Hey there!

I’m Christine Byrne, a soon-to-be HAES dietitian nutritionist and longtime nutrition journalist.

I help women in their late twenties and thirties stop obsessing over food.

(Because I’m a woman in my thirties who understands how life-changing it is to finally stop obsessing over food!)

I used to really, really struggle in my relationship with food.

In my teens and early twenties, I struggled with an eating disorder. I wish I’d had a Health at Every Size® (HAES)-aligned treatment team to help me through, but weight neutrality and body acceptance weren’t so popular back then. I saw a dietitian once, early in my eating disorder, and I remember her lecturing me on “proper portion sizes” and “healthy weight ranges.” Of course, that only made things worse, because it reinforced the idea that I needed to control my food intake and my body.

Even after I was “recovered,” food took up way too much space in my life and my brain.

After years of battling an eating disorder, I was finally able to realize that it was ruining my life and had to stop.

Except, I did what so many do in recovery: I gravitated towards “wellness.” As a food and nutrition journalist (a career that my eating disorder certainly played a part in steering me towards), I wrote about “clean eating” and gave tips for “how to eat a little healthier.” I also wrote some truly delicious recipes that celebrated all types of food (and that I still cook today), but I was never able to fully enjoy those things without overthinking or feeling guilty.

Finally, years ago, I decided I didn’t want to obsess about food anymore. I found intuitive eating (and HAES!), and IT TRULY CHANGED MY LIFE.

Honestly, my intuitive eating journey started because the more I researched and wrote about “wellness” and “healthy eating,” the more ridiculous it all seemed.

Have you started to question all the diet tips and detoxes and “lifestyle changes” you’ve tried?

That’s what happened to me. I realized that all the “simple” tips, tricks, and diets were actually extremely hard to stick to. I noticed that trying restricting any kind of food just made me want it even more. I always told myself it wasn’t about weight loss, but of course I believed that if I could eat “perfectly,” I would lose weight. (Spoiler: there’s no “perfect” way to eat. And, of course I didn’t lose weight! Long-term weight loss isn’t really possible, and that’s OK!)

I decided to become a dietitian because I want to help others break free from food and wellness obsession.

Real talk: In my early days as a journalist, I talked to a lot of dietitians who had some pretty guilt-inducing thoughts about food. They were all about eating fewer calories and restricting certain foods. It didn’t quite sit right with me then, and it definitely doesn’t sit right with me now. I became a dietitian because I want to spread affirming, body-positive nutrition and wellness information.

I’m here to show you that your body deserves respect no matter what size it is, and that you don’t need to change your weight to be happy and healthy. Intuitive eating is for EVERYONE.

It’s OK if you’ve struggled with disordered eating or an eating disorder in the past. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. But you deserve better, and it is possible to stop obsessing over food.

Learn more about my 1:1 intuitive eating coaching services here.

If you’re not ready for that commitment, sign up for my free weekly newsletter!

Oh, and here’s my *official* bio:

Christine Byrne is a food and nutrition journalist who has written thousands of articles for over two dozen national media outlets, including Self, HuffPost, Outside, The Kitchn, Food Network, Bon Appétit, O Magazine, Vice, Glamour, Women’s Health, Eating Well, and Health. She also works with national brands on recipe development and content creation, including Kroger, Sleep Number, Good Neighbor Pharmacy, and The Better Fish.

After nearly a decade of a full-time food career—first as a line cook, then as a food editor and writer—she went back to graduate school to become a registered dietitian. Barring disaster, she’ll graduate from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with an MPH RD in Fall 2021.

Christine spent her twenties in New York City but is now based in Raleigh, North Carolina. It’s cheaper, quieter, and she finally has a dog!