Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Jean Sullivan, registered dietitian and the owner of Vital Food Therapy, (and an all-around amazing human being!) She has supported individuals in hospital facilities and private practice for over 30 years. She is a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer, Reiki practitioner, and Holistic Cannabis Certified Practitioner.

She has provided nutrition therapy, inpatient in the specialties of pediatrics, women’s services, cardiology, and orthopedic rehab, along with all levels of eating disorder treatment programming in Texas. Jean incorporates somatic experiences for healing such as connections in nature, equine-led education, horticulture, art, culinary, and life skills into her work with clients. She explores the mind, spirit, and body connections in recovery. She is a certified Befriending Your Body Teacher©

In today’s eating disorder recovery expert interview, Jean shares crucial information on how to restore the gut microbiome in eating disorder recovery.

One of the reasons I love working with you and respect your work as a registered dietitian so much is because you really seem to live a life of intention and truly embrace all forms of healing, not just food. You also have a deep connection with nature which you share with others. Will you please describe some of the many natural healing therapies that you offer and how you combine them with evidence-based nutrition science to help others achieve full recovery?

The first thing that comes to mind from a clinical channel, I always say there are two routes that sort of intertwine and overlap and then run parallel. The clinical track is so foundational to the roots of recovery of getting more information about what’s going on in the body. We are really fortunate that we have good clinical testing so that we can find out a more about the body even along a genetic route, micronutrient testing, antibody levels, and other testing for inflammatory markers.

So, there are a lot of things that we can get very specific about and create meal plans that begin to heal and bring the body into more balance. Along that clinical route, that to me is kind of like the roots that you can put down to then build a meal plan that really, truly is personalized and creates that needed healing. And then the other track is more somatic, spiritual mind-body connection therapies.

And it’s where the nature connections come in, but doesn’t that even really come in the clinical lab work? I mean we are a part of nature. And so the lab work is just measuring on a cellular level how magnificent the body is, highlighting intricate pathways of functioning.

And when we start to look at that, it can be pretty humbling to be like, “Wow, we’re so focused on objectifying this part of the body or criticizing this or that.” Instead of honoring the whole system. Meanwhile, trillions of cells are supporting us at all costs, no matter what. We are their person. That’s all that matters.

I mean, it’s humbling. And so, again, there’s that crossover of clinical information and yes, we’re a part of nature. Those external connections in nature, whether it’s a pet, standing under a tree, going for a walk, listening to birds, sky gazing, water gazing, any of that can be very grounding, bringing us home.

From a trauma-informed place, water-gazing may be comforting for one person, but if they’ve had a drowning episode, maybe not. So it’s our job to really tune into what connections to nature are going to feel safe and that’s where we’re really active listeners to watch and sense how a person responds to different experiences as we work with them. Reiki is a beautiful way of creating grounding and a relaxed state to get energy unstuck.

Can you explain the Befriending Your Body Program certification that you took?

I’ve been in private practice for a long time. My 21 year old daughter was probably six months old when I opened my first office in Richardson, Texas. I remember being in that little office, and I used to have this handout…. I wish I had it today to show you, but you can imagine it was, the front wooden door of a Tuscan Villa and it had these beautiful bright pink flowers enveloping the door and a stone walkway going up to it.

And the handout was about “going inward”. And I thought, “I’m a dietitian. Why am I talking about this stuff?”

But very early on, I knew that working in eating disorder treatment centers, creating a structured meal plan is one piece of it, but then there’s all this stuckness. Who’s benefiting from the meal plan if the nervous system can’t regulate? So how do we go inward? So here I am for twenty plus years as a clinical dietitian trying to navigate how I get people to connect to that internal dialogue and understand their body better, to honor it, and then follow that healing path.

And then I met Ann Saffi Biasetti, Author of the book Befriending Your Body. The really beautiful thing is that it’s been her life’s work as a therapist to collect all of this qualitative data of her work with clients, as well as mindfulness, self-compassion-based practices, and poly vagal research to create this program that is very meaningful. It’s a trauma-informed, eight-week program and you can’t rush it. It is hard, it is what I call somatic magic, it is worth it!

It’s a weekly group or individual series for 8 weeks of information and somatic experiencing through body scans and then gradually going deeper in sensing and knowing the body, because it really is learning a new language or relearning the original language of our bodies.

So it’s the hardest work that anyone can do because so much grief and sadness of how we’ve been disconnected from our bodies comes up. It’s a slowed-down process, and every week builds on itself. A kind of discovery, some grief, discomfort, and then being able to capture that, regulate the nervous system to be in the moment and create some really meditative states for healing.

Dr. Biasetti’s work is such a gift to me as a provider because it is a beautiful tool to release stuckness. You and I both know, and we’ve talked about it over the last few years, people are severely stuck. They’re struggling.

And so this program has been a beautiful way to take the focus specifically off “do this, you have to eat this way, or you have to do this thing or use these coping skills.”

Instead, it’s just slowing down and gradually, very slowly learning this new language that our body is trying to speak to us. And that takes time. For example, we can’t drop ourselves in Japan with no help and navigate the complex language & culture if we are not fluent. It would take a lot of time, connection, and focus to learn all the nuances of new language & culture.

