Eating disorders are more severe than dieting or having food binges. They are serious mental health conditions that require treatment from a professional team with advanced training in helping those with eating disorders.

In this article, you will learn about eating disorders, how they differ from disordered eating, and how working with a registered dietitian who specializes in eating disorder recovery is the best option for establishing a healthy relationship with food, eating, and the body.

What Is an Eating Disorder?

While many people flippantly say or joke about others, “They’ve got an eating disorder,” it is critical to understand that eating disorders are serious behavioral conditions. When someone has an eating disorder, it isn’t about food. It is about the effects on the person’s physical, psychological, and social functioning.

Those with eating disorders are often preoccupied with food, weight, or body shape and size. They may also experience anxiety about eating or the consequences of eating certain foods. Someone with an eating disorder may also exercise excessively or exercise to offset the calories consumed.

Anyone, regardless of gender, age, or body size can have an eating disorder.

Disordered Eating vs. Eating Disorder

Eating disorders and disordered eating (DE) are related but have critical differences. Disordered eating includes problematic behaviors that include disordered attitudes towards food, body shape, weight, and appearance.

While many of the behaviors of disordered eating are similar to eating disorders, DE does not meet the frequency or severity required to achieve an eating disorder diagnosis.

Disordered eating behaviors can be the precursor to developing an eating disorder. You can learn more about disordered eating in the blog Nutritionist For Eating Disorders.

What Are the Types of Eating Disorders?

The term “eating disorder” is a blanket term for multiple types of disorders. Each eating disorder has criteria for diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. Below are brief descriptions of some of the most common eating disorders.

Anorexia Nervosa

Someone with Anorexia Nervosa severely limits their food intake and refuses to gain weight. A person with Anorexia Nervosa may believe that their self-worth is determined and influenced by their body shape or weight.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

Those with BED eat large quantities of food within a short period of time and report feeling a lack of control when eating. Unlike Bulimia Nervosa, those with BED do not engage in compensatory behaviors.

Bulimia Nervosa

Like BED, those with bulimia nervosa engage in binge episodes but also engage in compensatory behaviors such as inducing vomiting, laxative use, fasting, and excessive exercise.

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

ARFID is often seen in children and adolescents. Those with ARFID avoid certain foods or restrict their intake based on sensory qualities or characteristics of the food. They may experience significant weight loss and may not meet their growth guidelines.

Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED)

When an eating disorder behavior does not meet the specified criteria in the DSM for a specific eating disorder, for example, the binging behavior is not as frequent as the DSM criteria for BED, a diagnosis of OSFED may be used.

What Does a Nutritionist Do?

A nutritionist, specifically a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), helps clients understand how food and eating impact their health. A few examples of how nutritionists help include nutrition therapy, developing healthy eating habits, and explaining how the body uses food for energy.

How Does a Nutritionist Help With Eating Disorders?

A nutritionist with specialized training in eating disorder treatment plays a vital role on the treatment team. Since an eating disorder is about more than food, the dietitian works with their eating disorder patients to address and improve their relationships with food, eating, and body.

Nutrition Education

Often, people with eating disorders do not understand how food supports their body’s functioning and health. Nutrition counseling helps with the acceptance of one’s body and the nourishment it needs to be healthy.

Emotional Awareness Education

Part of treating eating disorders is understanding emotional patterns around eating and meal times. In nutrition counseling sessions, the RDN helps uncover and change emotional patterns contributing to the patient’s eating disorder.

Knowledge in Weight Theory and Body Positive Thinking

Treating eating disorders also involves helping patients unpack beliefs about their body image and diet culture. The dietitian helps the client process thoughts and feelings around food and weight to help them reestablish healthy relationships with food and their body.

Customized Meal Planning

Part of recovery is learning how to eat normally again. Often, a meal plan is a helpful tool. The eating disorder dietitian will work with each client to understand their needs and any medical issues they may have and develop a personalized meal plan for them. The dietitian will also help their patients develop meal-planning skills for recovery.

Explores Eating Environments and Your Eating Patterns

The eating disorder dietitian will explore how the patient interacts with their eating environments and how their eating patterns and eating behaviors can evolve to assist with their recovery. This multifaceted approach includes mindful eating, coached meals, nutrition therapy, and facing challenging foods through food exposures. The dietitian will also work on helping the patient learn how to manage challenging food situations like holidays and develop effective coping strategies.

What Are the Benefits of Working With a Nutritionist for Eating Disorder Treatment?

When addressing an eating disorder, it is critical to have a team that includes a registered dietitian nutritionist who has advanced training in working with those who have eating disorders. An eating disorder dietitian does not focus on what their client is or is not eating. They assist with many aspects of the treatment of eating disorders and in the recovery process.

Expertise

RDNs have advanced training in nutrition and how it impacts the body. Those who specialize in eating disorders have additional training in treating those with eating disorders and eating disorder recovery. They also have experience in and have received supervised practice in eating disorder cases.

Additional Support System Member

Eating disorder treatment involves a team that usually includes a physician, mental health professionals, and a registered dietitian who works with eating disorder patients. The registered dietitian supports the client as part of the treatment team by helping them establish a healthy relationship with food and their body and learn to eat normally.

Motivation

Overcoming an eating disorder is challenging and can take years of work. An eating disorder dietitian helps their clients stay motivated to change their relationship with food and their body.

Accountability

Motivation and accountability are two sides of the same coin. Sometimes, eating disorder clients need someone to hold them accountable for making the changes necessary to overcome their eating disorder.

Factors to Consider When Choosing an Eating Disorder Dietitian?

When looking for a dietitian to assist with eating disorder treatment, there are many factors to consider. We will discuss some of these key factors below.

Insurance Options

Your health insurance may cover treatment for eating disorders. Sarah Lynn Nutrition’s dietitians are in network with many major health insurance plans. We can help you determine your eligibility to help pay for the cost of treatment.

Staff Credentials

The dietitian you are considering should have advanced training in working with eating disorder patients. The only internationally recognized certification for those who work with eating disorder patients is the Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals. This rigorous program requires a minimum of 2500 hours of eating disorder experience, supervised practice, and passing an exam.

Practitioners can take other certifications and courses to increase their understanding of eating disorder treatment and contribute to the 2500-hour requirement to apply for a CEDS.

Location

Having a dietitian close to you to work with is important if you want in-person sessions. Sarah Lynn Nutrition offers both in-person and telehealth sessions.

Treatment Approaches and Support

The RDN’s treatment approach should align with the patient’s approach to and goals for recovery. Some practitioners use traditional approaches, while others use more advanced, evidenced-based approaches.

Why Should I Work With a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Eating Disorder Recovery?

When you work with an RDN for eating disorder recovery, you’ll have the confidence that you’re working with a professional who puts your recovery first, ensures you’re properly nourished, and helps you establish a healthy relationship with food and your body.

Conclusion

Choosing an RDN to work with on eating disorder recovery can feel overwhelming. However, it does not have to be. Sarah Lynn Nutrition has a team of dietitians dedicated to helping you recover from your eating disorder. Contact us today to find the right dietitian to assist you in your recovery.