tips on breaking free and healing—even in later life.

Generational Trauma & Emotional Inheritance:

How comments from parents—even at age 66—can carry emotional weight, and what to do when you still feel diminished by someone else’s words.

Comfort Eating & Grief:

Practical advice for those who use food to cope with loss or loneliness, including real tools to replace emotional eating with true self-care.

💡 Expert Advice & Takeaways:

Use “psychologically healthy eating” as a framework: balance nutrition, intuition, and emotion like a rowing boat with a rudder.Develop your “F-off shield” and “compassion blanket” to protect yourself from hurtful comments while nurturing healing.Journaling prompts and letter writing as emotional processing tools.Restraint, not restriction: how to build healthy boundaries with biscuits (and everything else).

It's never too late to change – emotional healing and mindset shifts can happen at any age.

📚 Resources Mentioned:

You Don’t Understand Me – Dr. Tara’s guide for teenage girls navigating emotions, self-worth, and relationships with food. https://amzn.eu/d/1GQB0feGood Enough: A Framework for Modern Parenting – Tackles perfectionism, emotional resilience, and responsive parenting. https://amzn.eu/d/eOgzYri

The Weight’s Over by Sandra Roycroft-Davis – A powerful guide to retraining your brain and breaking free from diet culture. https://amzn.eu/d/e6f8x68

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If this episode moved you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear they are already good enough.

📲 Follow Sandra on instagram @sandraroycroftdavis or get in touch with the team at [email protected]

🌐 Learn more at www.ThinkingSlimmer.com

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