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Allison Tepper: What If Your Relationship with Food Could Be Peaceful?
My name is Allison Tepper and my business is Tepper Nutrition, and we serve really all ages, all types of needs when it comes to nutrition. We really want to make sure that clients are feeling confident and supported and eating in a way that feels sustainable. We work with pediatrics all the way up to 80s Anyone that needs help around nutrition. We are here.
Speaker 2:What drew you to the world of nutrition? Just give me a quick overview of your journey, from the start.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I actually didn't even know that I could go into the field of nutrition before finding it.
Speaker 1:I feel very grateful that the school that I went to offered nutrition as a major and I stumbled into it. Nutrition was always something that I had been curious about growing up. It was a topic of conversation in the family at times. There was a lot of confusion around it and in our culture, so much focus on food and body image, and I found it overwhelming as a kid, and going into high school, being able to have a career and find a major to focus on that was allowing me to help people to navigate it in the way that it helped me was really exciting, so something that I was about. But then I stumbled into the degree, which I again feel so grateful for, had such a good experience and I just know that it was the best decision to go into this field. It's just something that I'm truly passionate about. I have been able to evolve my relationship with food in a way that feels joyful and nourishing. Being able to help others do that too is just amazing.
Speaker 2:I bet that's so fulfilling. Regarding your approach, you've been certified in intuitive eating since 2013. What inspired you to take that path and how has it evolved your approach to nutrition counseling?
Speaker 1:Intuitive eating is definitely another thing. I'm very passionate about Going into the nutrition world and being a dietetics major. There's a lot of focus on numbers and counting, and here's your plan, and that was not a way of eating that I was incorporating into my daily life, Some of my first jobs. It was that approach of being very structured and I wanted to find a way of eating for myself and for others. That kind of was this balance of understanding the science of nutrition, but in a way that felt sustainable and flexible. I'm going to talk about the joy of eating a lot so enjoyable. Those were all really important pieces to me, and so intuitive eating really focuses on that. It is understanding the science of nutrition, taking into consideration your unique needs, your body's cues, your history, genetics just all the different layers that can play a role in one's approach to food and then being able to find a way of eating that is really personalized to that.
Speaker 2:It shocked me to see that you've been certified since 2013,. Just because that term intuitive eating I first learned about, I feel like on TikTok during COVID and it opened my eyes. I was like, oh my gosh, it's so simple but also so complicated because of all these cultural things like what you're talking about. How do you explain the difference between traditional dieting and the non-diet, haze-aligned approach that you offer at Tupper Nutrition?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a good question because sometimes, especially with social media, it can get a little bit confusing, a little bit murky.
Speaker 1:The difference is that dieting might be more of the trends and quick fixes, maybe the month-long programs, things that when you start them you're excited and then maybe you start to feel exhausted, frustrated or deprived, if you're noticing these uncomfortable feelings around food. That would be more of the diet approach, With the intuitive eating and haze-aligned approach we are taking, again like this science of nutrition, but really making it feel doable for all people, regardless of their history with food, medical diagnoses or whatever might be going on in their lives. It is taking into consideration not only the type of food we're eating but the relationship to food, your thoughts around food, again like your body's cues. We're also taking into consideration knowing that, like people can be all shapes and sizes and really what we're focusing on health promoting behaviors, versus doing things that feel restrictive or punitive or unsustainable to people. So it's taking into consideration each person's unique body and how they were born and then finding a way of eating that really supports that, versus someone trying to kind of fit into something that doesn't necessarily work for them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that it's a little bit more personalized and it has that holistic kind of feeling. It takes into account their background and maybe health struggles that they've had and their mental health as well. I think when you're really looking for long-term solutions, you need to take those things into account Absolutely. I absolutely love that approach. For someone who's struggling with their relationship with food or body image. What's the first step you recommend towards healing?
Speaker 1:I would say to reach out to someone Disordered eating or these critical thoughts around food and body can thrive in isolation and get worse. So knowing that there's a lot of really great resources out there can be a really good starting place. Just to talk about it, just putting it out there can make such a huge difference or finding others who are going through similar things. I think it can be quite a shameful thing for people. So knowing there's no shame in getting help around this sort of thing it's so common and especially with our culture, there's a lot of confusion and there's a lot of issues that we're seeing around food. So that would be my number one recommendation to get, support, talk to someone a lot of good resources in the area.
Speaker 2:And I can say that is 100% true, someone who has been to registered dietitians in the past it definitely is a great first step. So I agree, you've worked with a wide range of health needs, from PCOS to IBS to eating disorders. How do you personalize care for such diverse needs while still staying rooted in your core values?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a great question.
Speaker 1:I want to mention that on the team there are five of us and we each have similar approaches but specialize in different things.
