Whole

Nutrition
T
he signs are just about everywhere
from the broadcast media to all the
stores. Our biggest annual holiday sea-
son is fast approaching. And along with the
holidays come familyand with family gath-
erings come feelings. So how do we handle the
holiday season knowing that its venues provide
the perfect atmosphere for family quarrels
especially the dinner table? Dont fall prey to
this annual recipe for family angst and dilem-
ma! Recognize that this season you dont have
to stuff down your childhood insecurities or
your families faux pas with extra large portions
of cranberry sauce, potato latkes or gingerbread
cookies. Nor do you need to numb yourself
and/or try to gain control by denying yourself
the enjoyment of those decadent dishes that are
surely memorable components of your families
holiday celebrations.
Separate Food and Feelings
First and perhaps most importantrecognize
that food and feelings are not one or the same.
Then craft a plan to make the holiday season
about the friends and family members you adore.
Limit sharing meals with those you tend to feel
uncomfortable around. Of course, we all know
Inside:
Healing Holiday Meals 1, 2
Defuse Eating Disorders 3, 4
Recipe 3
Fresh Facts 4
VOLUME 6 ISSUE 1 NOVEMBER 2012
P R O V I D I N G Y O U WI T H WH O L E S O M E N U T R I T I O N
news
HEALING HOLIDAY MEALS
B Y L AUR A CI P UL L O, R D, CDE , CE DS R D
Introduction
Whole Nutrition News has
dedicated this 2012 fall/winter
newsletter to surviving nutrition
dilemmas throughout this holiday
season. The media has allocated
enormous resources and time to
covering the obesity and diabetes
epidemics this past year but has yet
to address the increased occur-
rences of eating disorders. Eating
disorders range from anorexia to
BED (Binge Eating Disorder).
These conditions translate directly
to undereating and/or overeating
for gaining control, numbing ones
emotions, or even just trying to
lose weightespecially throughout
the holidays.
In support of all our readers who
fnd eating during this highly social
season more diffcult than any
other time of year, Whole
Nutrition News will feed you
four valuable and easily integrated
suggestions to Heal Holiday Meals as
well as expert recommendations to
Defuse Eating Disorders. Its our
heartfelt holiday wish for our cli-
ents, friends and readers to be at
peace with their food consumption,
body shapes and sizes, personal
convictions and mental attitudes!
continued on page 2
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WHOLE NUTRI TI ON NEWS WWW.LAURACIPULLOLLC.COM
that this is not always possible. If you must
dine with relatives who comment on your
food choicesor the brother who gets all of
your moms attentiontake a deep breath!
Maybe even two or three deep breaths!
Be Mindful of Yourself
Reallytake a deep breath and center yourself
before and after this mountain of a meal. Use
a mindful mediation, four-square breathing
or a form of guided imagery to separate your
meal from your fears, your holiday chaos and,
of course, the anxieties leading up to this fam-
ily time. Realize that this is simply just another
meal. The difference is the companyand
just what being with these people conjures up
for you. Knowing that the situation is loaded
with feelings, perhaps you might want to
excuse yourself and get up during the meal.
Taking this breather gives you time to check
in with yourself. Just ask yourself whether
youre eating to calm your nerves; eating to
avoid talking; or perhaps not eating anything
at all? Is your response emotional, behavioral
or physical?
Eat for Physical Reasons
Rather than deprive yourself of this delicious
meal, make a personal pact to eat the holi-
day meal because you need the fuel and this
particular fuel tastes really good. And theres
no need to skip lunch or even earlier meals.
Doing so will just set you up for overeating at
dinner. Instead, prepare to go to the feast feel-
ing neutral so that youll get hungry in time
for the entre. Then use a hunger fullness
scale and consider noting your food
intake, emotions and behaviors in a
log. You must give yourself permis-
sion to eat the meal without guilt in order to
diffuse the emotional aspects.
