The one thing this weight-loss expert says you should do to change your relationship with food for good

A donut with pink glaze and chocolate sprinkles on a mouse trap, in an open desk drawer surrounded by stationery supplies: a ruler, pencil, rubber, two pink paper clips, a roll of tape and notepads.

Many of us are caught in a cycle of dieting and lapsing into bad eating habits, associating food with feelings of guilt and shame. So how can we break out of this cycle and change the way we think about—and eat—food?

I talked to women’s health and weight loss expert, TEDx speaker and medical doctor Dr Aileen Alexander, to get her take on the best way to change our relationship with food.