Warning: Distressing themes
"I know how desperately people with eating disorders deserve and need this."
Growing up, she struggled with an eating disorder. Today, she runs a meal service for those in recovery. Filmmaker Dalllin Mello meets Amy Moreyra for Brut.
"I know how desperately people with eating disorders deserve and need this."
Growing up, she struggled with an eating disorder. Today, she runs a meal service for those in recovery. Filmmaker Dalllin Mello meets Amy Moreyra for Brut.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00I used to worry a lot that I would never fully recover and I would just be managing and maintaining
00:08the eating disorder.
00:10And I think for the first time ever, I kind of feel like I can actually do this.
00:22I know how desperately people with eating disorders deserve and need this.
00:28And so I'm putting my all into it because I care about them and this is my community.
00:42So my relationship with food has, I actually can't remember a time when it was normal.
00:51Even though my eating disorder technically started when I was 14.
00:57It was a little hard when it first happened in high school.
01:02People started to notice.
01:04Like I heard a few people saying like, oh, what is she doing when she's going to the
01:08bathroom?
01:09And so it was a little embarrassing.
01:11And I think at the time eating disorders weren't really understood or taken as seriously.
01:17Like I told a teacher about it and she pulled up my skirt and was like, you're not fat,
01:24you're fine.
01:25So it was very isolating, not feeling like people understood or really cared.
01:34The journey definitely has ups and downs.
01:37Some days I feel really good about it and I'm like, okay, three meals a day, my two
01:42snacks, but you can slip back into old habits.
01:46And so there has to be a conscious effort every single day when you wake up.
01:52When you're in recovery, you usually work with a dietitian and they usually use meal
01:59planning as a way to kind of give you structure and heal your relationship with food.
02:05The first dietitian that I worked with, they wanted to drop out and not following my meal
02:11plan was super easy.
02:13One day I had this idea, I was like, why isn't there like a HelloFresh or Blue Apon for people
02:20with eating disorders?
02:21My company is called Nutrist and it's a food is medicine meal kit for people recovering
02:27from eating disorders.
02:28When I first started this, I texted my friend and I was like, I think I found my life's
02:32purpose and I don't know, I feel, I'm getting emotional, but, um.
02:46You can only use their service if you work with a dietitian.
02:49They'll sign up, they'll pick your meal plan, and then you purchase the meals.
02:53Nutrition labels, calorie info, all of that can be super triggering.
02:56So we basically just make it so you don't even have to think about it.
03:01You literally just pop it into your microwave.
03:13Individuals with eating disorders typically have a medical complication.
03:18So seeing a registered dietitian is someone that can go through their diet history, can
03:24go through their weight history to help medically manage the patient by doing something called
03:29medical nutrition therapy.
03:31So I could choose what the calorie content was of the meal and Amy would just provide
03:38that for the client.
03:42Whenever I get a new customer, I usually write them a little note, just kind of thanking
03:48them for trying Nutrist, and then kind of telling them a little bit about my story and
03:54why I created it.
03:55I feel like it just kind of creates like a little personal touch.
04:01I'll usually add something about how I'm so proud and so happy that they've started their
04:06recovery journey.
04:08So I always like to add as many personal touches as I can with customers.
04:18I'm forced to go do things like grocery shop and it's even like the ingredients I buy.
04:28There's such a thing called like safe foods.
04:30And for me, my safe foods were dried mangoes and protein bars.
04:35And I would just beeline straight for those things and not get anything else.
04:39And because of this, I have to get real ingredients.
04:42I have to get chicken and turkey and ground beef.
04:52So we're going to make one of the deliveries.
04:56I always just take the train.
04:59Amy has the lived experience of having had an eating disorder.
05:04And so they want to support somebody, you know, rather than some big corporate company.
05:09They want to support the individual that is truly making a difference.
05:14There's almost an actual support through the food.
05:17You know, even though Amy's not there, she cooked it for them.
05:19It's healing for Amy and it's healing for them.
05:28I know how desperately people with eating disorders deserve and need this.
05:43And so I'm putting my all into it because I care about them and this is my community.
05:58For more information, visit www.FEMA.gov