Plan for Support and Self Care
Knowing that meals can be immensely chal-
lenging even during non-holiday times
and now recognizing that they may be twice
as challenging with all the emotional family
triggers just waiting to be pulledbe sure to
create a support system for yourself. Make
a date to meet your friends just before or
immediately after a specific holiday meal. If
you cant be with your support system mem-
bers any time on that day, make a self-care
card. Produce a card to carry in your wallet
that lists self-care options designed specifi-
cally to help you through rough times such
as these. Instead of using food to numb your
feelings, try distracting yourself by knitting,
playing music, or drawing. You may also
want to clearly acknowledge your feelings
through tears, talking or journaling. The
options available to you are endless. Most
importantrecognize that you have a choice.
You surely can opt to use food to slake your
emotionseither by withholding it or by
overeating it. But the other choiceobvi-
ously, the more reasonable choiceis to take
good care of yourself by using some or all of
the non-destructive tools offered here. Just
remember: You are worthy! You need and
deserve to eat!
Eat for fuel and enjoy yourself at the same
time. It is the holiday seasona joy-
ous time of year that can, and should,
be filled with positive food experiences
especially when you know how to separate
the meals from your feelings.
Healing Holiday Meals
continued from page 1
NOVEMBER 2012 WHOLE NUTRI TI ON NEWS
3

DEFUSE EATING DISORDERS
AND MAKE YOUR HOLIDAY
SEASON HAPPIER!
B Y K A R E N ROB B I NS , L CS W- R , CGP, MS A ND
J E S S I C A A RONS ON, ACS W- R , CGP, CE D
S
adly, its become everyday news across
America. Scarcely a month goes by
without screaming headlines from
the tabloids proclaiming news about a new
celebrity whos living with an eating disorder.
(The latest current victim of headline humil-
iation is the lead singer from the Pussy Cat
Dolls.) Typically, the publics first reaction
is: They want to get attention and have to
be super fit and skinny to fit into Americas
public eye. To be thin is to be sexy and pop-
ular in our culture. Rarely do we hear: I
wonder what that star is putting herselfor
himselfthrough to attain that image and
how much emotional pain must she/he be
enduring. Why did she have to resort to such
a dramatic response to cope with her life?
On the surface, Eating Disorders (EDs) look
like and may have originated as seemingly fast
ways to lose weight. But they are always about
issues dealing with feelingsan inability to
cope, tolerate, or experience feelings; a desire
to numb oneself from feelings; a need to pun-
ish oneself because of feelings; and so on.
People with EDs have found controlling food
intakewhether restricting or bingeing on
itto be the way they defuse the enormously
painful feelings that torment them daily due
either to family trauma, biological makeup,
or life experiences. Once the habit takes over,
its increasingly difficult to reverse. Thats
when it becomes imperative to engage team
approaches to this problem by working with
therapists, nutritionists, doctors, psychiatrists
and groups, plus other options of higher-level
care. By learning adaptive and alternative cop-
ing mechanisms, those suffering with EDs are
able to approach, navigate and manage rela-
tionships in much healthier manners without
hurting themselves in the process.
When food serves as something other
Stuffed Baked
Apples
By Stefanie Dove,
Nutrition Intern
Ingredients:
9 apples, cored
Cup Almond Flour
Cup Chopped Walnuts
Cup Whole Cranberries
4 dried dates, pitted and chopped
Pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg
Cup unsweetened almond milk
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Core apples and squeeze a little
lemon juice into each one. In a
small pan, stir in almond meal,
walnuts, dates, salt, cinnamon,
ginger and coconut milk. Heat
for a few minutes over medium
heat until slightly thickened.
Carefully stuff apples with the
mixture.
3. Place stuffed apples into either
muffn pan or baking dish
4. Cover loosely with foil and
bake for 45 minutes or until
apples are soft and split slightly.
Drizzle with a small amount of
honey if desired.
