Mar 31, 2020
This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Meredith Starr, a professional dancer and dietitian who uses her platform to empower individuals to promote a healthy relationship with food and with their bodies. Starr — a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago — currently dances with the Outlet Dance Company and the Kate Jablonski Statement and works as a Registered Dietician, focusing on eating disorders, at the Insight Behavioral Health Center in Chicago.
Meredith — who describes herself as an “anti-diet dietitian” — understands that food is not the enemy and has chosen to spend her life helping people understand and apply the physical, mental, emotional, and social importance of food to their lives. On the podcast, Meredith discusses anything and everything food and proper nutrition, how her love for nutrition originated, how people can promote a positive view of food, and how her involvement with dance has evolved over the years.
Moving Quotes:
“I’ve never educated someone out of an eating disorder… which is why my personal practice has become a lot more comprehensive, relating not only to the physical aspects of nutrition, but also the counseling around why you choose to feed your body — or not feed your body — in the way that you do."
“Anything that disrupts you engaging in your life in a wholly present and meaningful way can be seen as disordered, be it work, food, or exercise… Are you engaging in this behavior, even without the presence of joy?"
“A person will notice a harmony between their relationship between food and movement when it’s something they’re not persistently preoccupied with."
“[Contemporary dance] felt so free — the ability to express so many things that aren’t just words. It is liberating — there were no rules."
“Rather than saying, ‘You need to lose weight to be healthy,' let’s reverse that. Let’s just be healthy first, and then weight is going to be an outcome of that."
Bullet Points (w/ timestamps) - Highlighting key topics discussed:
3:41: Meredith shares how her fascination with diet and nutrition originated and how she is applying her knowledge today.
8:27: Meredith discusses whether she observes common triggers of disordered eating behavior.
11:19: Starr explains her perspective on what defines disorder and addiction and how many types of behaviors can fit into this box.
14:48: Meredith speaks to the impact of social media on affecting people’s views — particularly young people’s views — of their bodies and how people can fight this negativity.
18:24: Starr describes the idea of the perfect balance between movement and nutrition.
21:09: Starr takes a break from speaking on nutrition to discuss her history in dance and her current involvement in the art.
25:46: Meredith discusses her favorite aspects of being a nutritionist and how she finds satisfaction in helping people see that food is not the enemy.
28:03: Meredith reveals the people in her life who are her mentors and role models, including a previous podcast guest.
31:52: Starr shares some resources to help guide anyone who may be interested in a career in nutrition.
35:10: Meredith discusses the next step in her nutrition career.
Bullet List of Resources –
Meredith Starr