Eating Disorder Recovery With Chronic Illness: When Restriction Is Prescribed, Not Chosen With Vanessa Connelly, RD @grainandgreen.kidneys

When you live with a chronic illness, food restriction is often framed as “medical,” “necessary,” or “just being responsible.” But for many people, especially those with eating disorder histories, that kind of guidance doesn’t support health. It fuels fear, shame, isolation, and disordered eating patterns that are hard to unwind. In this episode, Dr. Marianne is joined by Vanessa Connolly, a registered dietitian nutritionist and board-certified kidney nutrition specialist, for a grounded, compassionate conversation about what happens when restriction is prescribed rather than chosen and why that matters so deeply for eating disorder recovery. Together, they unpack how diet culture shows up in chronic illness care, how weight stigma and medical bias shape food advice, and why many people are quietly harmed by guidance that prioritizes control over nourishment. In This Conversation, We Explore This episode looks at how chronic illness care can unintentionally recreate the same dynamics that drive eating disorders, especially for people who have already spent years being told their bodies are the problem. We talk about how fear-based food rules around labs, numbers, and diagnoses often strip people of cultural foods, social connection, and bodily trust. You’ll hear why blanket dietary restrictions are rarely neutral, how they can worsen food fear and disordered eating, and what a more supportive, humane approach to nutrition can look like. Vanessa also explains why focusing on what can be added rather than taken away, including fiber, balance, and satisfaction, supports both physical health and psychological safety. This episode names the emotional cost of food policing, family surveillance, and medical dismissal, especially for people in larger bodies and those navigating multiple marginalized identities. Topics Covered We discuss eating disorder recovery alongside chronic illness, including chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure, without defaulting to diet culture or weight-centric care. This conversation includes medical gaslighting and delayed diagnoses, how lab values like GFR are often misunderstood or minimized, and why many patients are never fully informed about what’s happening in their own bodies. We also explore anti-fat bias in healthcare, intersectionality, cultural food loss, and how shame and restriction can isolate people from their communities at the very moment they need support the most. Why This Episode Matters If you’ve ever felt afraid to eat after a diagnosis, confused by conflicting medical advice, or worried that “doing everything right” is actually making things worse, this episode is for you. This is not a conversation about willpower, compliance, or perfect eating. It’s about restoring agency, reducing harm, and finding ways to care for your body that don’t require sacrificing your relationship with food. About the Guest Vanessa Connolly is a registered dietitian nutritionist and board-certified kidney nutrition specialist with over 20 years of experience supporting people with chronic kidney disease. Her work centers on helping clients preserve kidney function without unnecessary restriction, food fear, or shame. She is deeply committed to accessible, weight-inclusive, and judgment-free care. You can find Vanessa on Instagram and TikTok @grainandgreen.kidneys, where she shares practical, anti-diet education about kidney health and chronic illness. Related Episodes The Real Talk on Kidney-Friendly Diets & Disordered Eating With Vanessa Connelly, RD @grainandgreen.kidneys on Apple and Spotify. Chronic Illness, Wellness Culture, & Eating Disorder Recovery: Taking an Anti-Diet Approach With Abbie Attwood, MS, @abbieattwoodwellness on Apple and Spotify. Anti-Fat Bias in Healthcare & Chronic Illness: Healing Body Image in a Marginalized Body With Ivy Felicia @iamivyfelicia on Apple and Spotify. Support Beyond This Episode If eating feels complicated, unsafe, or overwhelming after years of restriction, diagnosis-driven food rules, or medical trauma, you don’t have to navigate that alone. Dr. Marianne offers eating disorder therapy and support for people navigating binge eating disorder, ARFID, anorexia, bulimia, and long-term eating struggles, including when chronic illness or medical advice is part of the picture. Services are available in California, Texas, Washington, D.C., and worldwide. Go to drmariannemiller.com for more information.