A Registered Dietitian is a nutrition professional who received a degree and verification statement from a didactic program in dietetics, completed an internship obtaining clinical experience, passed a national examination, and received licensing in states in which they practice. Registered dietitians are trained in medical nutrition therapy. A registered dietitian may use RD or RDN (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist) to distinguish themselves as a licensed nutrition professional.

Eating Disorders/Disordered Eating:

How a human nourishes themselves can be viewed as a spectrum, from normal eating on one end to disordered eating that meets criteria for a diagnosable eating disorder. There are five types of eating disorders according to the most recent addition of the DSM, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, and Otherwise specified feeding and eating disorders.

Many of the diagnoses look at frequency and severity of symptoms to determine if one meets criteria for an official diagnosis. If someone engages in the listed behaviors however does not meet frequency or severity for a formal diagnosis, they may fall under the disordered eating category.

Regardless of whether someone is struggling with their eating habits or diagnosed with an eating disorder, seeing a dietitian can help. A dietitian can help someone struggling to verbalize and process their thoughts, feelings, fears, and concerns around food through nutrition counseling and exposures. Dietitians support their clients in normalizing eating patterns, reincorporating foods into the diet that may have been eliminated due to fear around the food, challenging disordered beliefs and ideas about food and eating diet culture has taught us, and developing a healthy relationship with movement.

Parent & Family Support:

It can be hard on a family to support their child or loved one who is struggling with food. If your child is living at home, supporting them might look like planning and plating their meals for them, monitoring their intake and weight, discouraging excessive movement or inappropriate table behaviors. Children with eating disorders often have taken a lot of control over their food choices and exercise behaviors, which parents will need to take back in order for their child to heal. Some patients are immediately ready to jump in and talk to a dietitian about their struggles, others may be resistant and even deny that there is a problem. Regardless of if your child is ready to speak with a dietitian, parents and families can benefit from meeting with a dietician to learn how to properly support their child, how to handle pushback, identify what decisions are eating disorder related, and ask questions and troubleshoot difficult situations as they arise.

Desire to improve relationship with food and body:

Some dietitians will provide prescriptive meal plans for weight loss; however, 90% of diets fail, often due to guidelines around the plan being too restrictive to maintain for extended periods of time. Wells’s aim is to discuss your current eating and exercise behaviors and create a plan for behavior changes that will be more easily incorporated into your current daily life.

Co-occurring Mental Health Diagnoses:

While it feels intuitive for a client with the diagnosis of an “eating disorder” to work with someone who specializes in eating, like a dietitian, it may not seem so obvious how a dietitian can help those who struggle with eating due to reasons other than an eating disorder.

Many mental health diagnoses include symptoms associated with disordered eating including: forgetting to eat, lack of hunger, textural aversions, strict rituals around meals or food, struggles maintaining weight, consistent over or under eating, and apathy towards food. For those experiencing eating issues related to a mental health diagnosis, seeing a dietician can help.

The title “Registered Dietitian” is a legally protected term. RD’s meet specific criteria throughout schooling, obtaining clinical practice hours, and passing a national examination. RD’s also must be licensed in the state in which they practice.

On the other hand, anyone with basic nutrition knowledge can call themselves a “nutritionist.” There is no protection or requirement for this title. While there are courses one can take to obtain a certificate in nutrition, there are limits to what nutritionists are legally allowed to coach clients on.

Dietitians can be help you address and make behavior changes surrounding food and nutrition and help you work towards neutrality surrounding food, body image, and physical activity. A dietitian can help you with nutrition concerns due to eating disorders, disordered eating, medical concerns like diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

The concept of a “diet” is often associated with the words “limited” or “restricted,” indicating that you will be eliminating some of the foods that you eat in order to change your body. Anti-diet is the opposite, with an additive approach to nutrition and fueling your body with foods you enjoy while incorporating gentle nutrition. For example, if your favorite breakfast is bacon and eggs, an anti-diet dietitian might suggest the addition of toast for carbohydrates and berries for micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Contact our office if you have additional questions.

Nutrition counseling appointments can vary in length and frequency depending on your specific needs. Think of nutrition counseling like mental health counseling, theres no “quick fix.” Consistent sessions are often needed to have full success in behavior changes. Sessions are most often 45-50 minutes.

Please notify your provider at least 24 hours prior to your appointment to cancel or reschedule. Otherwise you will be charged the entire session fee if cancellation is less than 24 hours. This is necessary because a time commitment is made to you and is held exclusively for you.

You can also reschedule through your Client Portal. For Monday appointments, we ask that you cancel or reschedule by Friday of the week prior.

If you are more than 10 minutes late for an appointment, we will do our best to meet with you, but you may be asked to reschedule.

Wells is available for phone consult and telehealth sessions via video or phone. Contact us to inquire about distance services.

A 45-50 minute nutrition counseling appointment is $140.

We are considered an out-of-network provider with most insurance plans. We do not take insurance for nutrition counseling, however, we can provide you with a Superbill for you to file with your insurance company for out-of-network reimbursement, if applicable.

We are able to take Health Savings Accounts (HSA) or Flex Spending Accounts (FSA). We can work with you to determine what will work best for you. View our FAQs or email hello@atlwell.com for more information.