And so it’s the same way with learning the language for our body and our nervous system.

I can’t think of any human that doesn’t benefit in some way, and sometimes I’ll catch my husband and say, “Try this body scan!” He may humor me with the activity and then always, a nod of “yep, that works”.

It’s very universal. I’ve worked with wide range of folks all ages, genders, cultures, and professions, stay at home parent, teacher, healthcare provider, executive, to first responder. And not unique in benefiting just eating disorder recovery but all whole health concerns. It’s recovery from any state of dysregulation.

We know that eating disorders cause extreme harm to our gut microbiome resulting in compromised physical and mental health. We also know that we need to replenish and balance the microbes in our gut to recover from the eating disorder and reset our overall health. How do you teach clients to incorporate revitalizing foods needed for a healthy microbiome without becoming obsessive?

The gut microbiome is so compromised in clients with eating disorders and has a huge, huge impact on physical and mental health. And when we replenish the microbes through rich nourishing foods, that absolutely heals the gut. You had asked about revitalizing foods to incorporate, that support the microbiome in the gut without becoming obsessive, and the first thing I thought of was not necessarily food, but not restricting.

So many people skip breakfast…once we’re in that waking purposeful state, whether we wake up at seven in the morning or wake up at seven PM for a night shift, that’s upregulating the body energy and it’s time to nourish. And so, when we don’t do that, the body soon goes into that dysregulated state. Glucose drops, metabolic pathways must shift, the adrenals activate for the fight and cortisol levels crank up. The stress game is on!

We immediately dysregulate every body system when we don’t give our only bodies fuel. So, that’s the first thing, is- not restricting meals.

When we do nourish a relaxed body, the blood flow to the digestive tract is activated and that in itself decreases inflammation, increases nutrient absorption, and increases the health of the membranes lining the digestive tract.

So that is super important. The next one after that is probably fiber. People definitely don’t eat enough plants.

I collect food recalls daily and on average, fiber intake is often twenty percent of what the body really needs. And so there’s always work to be done in that area. We are designed to eat plants and have that fiber both soluble and insoluble for feeding the good bacteria in the gut and creating a protective, signaling lining, regulating glucose metabolism & appetite.

And fiber rich foods support enzyme production to break down other things like lipids and amino acids (protein) for cell function. So fiber is really valuable, not just isolated fiber supplements but the whole deal, whole plants with active phytonutrients and fiber!

Which foods do you specifically recommend for reviving gut health?

For reviving the gut, it’s nutrient repletion and a regulated nervous system.

And, I’m actually not an advocate of all foods fit because when we do that clinical assessment piece, if someone has very dysregulated glucose metabolism from bingeing or long periods of restricting and the pancreas is just in snooze mode, then doing a food exposure because a treatment center or a provider says you need to do some yummy dessert or whatever, yes, it’d be wonderful for those pleasurable foods to fit. But if that level of carbohydrate or sugar intake at that point in time for their body creates more struggle and dysregulation, is it really time?

Yes, when the body is healed, all foods can fit. But is the body well enough and regulated enough to take everything in at any point in the recovery path? And that’s the part I don’t necessarily believe. And that’s my question to each person through the clinical assessment.

Is this person ready for this type of food exposure, or do we need to put that one on hold? And that’s really what gentle nutrition is. It’s saying, let’s meet the body where it is, and what can it tolerate? What will it do well with, digestively and metabolically? Then a restored, resilient system- mind & body, is an all foods can fit body!

I see people’s labs and their serum insulin is off the charts, their glucose is bouncing all over the place, their iron and zinc bottomed out, and their vitamin D is half of what it should be. Vitamin D supports alleviating depression and regulating the adrenals and hormones. Does it make sense to intensely challenge a malnourished body? So if we’re not addressing those things, how can we expect people to jump into their hierarchy food list and do those hard food exposures or talk about how they perceive their body, when they’re so chemically dysregulated?

There seem to be a lot of misconceptions about intuitive eating, some of which stem from extremism within the registered dietitian community on social media. People often think intuitive eating means zero structure and no nutritional guidance. This is frightening, particularly to clients who started treatment due to uncontrollable disordered eating behaviors, and then received intensive nutritional therapy which was highly structured. As clients become responsible for their own feeding and eating, how do you educate and guide them toward using their intuition without abandoning them to handle their own recovery or health issues?

I always keep hoping and praying there’s going to be more revision to intuitive eating that includes nervous system regulation because intuitive eating is also being intuitive enough to know that even in the most recovered scenario (I am, forty-two years recovered or something) but even then, as an intuitive eater, I still would say, “Oh, wow. This day coming up is going to be really hard. I have a lot going on. I’m going to plan my meals. I’m going to create a structure for myself because that’s going to regulate my nervous system. That’s going to keep me grounded.”

Intuitive eating is knowing when and what the body needs at any given time, on any different day. So that may mean more structure or giving permission for more flexibility. And what’s in that gap of support? Lots of people are like, “I don’t know how to answer that, I don’t know what I need!” because they don’t speak the language of their nervous system.

