The Full Plate Podcast with Abbie Attwood, MS The Impact of Chronic Stress on Digestion, Psychological Restriction in Autoimmune Disease, and Feeling Safe with Food Again with Meg Bowman
Jan 26, 2026
Meg Bowman, a nutritionist who blends trauma, mental health, and digestive care, shares how chronic stress and lived experience shape our relationship with food. She talks about why nervous system regulation matters for digestion. Topics include psychological restriction vs physical limits, how shame fuels survival responses, and practical signals of safety like regular, balanced meals.
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Safety With Food Is Nervous System Work
- Feeling safe with food is tied to nervous system state and lived experience, not just nutrients.
- Meg emphasizes trauma, chronic stress, and illness shape how we experience eating and body safety, reframing nutrition as nervous system work.
Stress And Trauma Drive Digestive Physiology
- Nervous system regulation is an underrated part of nutrition and digestion.
- The conversation highlights inflammation and stress as physiological mediators linking trauma to digestive symptoms and eating difficulties.
Use Regular Meals As Messages Of Safety
- Regulate the nervous system as part of eating practice to improve digestion and relationship with food.
- Meg suggests practical safety signals like regular balanced meals as real-life "messages of safety."