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Do you want to learn new ways on how to approach the questions around food and wellness? How can we instill good eating habits in our children from a young age? Where does healthy eating sit within overall health?
In this podcast episode, Melissa Vogel speaks with Todd Nyholm about his new book and healthy habits you can start adapting.
Meet Todd Nyholm
Todd Nyholm started early on his journey to learning about health, vitality, and diet with chronic problems from a young age. He has studied both modern and ancient health methods and has been running a Somatic Therapy Practice since 2002.
Writing this book: Ah, food, why do you trouble me so much? on diet has been a long-standing dream to help people get a method they can use over time to help reprogram themselves in regards to diet, emotional eating and to help get themselves off the quick fix merry go round of Fad Diets.
Visit Todd’s website and connect with him on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
In This Podcast
Summary
- Todd’s views on forced diets
- Somatic Therapy
- Food is not the enemy
- Healthy eating habits for children
- The Food Ladder Method
- Exercising to fire up the metabolism
Todd’s views on forced diets
Forced diets, or quick-fix fad diets, are not effective for long-term weight loss or beneficial for bodily health. They do not make changes at the necessary levels to encourage long-term gains and losses, they only function at an immediate moment. You may experience a change in your body, but because it is not dealing with root causes or your mindset, you very easily regain that weight, causing your average weight to swing back and forth drastically which over time can cause a harsh impact on your overall wellbeing.
Somatic Therapy
Somatic therapy works with the body and in working with and through the body, you can create changes in life. There is an emotional, mental, and physical connection between the emotions, mindset and body and this is what somatic therapists like Todd explore.
Food is not the enemy
It is not the food itself that causes the problem, but more the context in which you are eating the food. What kinds of foods are you eating, when and how do you eat it, how does it make you feel? Some people think that it is an overarching problem but the battle with food is a lot more individual than most believe.
In order to break the feeling of being stuck when it comes to eating food, Todd recommends that you connect with yourself and how you feel what you sit down to eat. Spend time really watching yourself and your emotions, without judgment, when you decide to have something to eat.
Doing this conscious act helps you to understand that you may be eating because you are bored or stressed and you are not actually hungry. Are you eating to reward yourself, or because you had a stressful day? Becoming aware of when and how we eat will help us to identify certain patterns and habits that we can then work on breaking up, allowing us to create something better and healthier in its place.
Healthy eating habits for children
Some people reward their children’s certain behaviors with food and punish other behaviors with food. This form of rewarding or disciplining creates associations in children’s minds around food that develop into potentially destructive habits as they get older.
Try to work with your children that when they do well in school or complete all their chores, you do a fun activity with them, or play a game with them or take them to the beach. Try different reward systems besides food and that will help to remove some of its temptations for your children.
The Food Ladder Method
The food ladder method is a tool that you use when you are about to eat to create awareness around what you are eating, why you are eating it, and if you need it. It is a step-by-step simple guide from Todd’s book that takes well-versed people 30 seconds to complete before they eat their meals, and helps them and you to be conscious of the choices you make around food. It helps you to rewire the software in your mind around the habits you have built up around eating.
First 7 steps out of 14 in the book:
- Before you eat, recite to yourself: ‘I eat to nourish myself and my life. This helps to remind you of the purpose of food, and not to use it to soothe emotions but for the health and wellbeing of your body.
- Get into your body, ask: ‘is there space needing to be filled?’ Is there really space in your stomach for food, or are you perhaps eating because everyone else is too? Listen to what your stomach says, and if you are genuinely hungry then fetch a plate.
- Connect your food with your day. Is your metabolism stocked? Did you do enough physical activity during the day that would require you to eat what you are about to eat?
- Get the most out of your food – did you chew it well? Is it well prepared? Did you eat consciously and with focus, or were you distracted and eating mechanically?
- Eat and drink foods that clean and cleanse you. This helps to remind you that eating and drinking things that help to move the process of digestion along instead of foods sitting heavy in your stomach.
- Eat foods that assist digestion, assimilation, elimination, and movement. Think of the whole digestive process from start to finish and which foods could aid the system; spices for example are helpful to digestion and help to break foods down so that their nutrients can be better absorbed by the body.
- Eat a broad variety of food groups and colors across your fruits and vegetables. Try to eat 5 different colors between fruits and vegetables daily in order to receive your full load of micro-nutrients. Adding color to your plate opens new avenues for you to feel joy and experiment with cooking.
Exercising to fire up the metabolism
Studies have shown that exercising prior to eating helps to awaken your metabolism. Small exercising stimulates your body so that it feels it needs to burn and move foods around. People who lead active lifestyles may not have to worry about this too much, but if you have been sitting for a long time during the day try do 10 quick squats before you have your lunch to get everything going and ready for food.
Books by Todd Nyholm
Useful Links:
- Your Most Exceptional Project In Your Life is YOU, with Tiffany Carter | BM 30
- G2G bars – use discount code ‘Melissa’ to get 20% off
- BTBFM FREE EMAIL COURSE
- Connect with Melissa on Facebook and Instagram
- Email Melissa: info@melissavogelfitness.com
Meet Melissa Vogel

Melissa Vogel is an energetic keynote speaker, business owner, certified personal trainer, certified group fitness instructor, 1st degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, a mother of three, and a podcaster.
Melissa has been voted as the Best Personal Trainer for 2020 by Inland Empire Magazine, and Built the Busy to Bomb Fit Mom exercise system.
She is quickly becoming recognized for her expertise and influence in her field!
Melissa has contributed to numerous publications and has been featured in the Trail Blazer Magazine, and published in the April 2020 edition of Health Magazine. Her approach incorporates personal experience, energy, humor, and charisma.
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