So that’s where it does go back to the somatic therapies of helping people understand what are the things that help them really feel safe and grounded. And until you slow down, stop, and check in with that, it’s hard to answer that question. It’s way more complex than what gets thrown out there on social media, etc. Intuitive eating teachers provide a beautiful new path and opens a whole world to people. The whole path is complex and slow. It just is not an express route to ‘Food Freedom’.

Folks reach out to me a year or two after learning about Intuitive Eating, just scattered with all the shame and guilt, “I’m not doing the intuitive eating thing right!!” It’s because there’s an expectation that’s not realistic and I don’t believe that it’s what the authors intended. It just doesn’t translate well into the excessive public and generalized promotion and in many high-volume recovery programs. Everyone’s experience is going to be different, as unique as their DNA.

The guiding piece is so tied to actively listening. My message most recently to young RDs is when you’re in a session, really stay focused and connected to that person. I’ve been in team/client sessions and the other clinician is on the laptop and taking notes, no eye contact or multitasking.

And we work with the most highly sensitive population, and the most intelligent, in my opinion. I mean, these people I love, and they fascinate me. And so, to be multitasking or distracted when clients, these precious souls, are trying to communicate their struggle with us, it’s just invaluable for us to stop and not already be formulating what our clinical response is going to be.

Or thinking, “Oh, I think we’re going to need to run that lab test for them,” or “Oh, I’m going to for sure, make that one of their goals.”

It’s hard to do because we’re so programmed to be that fast-paced. “I have to write a note on this and move to the next session.” We’re trained as health care providers to keep a high volume of client loads, whether that’s in programs or hospitals, and do the visit, write the note, chart away, and keep production up.

And it’s very counterproductive and counterintuitive to really being present with the client and just truly listen and allow a pause and let it sink in and say, “Okay. What part of what they said triggered my own experience?” So, we can set that aside and say, “Okay. What do they need? What’s the reflection, the response? And how can I be a guide for them in what they need right now?”

Active listening is a skill to be honed over a lot of years for sure. On another note, a lot of intuitive eating providers talk about “helping you return to your natural state of balance” or “to your intuitive state” as if we were born with it. If you’ve ever worked in clinical pediatrics, no research says that every human returns to this balanced Zen natural state of intuitive eating. There are babies that are born or even surgeries that happen in utero that already dysregulate that cellular balance and we have to help them learn how to live with that.

So the questions that some clinicians may not even ask, “Were you a full-term baby? Were there any surgeries in infancy or childhood?” Because if they had a Nissen Fundoplication or Necrotizing Enterocolitis and had a portion of their intestines resected, they started their precious life already with these things not necessarily in this sort of connected state of “I know when I’m full and I know when I’m hungry.”

So maybe we have to help them identify other ways or always have those non-negotiable pieces of structure because they may not, and for good reason, recognize their body cues as accurate signals for balance.

It’s like, “Oh, wow. My body went through a lot before I could even speak, I will honor that, and learn about it.”

So that’s not something that’s talked about enough, and it’s a slap in the face, invalidation to people that are walking around with ileostomy bags, gastric bypass, or other significant life-altering medical history that impacts their ability to be intuitive with their body cues. We have to ask more questions and listen.

I heard you say something on your Instagram a while back that I so deeply believe and also try to impress upon my clients. You said, “Healing is always available to you. You just need to accept it.” Will you please explain what you meant by this?

We manifest whatever energy we hold. It’s a big part of our jobs as guides to help people get unstuck and help their energy flow in the direction of visualizing healing, visualizing hope, and visualizing that things can change. And that goes back to the connections in nature.

You can go on a nature walk and see almost immediately three ways how nature heals itself. Whether it’s water regenerating, a tree that broke off a branch in a storm and rerouted beautiful branches another way, whatever it is. And the cells of our body are no different.

And our nervous system that branches out from the spine with all these smaller and smaller fractal roots of nerve endings is so much like mycelium. The show Fantastic Fungi talks about that fungal network underground. It’s like the natural Internet.

And it’s a system of reciprocation of that messaging center. A mother tree will send messages through the mycelium to its children’s trees to send nutrients or warnings of bad bacteria or a fungus and tell them to send roots in other directions.

Our nervous system is similar and using those metaphors in nature really helps people start to think in a different way.

Like, “Oh, if I am a part of nature, could my body heal? Is it possible, maybe not the way I expect it to heal, but maybe things will change? Maybe my body will heal in a different way.”

What is the most important message you wish to share with those struggling with eating disorders?

My message is that your life holds great purpose and every little step forward, every breath you take, is one of hope and brightness, and your recovery is hope for the future. It’s hope for carrying out the purpose that you were designed for in this life. That’s what it’s all about.

You can find more information about Jean’s services on her website.

Posted by Merrit Elizabeth on March 21, 2024

Merrit Elizabeth

Merrit Elizabeth is an Eating Disorder Recovery Coach certified by The Carolyn Costin Institute. She holds a master’s degree in Health Promotion Management and has years of experience working with women with eating disorders.