Tory Stroker, MS, RD, CDN is an anti-diet Registered Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. She is the founder of Tory Stroker Nutrition, a weight-inclusive private practice, coaching women of all body sizes who are exhausted from dieting and want to feel liberated in their relationship with food and their body.
Tory completed her Bachelors of Science degree at Skidmore College, where she studied dance and business. She then went on to complete her Dietetic Internship and Masters of Science degree at New York University, with clinical rotations at Montefiore Medical Center. She then went back to the ‘classroom’ to hone her intuitive eating coaching skills, studying along Evelyn Tribole to become a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor.
Interested in working with Tory or following along?
You can find her on Instagram @torystrokernutrition and at torystrokernutrition.com
Tell us a bit about your background and what brought you to the world of nutrition?
I danced for about 18 years, and majored in dance in college. During my junior year, I was in a traumatic car accident and my foot got run over.
For the first time in my life (that I could remember), I could not dance. I finally had time in my schedule to take other classes, and chose to take a nutrition class. I really enjoyed the class, but can now with this perspective see that my interest in getting involved in nutrition came from a disordered place.
My own eating disorder, although I didn’t know of my diagnosis at the time, catapulted me into nutrition for the wrong reasons. I really was in search of the “perfect way to eat.”
I can now look back with so much compassion for my younger self, and have since really worked hard on my own relationship with food, which is now what I specialize in, with my clients.
There's so much confusion, bias and elitism in the world of food. You have such a real, down-to-earth approach.
Where did this come from and how do make this approach accessible for all?
This has come with a lot of time and my own work and self-reflection.
I have been in a place of judging what’s in other people’s grocery carts, their bodies and freaking out when my Instacart orders me the peanut butter with sugar instead of only with peanuts (because of my fear at the time of added sugar)... I think my approach comes from my own lived experience and recognizing my own bias, privilege and suffering.
When we see the world through “better” or “worse” options with food, bodies, exercise, etc we’re creating so much guilt, shame and a false sense of power and control. This is also classic black and white thinking, which is something many of my clients struggle with. We need to strengthen the muscle of allowing for nuance and “grey area.”
I try to approach my work now with so much more empathy and open mindedness. I also really work to steer my clients towards doing the same and seeing options and choices through all angles, instead of with judgment. All good has value, and instead of a good or bad choice, we work to find value in all foods, no matter what they are.
What's one misconception about food/overall nutrition that you would love to debunk?
Where do I even begin! There is so much misconception out there about food and nutrition. Open up social media and you’ll find a million of them…
One of my favorites right now though is around brown rice > white rice. The fiber difference between these two types of rice is not as major as I think many of us have been lead to believe. There is only 1 gram (!!!) difference, and often times if you’re eating other veggies or beans with the dish, you’re making up for the fiber difference.
This is important because I see so many of my clients eating in ways they believe they “should” be, but not actually enjoying the choices they’re making. It is so important to eat the foods that you like, whether it be brown or white rice, but ultimately your satisfaction is incredibly important and should be prioritized!
You and I really made the connection that folks who bond with Range messaging are also reworking their positive relationship with food. Can you talk about how you see this?
I think Kara and I have similar intentions of helping guide people towards trusting in their bodies again. Kara does such a beautiful job doing that in her classes, and I guide my clients towards a similar goal in my private practice.
So many of Kara’s clients are drawn to her work because of her anti-diet approach (not using diet culture messages, very neutral in her language, and creating a very safe space for all bodies) as they work towards creating a more positive relationship with their bodies and movement.
I think for the most part anyone who is drawn in by this, also has some struggles with their relationship with food, which is where there is overlap between our two clientele’s. That is my niche and specialty; helping my clients heal their relationship with food.
What's your favorite meal to cook at home?
One of my favorite meals to cook at home is a low and slow bolognese. It feels like a hug filled with so much love, time, and comfort.
What's your favorite Range class?
Ah, I love any class that includes a lot of twisting. Those are my favorite Kara classes. Twisting and moving my spine has been something I’ve found makes me feel so much better, and it was missing for my life for about 30 years. I love Chicken Soup! That class feels like heaven for my body.