By: Sabrina Cole
In a wellness culture often focused on quick fixes, calorie counts, and shrinking waistlines, Helen Birney’s new book Energetic Eating: Live Boldly Beyond Dieting offers a refreshing perspective. With an approach that blends integrative nutrition, mindset work, and energy healing, Birney invites readers—particularly women—to consider stepping away from the dieting cycle and begin paying closer attention to their bodies instead.
At the heart of Birney’s message is a concept that’s both simple and powerful: lasting health isn’t solely about weight. “For years, the scale dictated my self-worth,” she shares. “But true health isn’t found in a number.” For Birney, “going beyond the scale” means shifting focus inward, focusing on how you feel rather than how much you weigh. This subtle but transformative change in perspective forms the core of the Energetic Eating method.
Birney speaks from personal experience, having endured the emotional challenges of yo-yo dieting. Like many women, she experimented with various popular diets—paleo, keto, intermittent fasting, macro tracking—hoping to lose “the last ten pounds.” Yet, these efforts didn’t yield lasting results. Her health deteriorated, her anxiety increased, and her frustration reached its peak. “I literally ran over my scale with my car,” she recalls with a laugh, noting how the moment marked a turning point in her journey.
Rather than resorting to yet another cleanse, Birney immersed herself in the world of integrative nutrition and energy healing. There, she discovered a central truth that now shapes her approach: weight struggles often have deeper causes. “From stress and trauma to hormone imbalances and limiting beliefs, there’s much more beneath the surface,” she explains. The Energetic Eating Method emerged from this insight—a holistic, sustainable path that centers on self-trust and healing rather than restriction and guilt.
One of Birney’s most significant observations is how diet culture has led women to internalize harmful and often unseen narratives. “The most harmful beliefs are often the ones we’re not even aware we’re carrying,” she reflects. Some of the most common include: “I can’t change,” “My weight is the problem,” and “I have no control around food.” Birney explains that these beliefs foster internal conflict and fuel cycles of guilt and self-sabotage.
Energetic Eating offers an alternative narrative—one that encourages paying attention to the body’s subtle signals. Birney outlines six “Pillars of Energetic Health”: Thoughts, Mood, Digestion, Focus, Energy Levels, and Conscious Choices. These signals, she says, are like messages from the body, offering guidance on what it needs. For instance, Mood can be more than just an emotional state. “If you’re feeling anxious or irritable, it might not just be stress—it could be related to blood sugar levels or lack of sleep,” she notes. “Once you recognize the message, you can respond with understanding rather than trying to control it.”
For those new to this approach, Birney advises starting small. Track how certain foods influence your mood or digestion. Observe changes in focus or energy after meals. “When you begin responding to your body with curiosity rather than criticism, trust naturally grows,” she says. “That’s where healing starts.”
Readers of the book share stories of not only weight loss and better digestion but also emotional breakthroughs and a renewed sense of self. “Energetic Eating taught me how to make positive changes that have affected all areas of my life,” writes one Amazon reviewer. “These shifts,” Birney notes, “begin with the right mindset.”
“Mindset is the foundation of everything,” Birney emphasizes. “You can spend hours planning meals and working out, but a shift in thought can occur in an instant—and that shift has the potential to change everything.” This is why the Energetic Eating approach starts with mindset, not food. Clients are taught to recognize and disrupt negative thought patterns before they become self-fulfilling prophecies. “When you change how you think, you change how you show up for yourself,” she adds.
It’s not about striving for perfection; it’s about being present.
Birney, now a respected integrative health coach and energy healer, is clear about her mission: to help women over 40 release both the physical and emotional weight they’ve carried for too long. Through her business, Cultivate Health Coaching, she helps clients rebuild their relationships with food, their bodies, and most importantly, themselves.
With Energetic Eating, she brings that same compassionate, evidence-informed guidance to a broader audience. It’s not a diet book—it’s a mindset shift, a call to reconnect with the wisdom within your own body and start living with intention, not obsession.
“This book isn’t about specific foods,” Birney notes. “It’s about who you become when you stop fighting your body and start trusting it.”
Energetic Eating is available now in paperback, e-book, and audiobook formats through major retailers, including Amazon and independent bookstores. Learn more about the author and her work at CultivateHealthCoaching.com.
Disclaimer: The content in this article is for general informational purposes only and reflects the views and experiences of the individuals featured. It is not intended as professional advice. Readers are encouraged to use their own judgment and seek guidance from qualified professionals when making personal decisions related to health or wellness.
