The journey can feel isolating at times so communicating with your partner, family, and friends will support your path toward Food Peace. But how does one do this? You're in for a treat: guest expert and therapist Ashlee Bennett, author of the upcoming book, The Art of Body Acceptance, shares her insight. Subscribe and leave a review here in just seconds. This episode of The Love Food Podcast is brought to you by my Pop Up PCOS Podcast---Live only through the month of April. It focuses on how to live with and manage PCOS cravings. Get access to this private podcast here. Thank you for you supporting the Love Food Podcast! Dear Food, Wow, where to begin. I guess would be first telling the story of how you’ve been such a huge part of my life. My first memory of you taking over my head was when I was 9, wanting desperately for my prepubescent body to be flat like my friends, restricting my food because I thought that would make me better, but then bingeing on sleeves of cookies before school and flushing down the evidence so my parents wouldn’t see. And thus, what feels like a lifetime of disordered eating began. Restricting, binging, purging, I’ve tried it all, from the age of 9-22. And food, I gotta tell ya, I love you just as much as I hate you. I mean, you taste damn good! But I am obsessed with thinking of you, and how you affect my body and my mind. Now, everyday I work so hard to eat a balanced three meals, let myself indulge here and again all while you’re constantly on my mind. Add in a diagnosis of PCOS and a constant weight gain even though i eat healthier than pretty much anyone i know? This is hard. Something else that is hard- communicating all of this to my partner. My incredibly loving and supportive partner. The smallest phrase of “wow you ate that fast!” Or “I need a salad tomorrow after the pizza we ate today” can throw me off the handle. The shame placement on you, food, means so little to others but so much to me. The diagnosis of PCOS makes me feel so out of control of my body that i have to work everyday to like (notice I didn’t say love.) his offering of help sometimes feel like an intrusion on my own efforts. How do I keep my ED recovery strong, my nutrition as a top priority without grieving my PCOS diagnosis and symptoms, my ability to eat a huge juicy burger, and communicate all of this funk to my partner without making him feel like he’s harming me. It feels like it’s all just too much. My eating disorder history is mine, not his... but how can he best support me through this? Oh and food - did I mention that I hate and love you? Sincerely, Craving Partner Support Show Notes: Julie Dillon RD blog The PCOS + Food Peace Free Roadmap The PCOS + Food Peace Course Link to get latest Food Peace Syllabus. 6 Keys To Food Peace Pre-order Ashlee's book: The Art of Body Acceptance here. Ashlee's website: BodyImage-Therapist.com Ashlee's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bodyimage_therapist/ Submit your Dear Food letter here or https://forms.gle/pepKRGPC8JbHLHHn8 Julie on Instagram: Instagram.com/FoodPeaceDietitian Find Eating Disorder Dietitians near you. Do you have a complicated relationship with food? I want to help! Send your Dear Food letter to LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com.  Click here to leave me a review in iTunes and subscribe. This type of kindness helps the show continue!