Nutritional Information:
128 calories, 2.4g fat,
28.3g carbohydrates, 5g fber,
21.3g sugar, 1.4g protein
continued on page 4
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WHOLE NUTRI TI ON NEWS WWW.LAURACIPULLOLLC.COM
Fresh FactsAbout Laura Cipullo, RD, CDE, CEDS
2012 has been an unbelievably rewarding and growth-flled year for Laura
Cipullo, RD, CDE, CEDS, and her private practiceLaura Cipullo Whole
Nutrition Services. Not only did Laura qualify for recertifcation as a
Certifed Diabetes Educator, she also earned the highly sought credential of
Certifed Eating Disorder Specialist Registered Dietitian, CEDSRD. In order
to share the message of wholesome nutrition as a lifestyle to an ever-
expanding audience, Laura and her informational dispatches have begun
to appear in various multi-media outlets. She has been viewed providing
expert options on shows such as CBSs local morning show, The Couch,
and Headline News. Lauras words of nutritional wisdom are seen regu-
larly in The Huffngton Post, Modern Mom, Momstown Meals, and Todays
Dietitian. Of special importance, Laura is very excited to have been asked
to author her frst bookwhich will be released in late 2013.
Please remember to stay nourished with Lauras health guidance by fol-
lowing her weekly blog Eating and Living Moderately. Also learn how to
cultivate your childrens positive relationships with feeding, eating and body
image by reading her weekly personal blog, Mom Dishes It Out. Stay
hydrated and connected with us on Facebook at Laura Cipullo Whole
Nutrition Services. 2013 will be another active year of personal growth
and wholesome nourishment for both Laura and her supporters! And
dont forget that FB activity and comments get rewarded with freebies and
giveaways. Just check in every Monday to be eligible for these healthy and
fun free gifts.
Healthy and Happy Holidays to all!
Laura Cipullo Whole Nutrition Services 80 University Place, Suite 2A, New York, NY 10003
Phone: 917-572-7137 E-mail: CipulloRD@aol.com Web Site: LauraCipulloLLC.com
Laura Cipullo Whole Nutrition Services and Mom Dishes It Out @MomDishesItOut
Nutrition Services are offered Tuesdays and Thursdays by appointment only.
Defuse Eating Disorders
than fuel and begins to take over the manage-
ment of feelings, strong warning signals do
go off. You, your friends or family members
may detect that there is something clearly
dysfunctional and unhealthy occurring. As
therapists, we often get to witness our clients
aha moments. Thats when we see a group
member or individual associate the last binge
or period of not eating as a direct response
to some feeling she/he was unable to access
because it was just too difficult to connect the
dots. Therapeutic treatment goals for eating
disorderswhether binge eating, bulimia or
anorexiaare to help clients develop aware-
ness about their experiences and the emotions
behind them. Then they must enter into races
against their eating disorders by taking healthy
actions to deal with their feelings rather than
letting their EDs take over and win the races.
This is particularly important during the
holiday season when feelings about family
and/or lack of family so often get triggered.
Being around family members may recreate
still painful dynamics. Even imagining and/
or hearing about what others perfect holi-
day get-togethers (especially as depicted by
media) are like undoubtedly conjure up terri-
bly uncomfortable emotions that provide EDs
with fertile ground to grow. Having a strong
supportive network of loving, caring friends
and professionalswhether informally, in
meetings, groups or sessionsis critical dur-
ing these times. Advance planning to locate
safe places to engage in nurturing self-care
activities is the best holiday gift to give your-
self! So, take control in positive ways this holi-
day season. Youll make it the merriest ever!
continued from page 3
Karen Robbins, LCSW, MS, CGP is a
Psychotherapist with a private practice in New
York City. She is co-founder of Passages, for
people struggling with issues around food and
feelings. She is affiliated with NEDA, NASW,
EGPS and is a board member of iaedp NY.
JKPassages. www.jkpassages.com. 212-994-4530.
KarenandJessica@JKPassages.com-4530
Jessica Aronson, LCSW-R, ACSW, CGP, CEDS
is a Psychotherapist in private practice in New
York City specializing in the treatment of Eating
Disorders. In addition, she is co-founder of
Passages, which runs groups for women and men
battling addiction and Eating Disorders. She
is affiliated with NEDA, NASW, EGPS and a
board member of iaedp NY. In addition, she
completed a Post Masters Certificate from the
Stephen Mitchell Relational Studies program.
JKPassages. 917 379 2429. www.jkpassages.com.
jstherapist@yahoo.com

When food serves as something other than fuel
and begins to take over the management of
feelings, strong warning signals do go off.