My Approach

When I first started my journey to becoming a registered dietitian, I remember thinking “This will be easy! I just have to calculate calories and macronutrients, give people meal plans and they’ll know what to eat!”

Well, that is absolutely NOT how I do things now. After spending a lot of time in clinical nutrition during my internship, I found myself interviewing for a job at a small eating disorder treatment facility. My soon-to-be mentor asked me to learn about Intuitive Eating and Health at Every Size®. My mind was blown. There was another way to help people as a dietitian that didn’t involve prescribing restrictive diets and counting calories! Suddenly I found myself much less interested in what people were eating, but more on how and why. I began to shift away from focusing on individual nutrients and exploring how someone’s relationship with food can impact their overall health (including mental and emotional) and wellbeing.

Over the years I have expanded to learn more how incredibly harmful anti-fat bias, weight discrimination and weight bias can be to one’s health and wellbeing. I have recognized the importance of including fat liberation and fat acceptance in this work because it is not enough to simply include folks in larger bodies in accessing respectful care, but we need to center those who this movement was created for and uplift the voices of marginalized folks within the work of body liberation. I am constantly working to reflect on how my own body privilege might impact the lens that I have surrounding body image; I will never try to push you to adopt a perspective that doesn’t feel right to you, but will instead leave openness for curiosity and exploration. I want to honor your lived experience and hold space for you to share what it means for you to move through the world in your body.

We live in a world that’s full of challenges and feeding ourselves can be a difficult task. My approach with nutrition support focuses on integrating self-compassion and acceptance to meet yourself where you are at. In my practice as a dietitian, I recognize that you are the expert of your body, not me. My goal is to support my clients in rejecting diet culture, healing their relationship with food, and re-connecting with their inner wisdom. I take a weight-inclusive, Health at Every Size® approach in my practice and I aim to cultivate an affirming, client-centered space. I recognize how diet culture perpetuates oppression, and I believe that each body is ENOUGH, just as it is.

I believe each individual’s definition of health is different, and I also believe that health itself is not a moral obligation. I recognize that eating disorders do not discriminate and can affect ANYONE. I reject the idea that you can tell someone’s health status by looking at them, and believe that everyone has the right to access compassionate healthcare. I recognize and honor the efforts of activists who have fought for the fat acceptance movement.

I take a trauma-informed approach and hope to help cultivate a space in which radical self-love and body liberation can thrive for all folx. My practice is informed by core concepts within Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Language of Emotions.

Some articles/resources to learn more:

https://thebodyisnotanapology.com/magazine/tag/weight-size/
https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/2019/06/24/fat-acceptance-movement
https://msmagazine.com/2019/10/18/the-feminist-history-of-fat-liberation/
https://edrdpro.com/resources/articles/

What is Health at Every Size®?
Health at Every Size (HAES)® is a weight-inclusive approach that respects body diversity, supports health from a holistic perspective (physical, psychological, emotional, social, relational, spiritual, etc), and works to end weight stigma & discrimination. This movement recognizes that health is complex and that the pursuit of health is not a moral obligation, as well as the notion that health status should never be used to judge or oppress an individual. HAES® is rooted in a social justice framework and acknowledges the impact that shame, stigma, and oppression can have on health and well-being. The focus is shifted from weight control to supporting self-care practices that allow one to tap into their body’s inner wisdom.

The Health at Every Size® Principles:

• Healthcare is a human right for people of all sizes, including those at the highest end of the size spectrum.
• Care is fully provided only when free from anti-fat bias and offered with people of all sizes in mind.
• Wellbeing, care, and healing are resources that are both collective and deeply personal.
• Health is a sociopolitical construct that reflects the values of society.

The Health at Every Size® Framework of Care:

Learn more here: https://asdah.org/haes/

Can I practice Intuitive Eating if I’m recovering from an eating disorder, have a history of disordered eating, and/or don’t feel hunger or fullness cues?
There are many factors that can impact one’s connection with their hunger & fullness signals such as trauma, a history of disordered eating, and certain medications (e.g. stimulants). Neurodivergent folks also may experience challenges with interoceptive awareness and can have difficulties identifying body cues like hunger and fullness. Therefore, gentle structure may be needed to ensure someone is getting adequate and consistent nutrition to promote healing. While some folks may restore their connection with hunger and fullness cues, I do not hold this expectation for all clients as this may not be accessible for everyone. I aim to support all clients in healing their relationship with food and if desired, to eat intuitively, whatever that looks like to them. This also means recognizing the impact of food insecurity, trauma, oppression and discrimination on someone’s overall health and well-being as well as how this can limit someone’s access to certain concepts that are promoted in Intuitive Eating practices as listed in the actual book. Rather than focusing on setting “Intuitive Eating” as a “end goal” or something to “graduate” to, I believe that each person’s experience is different, and I strive to take a nuanced, anti-ableist, and anti-oppressive approach by honoring their individuality with compassionate care.