EPISODE 19
FEMINISM, FOOD & FREEDOM: ARE YOUR EMOTIONS CONTROLLING YOUR BODY?
NUTRITION EXPERT, DR EMILIA THOMPSON
CONTENT WARNING: This episode touches on deep, serious topics around emotional and physical abuse in relationships. If you, or someone you know, is in need of support, there are resources available at https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/getting-help-for-domestic-violence/.
How is your relationship with food and your body? 1% of us might say it’s perfect, but for the other 99% of us, Dr Emilia Thompson is here.
Once Britain’s #2 bodybuilder, now fulfilling a purpose to help others live their best lives, she’s a true expert in nutrition, exercise and mindfulness.
Dr Emilia joins us to go Off Script on her complicated relationship with food throughout the years, the worst misleading myths in fitness & nutrition, life as a self-described ‘raging feminist’, and so much more.
This episode covers
Being Britain’s #2 bodybuilder amid a complex relationship with food
Escaping an emotionally abusive relationship
Feminism in the modern age
The angle from which we can best approach gender equality issues
Becoming a single mother by choice, and the RUI process
The low quality of some research reinforcing bad diet trends
Holistic nutrition and intuitive eating
Debunking the biggest nutrition myths
Mastering mindfulness
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
“I found bodybuilding, which basically took all of my disordered eating habits and put them in this little box that said, ‘Get a trophy for your disordered eating habits’. I struggled with my relationship with food all the way through bodybuilding, but I competed, and came second in Britain”
3:40 - Dr Emilia Thompson
——
“I decided I was going to be the person that tried to hold everything together for everyone, as we do. As a result of that I didn't show any potentially negative feelings. Obviously, it's completely impossible not to feel anything that's potentially negative. As a result of that, I just found myself using food to suppress those feelings.” - 2:30 - Dr Emilia Thompson
“Helping support people to feel at peace with themselves is my purpose. I want to do that as long as I can for as many people as I can. My job combines where I'm really good in terms of book smarts and science with my own spirituality and my own journey.” - 17:40 - Dr Emilia Thompson
“The problem is not us not identifying male violence early enough. The problem is the male violence in the first place. We do everything we can to protect ourselves. There's been times in my life where I would only wear baggy clothes, because I couldn't be bothered with all of this stuff that would come from it. We've done so much of that, and we're tired of doing that.” - 32:10 - Dr Emilia Thompson
“Even ‘failed relationships’, I think they were supposed to happen. They didn't fail, they taught you something. I'm very much of that mindset.” - 49:20 - Dr Emilia Thompson
“Realistically, the quality of research is so low in so many situations, and a lot of it just gets through the net, and then it's published. There’s wee bits of research that say the keto diet is optimal for health. It's absolutely not, but I guarantee you, if you Google that you would find a research paper that said so.” - 1:01:45 - Dr Emilia Thompson
“I think it can be really hard to navigate on both sides, but can you let me be wrong? Can you let me say something and not cancel me, and just say, ‘That was a silly thing to say, what we actually say is this’.” - 1:09:30 - Dr Emilia Thompson
“People who are evidence based don't stand a bloody chance, because we're all crap at communicating it. So it doesn't get out there, and the lack of nuance is much easier to sell.” - 1:25:50 - Dr Emilia Thompson
“Now I try to speak up a bit more, because I think, ‘Okay well if he wants to do something about it, that's fine. He's got a hell of a lot more to lose than I do’. If that can help someone else, that's great.” - 1:46:30 - Dr Emilia Thompson