October 16, 2026 at 3:02pm EDT

Demi Lovato says she no longer expects to be “fully healed” from her eating disorder.

The 34-year-old singer appeared on the Oct. 14 episode of the Street You Grew Up On podcast to talk about her relationship with food and body image.

“I can say that today, I’m not in a place where I look at myself as fully healed,” Lovato shared. “I don’t think that that’s something that I even think about striving towards because it doesn’t seem realistic.”

Lovato described her relationship with food as a “manageable battle” that will likely last the rest of her life. She explained that she no longer expects perfection. Instead, she focuses on finding freedom in the kitchen and accepting her body as it fluctuates.

“Some days I don’t love my body, but there are days where I accept it,” she said. “I would say I live in a place of acceptance now. Where I don’t look in the mirror and berate myself for having curves.”

Earlier this year, the singer released her first cookbook, One Plate at a Time. She designed the recipes to help fans dealing with similar issues build confidence in the kitchen and develop a healthier relationship with food.

“As I started working on it [the book], I realized there are so many people that may have had eating disorders or might be just stepping into the kitchen for the first time,” she told Us in March. “It started out as something to help me in my recovery and a tool for others, but then it actually ended up becoming a cookbook for just anybody that wants to get into the kitchen for the first time and might be intimidated by cooking.”

Lovato put her new outlook into practice during her recent It’s Not That Deep tour. She admitted to feeling stressed and terrified about performing after her body changed, but when she finally stepped on stage, the audience’s reaction shut down her insecurities.

“I went onstage anyways,” Lovato said. “No one turned around. No one got up out of their seats and said, ‘She’s not a size 0.’ They still loved me and cried tears of joy when I sang for them. I was like, ‘That’s a huge lesson for me.’”

That experience on tour only validated the mindset she carries in her personal life.

“I’m 34. My worth isn’t in my body. My husband doesn’t love me because of my body. My family doesn’t love me because of my body,” she said. “I am beautiful as I am, but most importantly, I am a good human, and that’s what I hold true to my heart.”