
The Live Unrestricted Podcast
August 19, 2026
214. The "Wellness Trap" : How To Avoid The Dark Side of Wellness Culture w/ Christy Harrison, RD, MPH, CEDS
Have you ever found yourself spiraling down the “wellness” rabbit hole?
One week you’re told your bloating is from gluten. The next it’s dairy. Then suddenly you’re on your 5th elimination diet, $300 deep in supplements, and still feeling exhausted, anxious, and confused.
I know that trap because I lived it. And so did my guest today – Christy Harrison.
Christy is a registered dietitian, journalist, host of Rethinking Wellness, and author of the books Anti-Diet and The Wellness Trap. She has spent years pulling back the curtain on how wellness culture often isn’t the solution, it’s just diet culture with green juice and lab tests.
In this episode, Christy and I get real about:
✨ The sneaky overlap between diet culture and wellness culture (and how both make you feel like you’re the problem)
✨ The “care effect” & why just being heard can make you feel better, even when the treatment itself doesn’t work
✨ Common wellness buzzwords (root cause, adrenal fatigue, candida) and what they actually mean
✨ Why we fall for restrictive diets & wellness protocols even when they make us sicker
✨ How to tell if your pursuit of “healing” is quietly stealing your joy, money, and freedom
✨ The difference between wellness and true well-being – and how to move toward the latter
This isn’t about shaming anyone who’s tried alternative medicine, elimination diets, or supplements. It’s about giving you the clarity, context, and compassion you need to protect yourself from getting stuck in another endless cycle of “fixing.”
Christy’s work has helped thousands of people untangle from both diet culture and wellness culture , and after this conversation, you’ll have a new lens for spotting when health advice is helping… or harming.
📚 Resources Mentioned:
- Substack: https://rethinkingwellness.substack.com/
- Website: christyharrison.com
- Book | Anti-Diet: ChristyharrisonAnti-Diet Book
- Book | The Wellness Trap: ChristyharrisonThe Wellness Trap Book
RESOURCES & LINKS
💌 I’d love to hear your takeaways! Send me a DM on Instagram @sabrina.magnan.health and let me know what resonated most.
🎧 Subscribe to my brand-new SECRET podcast series: The Food Freedom Experience!10 bingeable episodes to guide you towards ease, peace and confidence with food.
✨ Grab your spot for my free workshop: How To Stop Feeling Obsessed With Food to start healing today!
📲 Follow me for daily tips & resources on instagram! @sabrina.magnan.health
💌 Get on my Food Freedom Weekly Newsletter here: https://site.sabrinamagnan.com/newsletter/
🤝 Ready to get support in healing your relationship with food and your body? Join my signature program, Food Freedom Academy 2.0, to have step-by-step guidance, accountability and support.
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