Disordered Eating Support

Does any of this sound familiar?

Disordered eating is something that is quite difficult to define. Disordered eating looks different from person to person. Some examples include:

• You restrict or change what you eat on any given day to accommodate eating something later (like eating less during the day if there is a big event later in the day)
• You’ve tried multiple diets and find yourself constantly evaluating whether foods are “good” or “bad”
• Avoiding certain foods because you have heard that they are “bad.” 
• Exercising to “burn off” calories instead of for enjoyment
• Feeling like you are spending “too much” time and energy thinking about food and body image
• You are constantly thinking about the nutrition content of your meals 
• You’re a parent worried that your child or teen’s eating might be heading somewhere concerning

 If any of this sounds familiar, you deserve support. 

What Is Disordered Eating?

Disordered eating is difficult to define because it looks different for everyone. There isn’t a set of specific diagnostic criteria for disordered eating because it exists on a spectrum. Many people who experience disordered eating, often think they aren’t “sick enough” to get help because they haven’t been diagnosed with an eating disorder. However, you deserve to be free of food rules and body image distress.  

Some examples of disordered eating include compensating for food eaten earlier or planned for later, cycling through different diets, avoiding foods labeled as “bad,” exercising specifically to offset eating, spending excessive time and energy thinking about food and body image, or feeling unable to enjoy meals because of calorie or nutrition worries.

This isn’t an exhaustive list. Disordered eating shows up differently for everyone. What matters most is this: if your relationship with food is negatively affecting your life in any way, you deserve support. There are far better things to spend your mental energy on than constant food anxiety.

How We Help Treat Disordered Eating

The Courage to Nourish dietitians take an extremely individualized approach when treating disordered eating. We spend time with our clients to get an idea of how they would like to improve their eating and what specific concerns they have about food, body and exercise.

We start by understanding your specific experience. During an initial session, we take the time to get to know you and your specific goals related to your relationship with food.  It’s important for us to understand how you see disordered eating showing up in your life. 

We discuss diet culture beliefs. During session, we’ll talk about how diet culture has impacted your life and what ways you’d like to eliminate diet culture from your life. This is important when you are healing from disordered eating. 

We set small, specific goals together. Maybe it’s feeling less anxious eating out with friends, or maybe it’s feeling comfortable having dessert on your birthday. We identify what matters to you and work toward it step by step.

We collaborate with your broader care team. We provide consistent support between sessions through email and text.

We hold space without judgment. Whatever your relationship with food looks like right now, you’ll be met with curiosity and compassion. The Courage to Nourish team is here to support and listen whie providing gentle guidance to make changes. 

Who We Work With

We work with people of all ages navigating disordered eating — children, teens, college students, and adults. We work closely with parents to help create a supportive home food environment for kids and teens. We also support pregnant and postpartum individuals and athletes navigating disordered eating patterns within the specific demands of training and competition.

About Courage to Nourish