Megan Boswell | Mental Health & Eating Disorder Dietitian

🌿 A new chapter unfolds… after years of virtual connections, I’m so glad to share that I’m now also offering face-to-face appointments in Brisbane 🥰 It feels wonderful to have a cozy, welcoming space to hold important conversations about nourishing our bodies and improving our relationship with food. Consulting from Amber Dwinell Psychology feels like a sanctuary with soft lighting, lush plants and comfy seating 🥹 To those I’ve supported virtually (and new faces I’ve yet to meet), I’ll be here every Thursday in Paddington, Brisbane. For my existing clients, face-to-face appointments are now available to book. If you’re considering working together, I’ve recently expanded my clinic hours across the week to welcome new clients 🫶 note: Mondays and Fridays are Virtual/Telehealth only. My approach is grounded in a focus on sustainable, compassionate change, at a pace that feels right to you — whether you’re seeking support with nutrition for mental health or disability (special interest in ADHD & autism), healing your relationship with food & body, stepping off the yo-yo dieting cycle & more. Interested in connecting? You are welcome to book a discovery call through the link in my bio 🌸 or head to thehealthylabel.com/coaching Stay tuned for more updates.. there are a few things in motion behind the scenes! 🤭 Meg x #TheHealthyLabel

8 sneaky signs of disordered eating or a poor relationship with food // 🌸 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Eating disorders + disordered eating is estimated to affect around 16% of the Australian population. Disordered eating exists along a spectrum, and at its most severe can become characterised as an eating disorder. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ One of the emerging disordered eating categories is ‘orthorexia’. While orthorexia is not formally recognised at this stage for diagnosis, it refers to an obsession with proper or ‘healthful’ eating. Although being aware of the nutritional quality of the food you eat isn’t necessarily a problem, people with orthorexia can become so fixated on ‘healthy eating’ that they damage their physical and mental wellbeing in the process (e.g. increasing anxiety around eating, cutting out food groups and experiencing nutritional deficiencies). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In this carousel I’ve included some key signs that you or someone you care about may have a poor relationship with food. That’s not to say that anyone who exhibits one or two of these signs definitely has a poor relationship with food — it’s context dependent. For example, someone with coeliac disease may feel anxious about eating out or foods prepared by others due to the risk of gluten contamination. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But if you (or a loved one) feel like food is starting to be overwhelming, is causing stress/anxiety/guilt or leading to unusual behaviours, then please seek help 💛 I recommend @thebutterflyfoundation in Australia alongside working with eating disorder-experienced health care professionals (including a doctor, dietitian and psychologist). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🥺 Have you experienced any of these signs? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 💕 Meg #TheHealthyLabel

Need to use up that ripe banana sitting in your fruit bowl? 👀 Make these small batch air fryer banana muffins ✨🤌💓 the recipe makes 2 serves, so share it with a friend or loved one 🫶 NOTE: I made them with egg the first time and then didn’t like the texture, so please use the ingredients listed in the caption and don’t worry about adding egg 💓 the texture is perfect just using bananas! Ingredients: — 1 mashed banana — 1-2 tbsp brown sugar (based on sweetness preference) — 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil — 1/4 cup milk (any type) — Sprinkle of salt + cinnamon — 1/2 cup self raising flour — 2 tbsp dark chocolate chips (or chopped from the slab) 1️⃣ Combine ‘wet’ ingredients (banana, sugar, oil, milk), then stir through dry ingredients (salt, cinnamon, flour), gently mixing through the chocolate chips last. You can place a few extra choc bits on top! 2️⃣ Add to oiled ramekins (small oven safe dishes) and bake in the air fryer at 160 Celsius for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through ✨ if you don’t have an air fryer, you can bake them in an oven for 20-25 mins. 3️⃣ Enjoy straight away or keep refrigerated for up to four days 🥰 Toppings to try: yoghurt, walnuts or peanut butter! 👇 Would you make these? — Meg 💛 #TheHealthyLabel #HealthyLabelRecipes

