EP 224: "I Don't Eat Carbs" & Other Lies You're Believing + 3 Strategies to Break Free from Fear Foods This Summer

Her Best Self | Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast, Disordered Eating, Anorexia, Bulimia, Orthorexia, Body Image, Food Freedom, Calorie Counting, Obsessive Exercise, Food Restriction

If you're the woman everyone sees as "having it all together" but you secretly battle food thoughts every day, this episode is for you. Today we're exposing the lies high-achieving women tell themselves about carbs and revealing why your fear of bread, pasta, and fruit has nothing to do with discipline and everything to do with identity.

You'll discover the science behind why your brain needs carbohydrates to function, hear a powerful client transformation story, and walk away with 3 tangible strategies you can implement this week to start eating freely this summer.

What You'll Learn

✨ Why your identity as "the disciplined one" might actually be keeping you trapped
✨ The scientific truth about carbs and brain function that diet culture doesn't want you to know
✨ How restriction is literally impacting your cognitive performance and mood
✨ Why the most successful women struggle most with food freedom
✨ 3 immediate action steps to break free from carb fear this summer

Key Takeaways The Identity Trap

• Your fear of carbs isn't really about carbs—it's about who you think you'll become if you eat them
• Being "the woman who doesn't need carbs" has become a prison disguised as discipline
• True discipline looks like nourishing your body, not restricting it

The Science You Need to Know

• Your brain uses 120 grams of glucose daily (480 calories worth of carbohydrates)
• Glucose is the primary fuel source for your prefrontal cortex (decision-making center)
• Low-carb diets can impair cognitive performance and mood regulation
• Carbs are essential for serotonin production (your happiness neurotransmitter)

The Summer Shift

This summer can be different, but it requires challenging the identity you've built around restriction and embracing a new definition of what it means to be disciplined and successful.

3 Strategies to Break Free From Fear Foods This Summer Strategy 1: The Summer Food Dare

Choose one carb you've been avoiding and eat it mindfully this week. Notice how your body feels and remind yourself: "I am safe. I am nourished. I am worthy of enjoyment."

Strategy 2: The Identity Reframe Journal Practice

Every morning write: "I am a woman who nourishes herself well." List what you WILL eat to fuel your life instead of what you WON'T eat.

Strategy 3: The Carb Curiosity Experiment

For one week, approach carbs with curiosity instead of fear. When the voice says "you don't need that," respond with "I'm curious how this will make me feel."

Featured Client Story

Hear how Lindsey's client, a doctor by trade and marathon runner, went from being unable to eat a bagel without spiraling to enjoying pizza with her kids and pasta on date nights—while actually improving her energy and work performance.

Research Mentioned

• American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Brain glucose requirements
• Journal of Nutrition: Cognitive performance and carb intake
• MIT Research: Carbohydrates and serotonin synthesis
• International Journal of Eating Disorders: Flexible vs. rigid eating patterns

Quotes to Remember

"Your fear of carbs isn't about the carbs—it's about losing control of an identity built on restriction."

"The only bad thing about carbs is the people who tell you not to eat them."

"Your brain runs on glucose, not willpower."

"You don't earn carbs. You deserve them because you're alive."

Ready to Go Deeper?

If this episode hit you right in the chest and you're ready to break free from food fear this summer, you don't have to do this alone.

Take the Next Step: Fill out a client application at www.herbestself.co to learn about partnering with Lindsey through her Breakthrough Experience or Freedom Formula programs. These aren't quick fixes—they're deep identity work that helps you become the woman who eats freely while living fully.

Your future self—the one eating pasta at sunset dinners and ice cream with your kids—is waiting for you to take the first step.

Connect With Lindsey

🎙️ Website: www.herbestself.co
📱 Instagram: @thelindseynichol
💌 Email: [email protected]
👥 Private Community: www.herbestselfsociety.com

Leave a Review

If this episode resonated with you, I'd be so grateful if you'd leave a rating and review. Your words help this podcast reach more women who need to hear that food freedom is possible.

Share this episode with a friend who needs to hear that she's worthy of nourishment and that breaking free from food rules is the most disciplined thing she can do.

xo,

Lindsey

Coach with Me -＞Client Application

* While I am a certified health coach, anorexia survivor & eating disorder recovery coach, I do not intend the use of this message to serve as medical advice. Please refer to the disclaimer here in the show & be sure to contact a licensed clinical provider if you are struggling with an eating disorder.