I was scrolling Instagram the other day to give my brain a break from writing. In less than a minute, I saw six different posts about rice cakes.

The first was a “healthier recipe” for a Galaxy chocolate bar made with mashed banana, crushed rice cakes, and cocoa powder. Ummm not sure how that’s supposed to taste like a candy bar?? Out of curiosity, I opened the comments section, and most people seemed to agree. “If you want a Galaxy bar, eat a Galaxy bar.” YES 👏

Nothing against bananas, rice cakes, and cocoa powder (I myself eat these items daily!), but let’s stop pretending low-cal ingredients are going to replace a craving for a thick, sticky, sweet, dense, and delicious chocolate bar. Fearing foods is always going to be unhealthier than eating them in a way that’s in alignment with your body’s needs.

The second rice cake post I came across might as well have been conveying the polar opposite message as the “Galaxy bar” one. It was all about how “diet culture” has convinced us to eat rice cakes, that rice cakes “taste like cardboard,” and that you “should” eat bread as a topping “carrier” instead…if you’re at all familiar with the traditional ED recovery narrative, the idea that rice cakes are a “diet food” is nothing new.

But the truth is, there’s no such thing as “diet food” just as much as donuts are not “junk food.” These items are nothing but a compilation of atoms; and isn’t it odd to give atoms that much power over your food decisions?

As I write in How to Get Out of Quasi Recovery, I constantly felt torn on my discovery journey. Whenever I ate “junk food,” I felt I should be eating “healthier,” but whenever I ate “healthy food,” I feared I was “doing ED recovery wrong”! If you relate, no wonder you miss the eating disorder so much – at least the ED gave us clear answers!

So if there’s no “right” way to eat and every food is fundamentally label-free, how do you create your unique version of FOOD FREEDOM?

It’s all about replacing judgment with curiosity. It’s about removing everything you’ve been conditioned to believe, removing all labels and associations, and grounding yourself in intention. It means tapping into yourself, asking your soul what it wants, and TRUSTING the part of you that’s always been wiser than your mind will ever be.

To quote the book I’m currently writing on autism and anorexia:

From a certain lens, I still engage in many “ED behaviors.” I go on walks, I eat rice cakes, and I love black coffee. I also have trouble eating in front of other people, and weighing food makes meal preparation feel safer. Does this mean I still have an eating disorder? How is it possible that I’m “recovered” if I (still) do all these things that traditional treatment tells you to stop doing? Where’s the line between (autistic) human behaviors and “ED behaviors”? There isn’t a line because “ED behaviors” are a made-up construct. Just as “junk food” and “diet food” are made-up constructs.

If you constantly feel torn between what’s “the eating disorder” and what’s “truly you,” I invite you to join the Liv Label Free Membership! Inside, we have the most heartfelt, soul-touching conversations to support you wherever you are on your journey 🫶

Join the membership →

Here’s what Elma wrote to me the other day about it:

“I feel even more and more disconnected from the world because it seems like the world is going more and more to the opposite direction as me. But at the same time I feel more and more connected to certain souls, like you. It’s difficult to explain. Livia, you and the community you’ve built is truly one the best thing that has happened to me. It has also saved me in 2025. I honestly think I wouldn’t have survived that year without you guys, especially you. I maybe weird for writing this, but it comes from my soul. Thank you so unbelievably much. I’m immensely grateful and thankful for you, forever.”

Elma, myself, and other members can’t wait to connect with you in real-time!

XO Liv

P.S. Got any questions for me about the membership? Just contact me and fire away! 🔥