Inspired by the words of @jennaececelia 🫶 I met my 16 year old self for coffee. We both arrive 5 minutes late, and I smile and reassure her that time management is still something we’re working on, but it’s getting better. We both order mochas, hers on dairy and mine on soy. I explain that we are actually lactose intolerant and we both laugh as the realisation dawns on her. I see the hope in her eyes as she asks me if we figured it all out. I tell her with pride that we let go of trying to have it all figured out, but these days we feel more strongly grounded and living within our values than ever before. I tell her to embrace the parts of her that she feels so self-conscious about, because those are the traits that will lead her into a life filled with connection and purpose. I tell her it’s okay to feel so deeply, have a strong sense of justice, and want to make the world a better place. And her attention to detail and commitment to doing her best will allow her to build a career that is deeply fulfilling and impactful, but she will need to let go of some perfectionism along the way, and experience burnout while learning this. But that’s okay. I tell her that we have a circle of people we love who accept us for all our quirks and idiosyncrasies, and with whom we can be our authentic selves. Her eyes light up as I explain that we own our own business which gives us a level of freedom and autonomy that we so deeply need. She smiles through tears as I give her a big hug and tell her how proud I am 🤍 — May you all have the chance to meet your younger selves with kindness and compassion 🥰 Meg x

Helloooo 2025 🥰 here is my gentle reminder for you that it’s okay to go into the new year without hardcore resolutions, or a long list of things to hustle and achieve, despite the pressure around all of us to do so ✨🕺 What I DO love about this time of year is that it can really be such a time of intentional reflection on our growth and progress, and noticing whether we’re living our lives in accordance with our personal values. You can explore this practically by searching ‘values list’ online and picking the top 5 values that resonate with you. For example, some of mine include Freedom/Autonomy, Relationships and Meaning/Purpose. After reflecting on these in December and making some changes, I’m going into the new year with some exciting career updates (will share when I’m ready) and feel more aligned than ever in my private practice 🥹 I’ve had many days with ‘pinch me’ moments knowing that I’m exactly where I want to be, supporting incredible humans in their journey to healing their relationship with food and their bodies ❤️‍🩹 And on that note, there’s so much pressure in January from the diet & wellness industry for us to commit to ‘fixing’, re-shaping, altering, perfecting our bodies… can you imagine if we collectively rejected that pressure and focused on supporting our bodies with gentleness and compassion? If we set goals around nourishing, nurturing, healing and listening to our bodies instead? How liberating it would feel for us as a whole. Instead of resolutions, I’ve set intentions 🌻 to work and grow towards stability, and on integrating meaning and purpose into each day. To spend more time in the present, accessing joy and gratitude whenever I can. Yours can look entirely different. I would love to hear your intentions for this year!👇 Meg 💖 #TheHealthyLabel #2025intentions #happynewyear

Oh hey! 👋 I’m back in your feed with MORE things I’ve said as a mental health & eating disorder dietitian which are apparently controversial… [part 2] 👀 I’m posting less frequently as things have been fairly busy with 1:1 clients. I’m absolutely loving having the new face-to-face clinic in Paddington! 💖 This past month I’ve also been really investing in my own self-care (practising what I preach!) which has meant less time on social media and more time in nature and with loved ones, engaging in enjoyable movement, and getting back into cooking again 👩‍🍳 Without further ado, here’s a few things I’ve said that might contradict some of the popular nutrition advice you see on social media 🫡 1️⃣ ‘Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full’ is helpful advice for some people, but very unhelpful for others. This relies on someone having reliable hunger or fullness cues, which can be impacted by so many factors including a history of disordered eating or dieting, medications, neurodivergence or alexithymia (difficulty interpreting body sensations) and more. 2️⃣ Processing foods does not make them inherently ‘unhealthy’. The healthfulness of a food is not simply determined by how closely it resembles its original form. It can also be a privileged take on nutrition because food processing can increase accessibility, affordability and often nutritional density. 3️⃣ Juice cleanses are just expensive diarrhoea (enough said) 💸💩 4️⃣ Eating disorder recovery looks different for everyone (this is nuanced), however, if the pursuit of thinness is replaced by the pursuit of muscularity, or looking ‘fit’ or ‘toned’, this fixation on controlling body shape/size/composition can still impair someone from having a balanced and positive relationship with food. It can be a red flag 🚩 when diet and exercise are rigidly controlled to the extent that they interfere with other daily activities including work, socialising, sleep and rest etc. Lots more to say but only so much room in a caption. Drop any questions below! ✨ Meg 🫶 #TheHealthyLabel

