TMM PODCAST EPISODE 142: Why Emotional Eating is Bad For You and How to Stop It (The Best of The Menopause Movement Podcast Episode 67)

I watched this Russian science fiction where robots looked like humans, and everytime something happened, these humans were pouring a drink and smoking.

When I think about the commercials in the 50s, I remember seeing eating, drinking, and pushing down emotions.

We're almost conditioned with the way the media portrays stress—that when you feel a certain way, the thing to do is to reach for a substance. It's not to go out for a walk and control ourselves or to get some personal mastery.

I usually share this story of how certain types of food remind me of my parents.

Whenever I eat potato chips, I think about my dad. I have a really strong memory of him slicing potatoes, putting salt on them, and eating them raw. With my mom it's her in one of those square pants while she made brownies, and me eating the corners.

When I choose to eat potato chips, I always have to step back and be the observer and say, "Okay, well, what is this? Am I missing my dad who passed away in 2017 or am I really enjoying the crunch?"

I always want to be cognizant of that, because of the ripple effect.

Because when we identify the emotions associated with whatever we do, we get to talk about it, understand where it came from, and see how it affects our personal mastery and relationships.

It's a ripple effect that women in the Menopause Movement experience that results to improved relationships and feeling better overall.

In today's episode of The Best of The Menopause Movement Podcast, I'm with a professional chef who created menopause-friendly recipes with me, Cassandra Cotoia.

During the podcast we discuss food and emotions, chefs, cooking, eating for herself PLUS:

• The Menopause Movement Recipes for Living Cookbook and our recipes membership
• Shifting gears from employment to starting her own business
• Health coaching
• How food connects families and is emotionally rewarding and memorable
• Cassandra's relationship with anxiety
• Choosing not to drink and the choices that she's made
• Support for not drinking as a chef and where to find it
• How her choice to not drink has been an experiment rather than a punishment
• Cultural beliefs around drinking

If you want to start understanding your food choices to feel better in menopause, this episode is for you.

• Check my latest podcast or listen to the previous ones (https://www.menopausemovement.com/podcast)
• Connect with me on Instagram @drmichellegordon
• Follow me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/drmichellegordon
• Check out my LinkedIn posts (https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmichellegordon/)
• Check out the One Year No Beer Website (https://www.oneyearnobeer.com/)
• Visit the Empowered Foodie Website (https://www.empoweredfoodie.com/)
• Follow Chef Cassandra on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/cassandra.cotoia)
• Join the Empowered Foodie Facebook group (https://ww.facebook.com/groups/1956420097951826)

• Menopause Movement: Recipes for Living by Dr. Michelle Gordon and Chef Cassandra Cotoia https://amzn.to/3miiawi
• The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer https://amzn.to/2E0KZfn

[2:59] A little background on Chef Cassandra
[5:20] Cooking for Dr. G
[6:42] Experimenting on the healthiest diet
[9:44] Exploring business opportunities
[11:18] Being a chef and a health coach
[12:09] Working with kids
[15:22] The big ripple effect of cooking as a group
[16:27] Food connects to memory
[18:18] Food unites families
[20:25] Being alcohol-free
[21:25] Experiencing the side-effects of alcohol-intake
[22:56] It's hard to be in a world of distractions and not be distracted
[23:24] Trying alcohol cessation
[25:06] Examining your beliefs to free yourself from alcohol
[26:41] Having the right support system to get you through alcohol cessation
[27:58] To be good at food, you should be good at playing with food
[30:17] Having wine is a culturally-accepted belief system
[32:20] It's okay to feel your emotions
[34:53] Alcohol only temporarily pushes your emotions away
[36:34] At the end of the day, things are just things
[38:51] Answering alcohol recommendation questions from clients
[40:35] How to be a health coach with Chef Cassandra

Cassandra Cotoia is a professional chef and health coach from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. With over 20 years of culinary experience, she has transitioned from being an executive chef, working for a private home, to having her own business called Empowered Foodie. In her free time, she enjoys being with her husband Jim and their dog, Roy, and two cats, Minna and Merlin.