Why is nutrition therapy important when eating disorders are mental illnesses with complex emotional underpinnings?
Many eating disorders are exacerbated by nutrition misinformation, diet culture, and fat phobia. Eating disorder dietitians can provide anti-diet nutrition education, dispel any diet culture myths, and provide HAES (health at every size) care. They can also provide support with structured meal plans and eating plans for clients who “have no idea what to eat”. Eventually, the dietitian can help facilitate a safe transition into an intuitive eating style that promotes a healthy relationship to eating and body image
Here are some ways that Nutrition Therapy in Florida can help with disordered eating.
- Dietitians can function as a source of accountability for clients who otherwise don’t have any or very little, especially when the eating disorder voice is loud.
- Dietitians can help clients identify physiological and emotional factors that are contributing to eating disorder behaviors.
- Dietitians can discuss with client tools, coping skills to utilize in place of their eating disorder behaviors.
- Dietitians can help ease the load of psychoeducation on the front end of eating disorders, along with their therapist and medical doctors.
- Dietitians can help facilitate body image healing.
- Even for families who are utilizing family-based therapy (FBT), parents are often confused and want guidance of nutrition rehabilitation. Dietitians can provide appropriate education and children’s nutrition needs, portions, etc and problem solve weight restoration.
- Dietitians can read lab values and make nutrition recommendations based on results.
- Dietitians can refer clients to a higher level of care if appropriate.
- Dietitians can help clients set specific goals to work on between sessions.
- Dietitians can provide a safe space for clients to “do the work”, holding hope when a client has very little hope.
Trying to find the perfect diet and keeping track of the latest trend on your social media feed can make things very confusing, and in some cases, even dangerous. There are varying levels of nutrition “experts” who market their services making it really tough knowing who and what to trust.
If you think you have an eating disorder, it’s important to get help sooner rather than later before it develops into a potentially dangerous problem. The Nutritionists at Behavioral Nutrition are trained to help so any issue you might be experiencing doesn’t turn into disordered eating. Our trained Nutritional Therapists will guide you to a healthy relationship with food. You’ll get personalized nutrition information so you can move towards a life enhancing relationship with food. Contact us today to learn more about our Florida Nutrition Therapy Services.