Let’s challenge some more diet rules today! ✨ The way we talk (and think) about food and eating can make a huge difference to our relationship with food 🥙🍌🧁🥒🥝🍕🥯 This carousel shows a simplified version of the reframing process that I often go through with my lovely clients, but if you want to make the reframes more powerful then you can combine them with your ✨why✨ for challenging them. For example: “I want to challenge this rule because… 👉 I want to be able to connect with friends around food without feeling anxious or worried about the meal.” 👉 I miss having the freedom to eat when I’m hungry without being restricted by rules or time constraints.” 👉 I value my mental health and know that my relationship with food is negatively impacting on this.” 👉 Thinking less about food will give me the mental space and time to pursue other meaningful parts of my life.” These are just some examples — Instagram posts are for general advice only and can’t capture everyone’s experience with food 🌸 — Meg 💖 #TheHealthyLabel 👇 Are you challenging any food rules at the moment? 👀

It’s time to join the Vitasoy Community Bake-Off Challenge, with a chance to win from an amazing $5500 prize pool! (#ad) Whether you’re whipping up something delicious with Vitasoy’s Soy Yogurt (with flavours like Strawberry, Lemon, Vanilla, and Mango Passionfruit) or their creamy Oat Yogurt (including Blueberry, Vanilla, and Summer Fruits), show us your creativity! 🍓🍋🫐 Here’s how to enter: 1. Create your own delicious recipe using Vitasoy Yogurt (Soy or Oat). 2. Share your creation on Instagram or TikTok and tag @vitasoy_aus_nz in your post and caption for a chance to win. Prizes: $4000 Woolworths Voucher, KitchenAid Mixer, or Ninja Creami 👀 Deadline: 13th October 2024 Winners announced: 17th October 2024 on Instagram stories 🎉 VIC18+ only. Ends 13/10/24 11:59pm AEDT. Limit 1 entry/person. T&Cs apply, see https://soy.com.au/terms-and-conditions/ For inspiration, try my rich pecan blondie brownies! 😌 PECAN BLONDIE BROWNIES (makes ~9 serves): —200g + 100g Vitasoy Greek Style Hint of Vanilla Yoghurt — 125g maple syrup or honey — 100g peanut butter (or any nut butter or seed butter) — 110g plain flour — 2 tsp baking powder — 1/4 tsp salt — 50g cocoa powder — 50g dark chocolate chips (dairy-free if preferred) — 50g chopped pecans 1️⃣Preheat your oven to 160°C fan-forced and line a brownie tin. 2️⃣In a bowl, combine 200g yoghurt with the honey and peanut butter. Mix until smooth. 3️⃣Into a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the wet mixture and fold until combined. Set aside a third of the mixture. 4️⃣Add cocoa powder and 100g yoghurt to the 2/3 mixture. Add a splash of milk if needed. (See video for consistency). 5️⃣To the other third, add in the choc chips. 6️⃣Spoon in the two batters into a baking tin and use the end of a spoon or a knife to make a marble effect. 7️⃣Bake for approx. 30 mins. Once cooled, remove from the tin and slice! Enjoy 🥰 store in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I can’t wait to see your creations! Meg 🫶 #vitasoy #soyyogurt #oatyogurt #plantbased #letsgrowabetterworld

