An eating disorder can be a life-threatening condition that requires the complex intervention from a multidisciplinary team. For optimal recovery, the team will usually consist of a doctor, a psychologist and a dietitian with a specialized training in eating disorder. Many people suffering from an eating disorder develop an obsession and do a lot of research about nutrition. Therefore, someone might wonder why it is important to consult a dietitian/nutritionist.

Here are 4 reasons why an eating disorder dietitian/nutritionist is an integral part of the recovery journey.

1. To help in getting rid of disordered eating thoughts and behaviours

During the first evaluation appointment, the dietitian will assess the client’s food intake, physical and psychological symptoms of the eating disorder, presence of compensatory methods (over-exercising, laxatives, restriction,etc.), the triggers for unhealthy eating behaviors and thoughts, presence of binge-eating episodes, his/her perception of food and his/her body. After the analysis of the situation, the nutritionist will provide a treatment plan and prioritize which issues that will need to be addressed first to help the client let go of the disordered eating behaviours.

For instance if the client is severely malnourished, the restriction will need to be addressed so as to restore the physical health and give enough fuel to the brain to fight the eating disorder. To do this, an individualized meal plan might sometimes be necessary to help the sufferer meet his/her needs and provide structure. The plan will be tailored for the eating disorder sufferer to provide much needed structure,  variety, pleasure, flexibility while making it the least stressful possible for him/her.

The eating disorder nutritionist will also help the client to let go of compensatory behaviors if present and of body checking behaviours that could amplify the restriction.

2. To work through distortions that reinforce detrimental eating-disorder behaviours

Part of helping the client normalize his/her eating habits for recovery involve digging deeper to assess any distorted view of food, physical activity and body image.

The dietitian will help the sufferer navigate through all the nutrition information, helping him/her separate the rational thoughts from the disordered eating thoughts. The client will become more informed about how his/her metabolism works, his/her nutrient needs and why certain nutrients are important for his/her health.

For instance, someone suffering from an eating disorder could be eliminating carbohydrates from his diet as his eating disorder is telling him/her that carbs are bad for health. The nutritionist will therefore demystify with the patient why he would need carbs, how much is needed for the latter to be healthy and how to progressively re-introduce carbohydrates sources in his/her diet.

Indeed, nutrition is an ever-evolutionary science and dietitians-nutritionists are the only health care professionals with the right credentials to help people understand and put into practice nutrition guidelines that are individualized for the needs of each person.

3. To help the eating disorder sufferer overcome the fear of eating particular foods

Re-introducing all fear foods in the diet of the sufferer is easier said than done. The latter usually avoids a host of foods out of a profound fear that those foods are unhealthy, will cause weight gain and that he/she will lose control if he/she allows himself/herself to eat the foods.

Since the dietitian has a deep knowledge of an eating disorder, the latter will be able to devise the right strategies and work with the patient to re-introduce the fear foods gradually. Simultaneously, new coping mechanisms could be taught to the client to deal with food cravings and urges to eat.

In that way, the re-introduction of the fear foods is not too anxiety-provoking for the patient.  And as a result, the eating disorder sufferer will feel more confident in making changes to develop healthier eating patterns.

4.  Helps the client to trust his/her body

Once the eating disorder thoughts and behaviours are less prevalent, the nutritionist will be able to teach the client how to be more in tune with his/her body. For instance, when the hunger and fullness cues of the client is back, the dietitian will be able to teach the patient how to listen to those cues. Therefore, by helping the patient connect more to his/her body, the client will have more power over his/her food and his/her life instead of the eating disorder controlling it.

The dietitian will also help the client (re)discover the pleasure of eating and eat intuitively. Moreover, the skills needed to deal with several aspects of food such as meal planning, grocery shopping and meal preparation will be taught to the client to overcome food-related fears and anxiety.

As food thoughts become less present, the sufferer will be able to develop a healthy relationship with food and this will open up so much more space for other spheres of his/her life. For instance, he/she will be able to embrace real-life settings such as gatherings with friends and family, go on to work, restaurant and on trips without obsessing on food. The eating disorder sufferer will truly be able to take ownership of his/her food choices and achieve food freedom.

Throughout the follow up with the eating disorder sufferer, the nutritionist will provide a safe environment for the client where the latter feels comfortable discussing their eating struggles. Indeed, developing a relationship based on trust and non-judgement is essential for the client to develop the knowledge and skills required for optimal recovery.

If you need any help in your recovery journey or know of someone who might need help, feel free to contact us.