Dietitians & Standards for Care in Eating Disorders

People who are in recovery from an eating disorder often work with a team of professionals, sometimes including a dietitian. This is because an eating disorder is a complex diagnosis. Eating disorders are not just mental health conditions, they also have an equally important medical aspect.

In order for all pieces of the eating disorder to be treated, an eating disorder treatment team includes different specialized professionals. This can include a doctor, mental health therapist, psychiatrist, and nutritionist. Nutritionists are also referred to as registered dietitians (RD).

How ARE Dietitians Evaluated and Accredited?

While many people are aware of what is required to become a doctor or therapist, the education and experience required to become an eating disorder-informed dietitian are less widely understood. It is really important for the recovery process to choose a dietitian that knows how to treat these complex disorders.

Part of choosing a qualified dietitian is understanding what credentials and experience they should have. This is especially important when social media is flooded with information from random people about nutrition or diets.

Many people view this as a credible source. Unless someone has the appropriate education and experience, they are not qualified to advise others about nutrition. This is why it can be dangerous to get nutrition advice from anyone who isn’t an RD [2].

An RD has at least a Bachelor’s degree from a program accredited by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In addition, an RD has to complete a supervised 1,200-hour internship. After this, someone must pass the national registered dietitian exam.

Dietitians who treat eating disorders have likely completed further training to properly treat these conditions and may receive ongoing supervision. This is because individuals with eating disorders tend to have unique nutritional needs and are at increased risk for severe medical complications [1].

What Support Do They Provide?

Eating disorder dietitians can help support someone’s recovery in a variety of ways. Eating disorder nutritional counseling tends to provide the following:

• Nutrition assessment- At the beginning of eating disorder treatment, a dietitian will meet with someone to gain an understanding of their current nutritional needs. This will also likely include the mental health aspects that influence their disordered eating behaviors [1]. This also helps the dietitian to understand someone’s history with food, any beliefs about food that influence their eating patterns, and their weight history.

• Nutritional Intervention- Part of the recovery process is to stop disordered behaviors and develop normal eating behaviors. For example, people with eating disorders tend to be very rigid with their food choices. This can create anxiety and can prevent someone from eating the variety of foods they need in order to get their nutritional needs met. A dietitian could help with this by providing fact-based information about these foods. A dietitian may also help create a plan to help someone begin including these foods in their diet again [1].

• Nutritional Education- Americans are bombarded with information about food, diets, exercise, and body image. A dietitian can provide education about these topics in order to help someone make reality-based decisions about how to take care of their body. This is really important for people with eating disorders because disordered eating is often rooted in false beliefs about food and their body.

• Monitoring- A dietitian may monitor someone’s recovery by reviewing their food intake, taking their weight and vitals regularly, and also exploring the individual’s emotional experience of their changing relationship with food. This is important because even if someone is reaching a stable weight, but they are still as anxious while eating, then this needs to be addressed.

Eating disorder dietitians are a crucial aspect of the treatment team. While they are super important and necessary, it is not recommended for someone to only see a dietitian during recovery [1]. It is important for someone to have support from different types of professionals in order to recover in a well-rounded way.

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Resources:

[1] Heruc, G., Hart, S., Stiles, G., Fleming, K., Casey, A., Sutherland, F., Jeffrey, S., Roberton, M., Hurst, K. (2020). ANZAED practice and training standards for dietitians providing eating disorder treatment. Journal of Eating Disorders, 8(77), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-020-00334-z

[2] Eatright Pro. (2021). 5 steps to become a registered dietitian nutritionist. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. https://www.eatrightpro.org/about-us/become-an-rdn-or-dtr/high-school-students/5-steps-to-become-a-registered-dietitian-nutritionist

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About the Author:

Samantha Bothwell, LMFT, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, writer, explorer, and lipstick aficionado. She became a therapist after doing her own healing work so she could become whole after spending many years living with her mind and body disconnected. She has focused her clinical work to support the healing process of survivors of sexual violence and eating disorders. She is passionate about guiding people in their return to their truest Self so they can live their most authentic, peaceful life.

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The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective on eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer a discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.

Published January 29, 2021, on EatingDisorderHope.com
Reviewed & Approved on January 29, 2021, by Jacquelyn Ekern MS, LPC