Eating disorder treatment and recovery can look different for every individual, and it is important to remember that recovery is not meant to happen alone. For many, treating an eating disorder requires the efforts of many other professionals on an interdisciplinary team, including general practitioners, therapists, psychiatrists, and dietitians.
Understanding the role of each of these professionals can make the process much more comprehensive when considering eating disorder treatment.
So, what exactly is the role of a registered dietitian (RD) in eating disorder treatment and recovery?
What Is A Registered Dietitian?
Registered dietitians are health professionals accredited by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Individuals looking to become dietitians must complete a bachelor’s degree program, supervised practice internship, master’s program, and pass a professional licensing exam. Additional specialty credentials can later be obtained through continued professional development. Dietitians work in various settings, including hospitals, private practices, public health settings, research areas, corporate wellness programs, etc.
Why Is It Important to Have a Registered Dietitian On Your Recovery Team?
A dietitian’s goal is to ensure you are meeting your nutritional needs while also helping you repair your relationship with food. Therefore, adding a dietitian to your team can help ensure you are nourished throughout recovery. This task is not straightforward, as nutrition needs often evolve and can be difficult to identify in people seeking recovery from an eating disorder. A dietitian can provide education, counseling, and individualized meal planning to help best meet your needs and goals.
What Does a Registered Dietitian Do In Eating Disorder Treatment and Recovery?
As mentioned, a dietitian can fill different roles during eating disorder treatment and recovery. Here are a few key hats registered dietitians wear:
Nutrition Education and Counseling
Dietitians have ample knowledge about the mechanisms of digestion, nutritional adequacy, food labeling, and more. Part of their role as members of a care team for eating disorders includes one-on-one counseling and education for their clients. Being equipped with knowledge and skills can be greatly beneficial to recovering from an eating disorder.
Identifying and Eliminating Eating Disorder Habits and Behaviors
You and your dietitian will form a rapport over time, and you might even get to know each other quite well. By getting to know you and how your eating disorder presents itself, your dietitian will be able to identify eating disorder habits and behaviors, identify their function/purpose, and work with you to find a way of eliminating them that aligns with your goals and values.
Developing a Better Relationship with Food, Body, and Health
Your eating disorder can drastically morph your understanding and view of food, your body, and your overall health. Finding a way to defilter this view can be difficult to do alone. A registered dietitian can help you process your thoughts and feelings and start a new internal dialogue.
Curating Individualized Meal Plans
One of the first things a registered dietitian will do for you during eating disorder treatment is assess your nutritional needs. Once they understand what your body needs, nutrition rehabilitation, food likes/dislikes, current food habits, and more, they will generate an individualized meal plan for you. Meal plans can be helpful in eating disorder treatment as they take the pressure off of you to figure out what and how much to eat and give you a good example of what adequate meals and snacks look like.
Developing Coping Strategies
While working alongside a therapist, registered dietitians will help you to develop and practice helpful coping strategies. Whether you deal with eating disorder urges, negative self-talk, high stress, anxiety, or something else, registered dietitians can provide tools and ideas for healthy coping mechanisms.
Dispelling Nutrition-Related Myths
With the internet making all information accessible within minutes, there is always misinformation. Of the many topics, nutrition misinformation can be particularly harmful to people struggling with eating disorders. A registered dietitian is considered an expert in nutrition and dietetics. Therefore, they can be a great source of trustworthy information and someone who can explain and dismantle misconceptions and myths in nutrition.
A registered dietitian plays a crucial role in someone’s eating disorder recovery, providing education, counseling, and personalized meal planning. With their expertise, they help individuals develop a healthier relationship with food and dispel nutrition-related myths, empowering them to heal and recover from their eating disorder.
At BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™, our compassionate, highly skilled team of clinicians is trained in diagnosing and treating the spectrum of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating, and other disordered eating behaviors and body image issues.
Our admissions team would happily answer any questions about our programs and services or learn about what eating disorder recovery might look like for you. Book a free discovery call with our admissions team below, or read more about our philosophy here.
This post was written by BALANCE Dietetic Intern, Susanna Montgomery (she/her).
Susanna holds a BS in Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science from the University of Vermont and is currently pursuing a Masters at Hunter College. She is completing a dietetic internship rotation at BALANCE with aspirations of becoming a Registered Dietitian. Her passions and professional dietetic goals are aligned with a focus on HAES, body neutrality, and eating disorder treatment. Beyond her academic and professional pursuits, she enjoys watching movies with friends, practicing yoga, and listening to podcasts during walks around the city.