Let’s chat about some measures of health that aren’t the number on the scale, or body shape or size 🫶 Why is it important to have non-weight-based health goals? 🤔 We’ve made a lot of progress over the past few years in challenging the notion that pursuing weight loss or being lean is the epitome of health, but we still exist in a weight-centric culture that pedestals dieting and body manipulation, even across healthcare unfortunately (weight bias from health professionals directly contributes to avoidance of (or inadequate) medical treatment). Focusing on the scales can ultimately be a really poor motivator for maintaining positive health changes, because it doesn’t account for normal weight fluctuations and the fact that bodies tend to gravitate towards a set point weight, and can easily reinforce disordered eating patterns & anxiety around food. I also see so many people feeling this deep sense of failure when the number on the scale isn’t moving, despite the fact that they may be feeling considerably better in many other metrics of wellbeing. That being said, I respect the desire to lose weight given cultural, social and medical pressures. If we use a holistic definition of health, being, “a state of physical, mental and social wellbeing, not just the absence of disease or infirmity” (from the World Health Organisation), we can expand markers of health and progress to potentially include the following: ⚡️ energy to do daily activities (physical and mental) 🥬 dietary variety, especially fibre to support our gut microbiome 💩 uncomplicated poops (regular, well formed, easy to pass) 🩸 metabolic markers within normal or optimal ranges, or as close as possible e.g. cholesterol, blood sugars 😷 good immunity or recovery from illness & injury 💊 adequate nutrient levels (zinc, iron etc.) 🩸 regular menstrual cycle (if applicable) 🏃‍♀️ cardiovascular fitness and/or strength, or some engagement in regular movement Plus more… yours would be based on your own individual goals and capacity etc. 👇 These are just a few examples but if you want to add any, please drop them (or any questions) in the comments below! Meg 🥰 #TheHealthyLabel

We’re back after a little burnout prevention hiatus from socials 💖 and I figured — why not go straight to debunking a few things I’ve been hearing about lately 👀 Things I’ve said as a mental health & eating disorder dietitian which are (apparently) controversial… 1️⃣ For many people, ‘intermittent fasting’ is one of the fastest ways to end up feeling out of control around food. Most of the research on IF is focused on rats 🐀 or male participants, and there is a real absence of research on how IF affects female (AFAB) hormones including the menstrual cycle. Even if fasting may have some health benefits, what I see in real life is that it’s unsustainable for most people, and can increase the likelihood of binge eating or ‘rebounding’ and developing the ‘f*ck it’ mentality, if it ends up feeling too restrictive. It increases the risk of nutritional deficiencies, because people have to eat more of the core food groups in a smaller eating window. It also forces us to rely on external cues (time of day) and ignore hunger if it’s not within a specific eating window. 2️⃣ Our body needs carbs at every main meal, including dinner. We need carbs for our brain, muscles and many bodily functions as part of an overall balanced diet. Skipping carbs at dinner can make you feel extra hungry in the morning or even compromise sleep. 3️⃣ We don’t “all have the same 24 hours in a day”. Many people work long hours to pay bills, care for family members, or have limiting chronic health conditions etc. and I see too much privilege in health advice online. My experience working in the mental health and disability space has absolutely reinforced this. We always need to consider the social determinants of health. 4️⃣ Even though protein is really important, it doesn’t deserve to be put on such a tall pedestal compared to carbs and fats. If you scroll back through my profile, you’ll see a detailed post on this 🫶 Happy Friday, friends 💖 Meg x #TheHealthyLabel

🎙️Ep 7 is live! Join us with Megan Boswell as we dive into: Strategies to overcome binge eating disorder Learn about: ✔️ How to get Medicare funding ✔️ Psychological risk factors ✔️ Tips for managing/ preventing a binge ✔️ How to educate family & friends ✔️ How to address fear foods 🔗 Comment “MEGAN” and I’ll send you the Ep 📲

Drop one of these 🙌 in the comments if this sounds like your kinda jam 🍇😌 I’ve seen this trend done well, and also have seen a few reels that promote a list of ‘health habits’ that would be unattainable, unreasonable or not even necessarily helpful for the average person. I promise that you don’t need to be doing a 10-step morning routine, drinking colostrum or hydrogen water, or spending hours in an infrared sauna to be ‘healthy’ 🙃💛 Meg x #TheHealthyLabel