Speaker 1:We would definitely make sure the clients are put with a provider that specializes in whatever they might be experiencing, but we all work from that intuitive eating foundation where, regardless of the condition or need that someone comes in with, we are going to find a way of eating that feels like we are adding in and including more foods and focusing on variety and balance while working towards your goals. A lot of times it can feel like, when someone gets a diagnosis or when they are approaching food, that it's like we're over here and then we are swinging over here in terms of a pendulum swinging back and forth. It doesn't have to be that we're really finding, like this good in-between and middle ground, and that's where we're able to say, okay, we are going to help you to treat whatever condition you're coming in with, but finding that middle ground allows us to stay rooted in those values of being neutral and supportive and having variety and sustainability around everything.
Speaker 2:The gray area can be a little hard for people sometimes, so we're here to help with that. As a registered yoga teacher, how do you integrate mindfulness and movement into your client work, especially for those who are dealing with body image challenges, stress?
Speaker 1:and emotional eating or binge eating or even restriction. It can show up in different ways. We also see a correlation between stress and GI conditions and things like that. So mindfulness definitely a big piece of the puzzle around food and life.
Speaker 1:We'll talk about deep breathing and different practices before going into your meals or when you're noticing that desire to eat, or if it's feeling a little bit heightened, then really kind of taking a step back and doing some mindfulness meditation or even just journaling or just taking some time for yourself. So we talk about it in that sense and then also in terms of GI conditions, slowing down and incorporating those types of practices to help with digestive issues. But then in everyday life, in terms of grounding into your body, a lot of times there's a disconnect. So being able to appreciate and tune into their body's needs is part of it as well. With the yoga teacher training and being a yoga instructor, it's about tuning into your cues. It's similar to intuitive eating, in the sense that we are checking in, using your body as your guide in all areas food and other things.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they feel like they marry together very well. As someone who's done yoga before and really been shocked to notice my breath something I do every day it's a similar thing with hunger cues. Once I would sit down and really think, oh, I'm hungry right. Now I became more aware of that. I was like, oh, that's similar to yoga when you're noticing your breath, something that's so simple. I feel like with all the stimulation, hustle and bustle of day to day, we forget about these things that are just natural to us. So I love the marrying of those two. Can you share a moment when a client experienced a major mindset shift and how that changed their relationship with food or themselves?
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, that's a great question. So, something that I do with clients there's a couple of examples, but one that comes to mind is I do mindful eating experiences with clients, where if there is a food that they eat and they eat it really fast or sneak it or hide it or whatever it might be, we will have them bring them into session and then eat it together and kind of do an experience together.
Speaker 1:I love yeah and it's delicious for me to eat with my clients too, which is fun.
Speaker 1:But there was one in particular where we were eating together.
Speaker 1:They were these, this brownie that the client would get, and just be able to eat the whole thing and feel unwell afterwards.
Speaker 1:And when we were sitting down together and eating them slowly and paying attention to the flavors and the experience around it, she was like these actually don't even taste very good, I don't even really like them very much, and so we were able to use that as an example of okay, when we're really paying attention, like what is actually going on in this experience, when we bring that awareness and so being able then to shift.
Speaker 1:For her it was okay, I'm going to go to another cafe and get a really good tasting option that I can savor and sit with and doesn't feel as frantic to eat it, and that's kind of a big part of this work of just building that awareness and being able to make the shifts in food intake and find that satisfaction and enjoyment. I always let people know too that what feels like a measure of success because we don't weigh our clients and we're not doing anything too numbers focused is that moment when food becomes less, it's taking up less brain space and then people are able to think about other things in their life. So people being able to say that, okay, because of the work that we've done, I have space to do the things in my life that feel important, and that, to me, is just the best.
Speaker 2:Correct me if I'm wrong, but is that concept of food noise that people talk?
Speaker 1:about? Yes, absolutely, it can kind of take over for some people. For some it's intermittent, but for others it's constant. It can make a big difference.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's a great story. I hope she found a better brownie. Oh, she did, because they can be really good if they're good and really bad if they're bad. A hundred percent Shifting gears to your team and your business culture. What are the core values that drive your team at Tepper Nutrition? Because you have an awesome team and how did those show up in how you serve clients?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's such a good question. So really, I think the core values we inhabit are providing a space for clients' well-being similar to a do-no-harm approach. Compassionate care is a huge piece of it too. We know how hard it is for clients to take that first step to see us and we respect that each person's journey, being able to allow clients to feel comfortable and know that they are being heard. So I could probably go on, but I would say those are kind of some of the bigger ones that stand out. I love that.
Speaker 2:What makes the client experience at Tupper Nutrition different from other nutrition practices?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would say that we really focus on collaborative care, which we find to be really important for our clients. For many of them, we don't always get in touch with clients providers, but for the most part we are in touch with client, other providers GI doctor, primary care therapists to make sure that we're all collaborating and on the same page. We do take smaller caseloads so they're able to really spend time with our clients and be able to give them the attention that they deserve.
Speaker 1:That's unique Sessions and we connect with them on logs and things like that, which is really great. It's just, you know, gives us that full person experience. And then we also offer things like the mindful eating tastings. We do food exposures. We'll eat with our clients a lot, go out to restaurants, even sometimes navigate that together. We offer workshops and retreats and different opportunities as well. I would say those are some of the ones that stand out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I want to hear more about the workshops and retreats. What are?
