Why Do I Need a Dietitian in Eating Disorder Recovery?
At Namaste Nourished, we’re a team of dietitians who specialize in eating disorders. You might wonder what we do, since eating disorders are mental health disorders. It’s a whole lot more than you might expect, and our role is pivotal for people with an eating disorder. Read on for 5 ways dietitians are needed in eating disorder recovery.
1. Individualized Nutrition Education
The Internet, social media, and 24/7 news have given a platform for so many people to talk about nutrition, food, and/or diets. So many unqualified people push a narrative that what worked for them will work for you, and provide a framework for a restrictive diet that may or may not be based in science. A dietitian can help you understand your unique body and its needs, and how to fuel your body from both a physiological perspective, but also a personal one. When a meal plan is a useful tool for a patient, we work collaboratively with them to create one that works for their individual tastes and preferences. We also help patients to navigate what feelings come up for them with certain foods, and help them understand what is going on in their body. This specialized education can’t be found online, and it’s key to eating disorder recovery, so that a patient knows how to properly nourish themselves.
Additionally, dietitians also help with understanding your individual hunger and fullness cues. These cues often get muted, as rules become king, in people with eating disorders. Learning to tune into your body in order to recognize and respond to hunger and fullness cues takes time, patience, and support, and we are here for that.
2. Exploration and Exposure Work
In all eating disorders, there is some form of restriction. Whatever someone has avoided, whether it’s a food, a food group, a social situation, or something else, exposure work (formally known as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)) is an incredibly helpful tool to normalize and reintroduce this back into someone’s life. As dietitians, we help you to understand why you started avoiding something, and look at how we can get this food or situation back into your diet (if desired and/or needed). Doing exposure work with a dietitian ensures that you are fully supported, and that you have someone not only cheering you on, but able to help you challenge the mental roadblocks that come up before, during and after an eating event. At Namaste Nourished, we love eating with our clients, both in the office and in restaurants. It allows us to connect in a different way with our patients, and also be able to put some of the walk behind our talk.
3. Collaboration with Other Team Members
Having a dietitian on your team means that you have an expert in food, nutrition, diet, and what your body needs during the recovery process. An eating disorder dietitian understands what’s happened in your body from your eating disorder, and how to best nourish your body without causing mental or physical distress. A dietitian will collaborate with your physician, therapist, and other providers to explain what you need from a food and exercise perspective, and can speak provider to provider to ensure you are receiving the proper care and that everyone is on the same page, working towards the healthiest version of you.
4. Help Making All Foods Fit
As eating disorder dietitians, we believe that all foods fit on your plate, but if you have an eating disorder, there are likely foods you avoid, restrict, or feel don’t belong on your plate for one reason or another. Having a dietitian on your team helps reinforce that food is not “good” or “bad,” and that morality has no place in what you eat. The rules, rigidity, and restrictions that come along with eating disorders are usually quite strong and ingrained, and the path to acceptance of certain foods can feel long and difficult, but with a dietitian on your team, there is someone dedicated to helping and supporting you in this. It can feel scary and overwhelming, and a dietitian will meet you exactly where you are, hold your hand (metaphorically) through the process, and help you work through the emotions and thoughts that come up as you take steps towards including more foods and variety into your diet.
5. Control Over Your Life
Look, we know eating disorder recovery is hard work. Our goal in working with you is to not be doing this forever. We know our work together is done when you feel that you do not need us anymore! We really want you to regain control over your life, where the eating disorder previously held control. Ultimately, we want to help you feel independent, educated, and empowered about your individual body, so that you can make choices that align with your values and goals. Initially, we’ll work together a lot, and it will be hard work. Hopefully, as we make progress, you’ll keep working on your recovery, and we’ll meet less often. It might start with every other week, then once a month, then once every few months, as you’re ready to be on your own and live your life. At this point, our work is done, and we’ve helped you to figure out what you want from this great, big, beautiful life of yours, and how you can go about achieving everything from a place of recovery.
Want to learn more about what we do as eating disorder dietitians, or are you ready to add a dietitian to your recovery team? Reach out to us today!