If you’re here because you’re struggling with an eating disorder or with disordered eating patterns and have wondered, Can a nutritionist help with eating disorders? The answer is a resounding YES.
Many people assume that nutritionists and dietitians focus on weight loss with their clients, and that nutrition plans are similar to diets. The truth is that a skilled nutritionist or dietitian helps clients escape the clutches of diet culture, and nutrition plans are meant to be nourishing, not restricting.
So if you struggle with a diagnosed eating disorder or suspect you’re suffering from disordered eating habits, read on to find out how a nutritionist can guide you on your healing journey, and learn the major differences between nutritional counseling and dieting.
How A Nutritionist Can Help You Heal From Your Eating Disorder
The Difference Between a Nutritionist and a Dietitian
First thing’s first: there are Nutritionists, Registered Dietitians, and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionists…what’s the difference?! Before we dive further into Can a nutritionist help with eating disorders?, we want to establish the difference between a Nutritionist and a Dietitian.
Think of Nutritionists and Dietitians like rectangles and squares; all Dietitians are Nutritionists, but not all Nutritionists are Dietitians. Nutritionist is an umbrella term that anyone can use, but there is a formal process to become either a Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist (LDN) or a Registered Dietitian (RD).
A Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist is licensed on a state-by-state basis, while a Registered Dietitian is nationally recognized and can practice anywhere. However, both are qualified professionals who work to support a range of nutrition-related issues, from gut issues to fertility, hormone imbalances, and eating disorders.
In this blog we’ll use the term “Nutritionist” as shorthand. Whether you receive counseling from a Registered Dietitian or a Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist, make sure you find someone who has experience working with eating disorders and disordered eating, so that they’ll possess the skills required to help you.
The Signs of Disordered Eating
If you’re reading this, you might already have a diagnosed eating disorder, or at the very least, are aware that your eating habits, relationship with food, and body image are negatively impacting your life.
In case you’re here for a loved one or aren’t certain if what you’re experiencing “warrants” professional help, here are a few common signs of disordered eating:
#1 Alternating between restricting and binging.
Are you constantly dieting, calorie counting, or cutting out whole food groups (carbs or sugars, for example)? This is a form of restricting, and often restricting leads to binging. You might find yourself on a roller coaster of following a strict list of food rules only to “give in” and break them, unable to stop yourself from binging.
#2 Being overly preoccupied by what you eat.
There really can be too much of a good thing. Even if you’re not restricting or binging, being hyperfocused on “healthiness” and constantly thinking about what to eat next can have a negative effect on your mental health. Labelling certain foods as “good” and others as “bad” also tends to create obsessive thinking and stress when it comes to eating.
#3 Being secretive about your eating habits.
If you prefer to eat alone or avoid social situations that involve food because they cause anxiety for you, this might be a sign of disordered eating. Eating is very much a social activity, culturally. A Nutritionist can help you stop suffering alone and in secret, and get back to being able to share meals with family and friends.
These are just a small handful of many potential signs of disordered eating. If any of these are true for you, know that there are countless others in the same boat, and that you don’t have to struggle alone anymore. A Nutritionist can tailor their expertise to your situation and help you find freedom from disordered eating.
How Nutritional Counseling Differs from Diet Advice
Nutritional Counseling is not a means to lose weight, as some might assume. Instead, it’s a means to transform your mindset, gain nutritional knowledge, and implement new habits that will help you feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally.
A skilled Nutritionist will equip you with both evidence-backed nutritional knowledge and therapeutic tools, because eating disorder recovery isn’t just about what you eat, it’s about changing your thoughts surrounding food and body image.
When you work with a Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist here at Kate Brock Nutrition in D.C., there are no weigh-ins or weight loss goals.
Instead, you’ll work 1:1 with one of our Nutritionists on the following:
Intuitive eating: this looks like following hunger and fullness cues and trusting your body to tell you what, when, and how much to eat
Sustainable nutrition: unlike dieting, you’ll learn to nourish yourself in a way that you can maintain long-term; no more binge-restrict cycle or yo-yo dieting
Transforming your body image: this means unpacking and rewriting the toxic narrative about your body that got you here in the first place
Personalized strategies: there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to Nutritional counseling; we listen to your story and tailor our personalized plans to your history
The goal isn’t to lose weight anymore; it’s to gain freedom. The harm that months or years of disordered eating creates impacts the whole self. If you’re dealing with sleepless nights due to stress, anxiety over eating around people, avoiding mirrors, or all of the above…a Nutritionist can help you break free from this cycle.
What to Look for In a Nutritionist
The main thing to look for when you’re searching for a Nutritionist who can help with eating disorders is finding someone who already has experience working with people with eating disorders.
Some other “green flag” terms to look for include: weight-inclusive, HAES (Health At Every Size), and trauma-informed. These indicate a provider who does not discriminate based on body type or size, who believes every person is deserving of quality healthcare and nutrition, and who has received training on providing counseling to survivors of trauma, respectively.
Kate Brock is our Nutritionist who specializes in eating disorders. She is a Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist (LDN), Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS), a current student of Doctor of Clinical Nutrition, and has a Master’s Degree of Science in Integrative Health.
Kate Brock sees clients who are in D.C. in person and clients from anywhere virtually. Her focus is on healing from eating disorders and body image concerns and breaking free from the diet cycle for good.
Ready to Work with a Disordered Eating Nutritionist in Washington, D.C.?
The journey to overcoming anxiety surrounding body image, food and eating doesn’t have to be scary or lonely.
When you have an expert in your corner, the process of changing and unlearning harmful habits becomes much easier. Your road to recovery is already paved.
If you’re interested in working with us you can follow this link to book a free call so we can discuss how we can support you.
Read these next:
Five Common Misconceptions About Working with an Eating Disorder Nutritionist
5 Reasons Why You Should Ditch Diet Culture in 2025 — According to a Washington DC Nutritionist