Speaker 1:those Pretty much annually. I'll do a retreat with another colleague. We have done them most locally at in Lovettsville I did one in a yoga studio to intuitive eating and just kind of wellness and mindfulness retreat. We do a combination of lectures on intuitive eating and just kind of wellness and mindfulness retreat. We do a combination of lectures on intuitive eating and navigating the relationship and approach to food, while also doing yoga and breath work and energy workshops. Usually they're at a lovely home. It's relaxing, spending the weekend together and having that time to yourself and just all those wonderful things.
Speaker 2:I feel like when I hear people talk about food, especially in the past few years, it seems to be the stressful thing. I love that you just foster this culture around food that is so not stressful and just comes back to our natural inclination to eat, and not the stressful mechanical scheduled thing. You have 10 seconds to eat here and then get back to work. I just love that you're doing the yoga retreats and really bringing us back fluid, more in touch with ourselves type of mindset towards food. You've been featured on some major media outlets like good morning, washington and forbes. What's one message you always try to bring into the spotlight when you're being interviewed?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think balance. There are so many great recommendations and nutrition things that can be really beneficial for the person, and how do you incorporate these things in a balanced way, while taking into consideration what works uniquely for you? So I think, regardless of the recommendations that I'm giving or the research that we found, here are all of those things, and then how do we apply it to yourself in a way that feels very doable and balanced. So I think that's the big piece.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, I love that. I guess that was the word I was looking for before Balanced approach in all aspects of life. As an adjunct professor and IAEDP board member, how does teaching and advocacy impact your private practice work?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a great question. I love being associated with the university. It's been so fun. I was there full time before starting my business and was able to stay on as an adjunct, which has been amazing. The students always keep me up to date with all the different trends and things that are going on.
Speaker 1:We have students that are nationwide and even worldwide being able to get a good understanding of different cultures and experiences around food. That's been huge. It keeps me up to date on the research in terms of things that are coming out about nutrition and research that the department is doing, so that's been wonderful. I adapt the International Association for Eating Disorder Professionals, a nationwide organization. We have a local chapter that I'm a board member of. We host different events for eating disorder awareness. We do a lot of different networking events with other providers in the area, which is amazing because there's a lot of really great resources nationwide and especially around here in Loudoun County really keeping us up to date on the research. Just because the nutrition field is still young, we're always learning, growing and evolving, so that's been a great part of the practice as well.
Speaker 2:What's one common nutrition myth you wish would disappear for good, and what's the truth behind it? If you can pick one, there's probably a few. With some of the stuff I've seen going around, this is a hard one to choose.
Speaker 1:I would say and this might not be everyone's favorite thing to hear I am all about. In order to get energy and to fuel our bodies, we need to eat. I know there's so much out there about limiting timeframes around food and fitting it all in a certain frame of time, like the intermittent fasting.
Speaker 2:I hear it all the time.
Speaker 1:I know different things work for different people and I never want to completely say that something is we need a certain amount of nutrients each day.
Speaker 1:An example I always give we need 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day and we only get maybe four grams from a serving of food. So we need to space out our meals and snacks throughout the day in order to get all of our nutrients in so that our body can work properly. I don't want clients to get in all their fiber at once. That would not feel good. So, being able to eat regularly throughout the day, being able to keep blood sugar stable, to get that energy going people live very busy lives. I want my clients and anyone that I talk to feel energized. You know good concentration and have their brain functioning at max capacity. And so, yeah, being able to incorporate food throughout the day to do that is really huge. Also, just to keep that relationship with food intact, because oftentimes if we're not eating enough, our thoughts can increase around food. That's just our body's natural way of saying we need to eat, which is normal and good.
Speaker 2:As a society, we massively under fuel because of all this stuff in the media, and I feel like a lot of people can reach their full potential if they would just fuel up, so I definitely love that. What would you say health really means to you within today's culture, and how do you help your clients redefine it? For themselves.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I would say helps me is mental and physical health, emotional well-being and the physical piece. I think, unfortunately, a lot of our culture is focused more on that physical and the aesthetic side, without taking into consideration how some of those practices impact mental health, and so we need to take both of those things into consideration. I try to help clients understand that if you do this thing that you want to do around food, how does that feel for you and how is that going to impact your mental health, your relationship with food, your history in terms of maybe there is some disordered eating Will it trigger that? There's so many different things to take into consideration that we just don't when we see nutrition recommendations, so you need to look at the full picture for sure. Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 2:Is there anything else that I didn't touch on that you'd like to share with us?
Speaker 1:I think you had some really great questions. Overall, our goal is to reduce the stress around food, find enjoyment and nourishment in eating, find that good balance for each person in a unique way. Each person is so unique. So, no, I think that covers a lot of what we do Awesome.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you, allison, so much for coming in and making the time to talk to me today about Tepper, nutrition and your journey. This has been such a fascinating conversation and I know that our audience is going to love this episode and learn so much as well, so thank you. Thank you for having me.