Author: Gretchen

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” –Mary Oliver At the beginning of my work, when eating disorders were first being named and talked about, I was very naïve. I thought that once people understood the harm that our “thin ideal” body image created, the obsession…

Mother Teresa, responding to a question about her impressions of the United States, said that we are poorer here than even the “poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta.” She said that Americans are spiritually poor, worse by far than the worst material poverty.  A Tibetan lama escaped Tibet by walking to India…

There are many books and a mountain of scientific articles on meditation and its benefits. This article is a brief overview, and reflects my Buddhist training. Keep in mind however, that many traditions have meditation, including Christian and Jewish. The word, “meditation” is used for many activities, including contemplation, however, it actually refers to training…

Hatha yoga, once the province of Indian yogis and ‘60’s hippies, has become mainstream. It is offered in most gyms and Y’s, as well as in yoga centers, many of which have sprung up in the last few years. Yoga is Sanskrit for “union.” Union can be seen as balancing the active-alert and quiet-relaxed states…

My journey into intuitive eating was both a personal and professional one. In my 20’s I experienced the spectrum of eating disorders: had I been seen by a trained professional, I would have been diagnosed first with anorexia nervosa, then eventually bulimia, and finally binge eating disorder. Neither of the latter two of these conditions…

By Gretchen Rose Newmark, MA, RD, LD Hatha yoga has become popular, available in many places such as gyms and work settings, as well as more traditional yoga centers. You might find it useful as you recover from an eating disorder. If you want to try yoga, or are doing it now, here is how…

Train Mindfulness with Meditation There are many books and a mountain of scientific articles on meditation and its benefits. This article is a brief overview, and reflects my Buddhist training. Keep in mind however, that many traditions have forms of meditation, including Christian and Jewish. The word, “meditation” is used for many activities, including contemplation,…

A Common, Overlooked Cause of Binge Eating Kristine sighs, “I started eating candy as soon as it was in the stores for Halloween, and couldn’t stop until the Easter candy was gone!” Her therapist who is treating her for binge eating disorder has referred her to me for nutrition counseling, and as I ask more…

Working with Resistant Clients “I wanted to try adding one vegetable a day, but my wife was busy with the kids and my boss gave me a lot of work to do so I just couldn’t get to the store.” You listen to this story with a sinking feeling. This is the third session in…

People who attempt to restrict their food intake commonly eat inadequate protein. Most nutritionists recommend that we eat about 60% of our calories as carbohydrate, 25-30% as fat, and 10-15% as protein. For most people, this means eating the amount of protein in at least two 3 oz. servings of protein-rich foods and 2 or…