Eating Disorder Dietitian

Dietitians spend their days helping clients identify ways to improve their diet. That might mean formulating a dairy-free diet plan, discussing heart-healthy choices, or sharing all-vegan recipes.

Many Dietitians specialize to offer better care for specific patients. For example, a Pediatric Dietitian focuses on the diets of infants and children. Eating Disorder Dietitians, meanwhile, work to help people who suffer from eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia.

As an Eating Disorder Dietitian, you might own your own practice, have a partner, or work in an office with other Dietitians. In addition, you might visit patients at the hospital or even at home. Depending on their level of care, you might see your patient every day, weekly, or every few months.

Regardless of how often you see them, your job as an Eating Disorder Dietitian is to identify what disorder, if any, they’re suffering from. To do this, you ask questions and have the patient fill out forms. In addition, you coordinate care with the patient’s Primary Care Physician and Psychologist. Eating disorders are both physical and mental, so you work in unison to create an effective treatment plan.

With a diagnosis in hand, you educate the patient and the family about what types of foods to eat. You consider likes and dislikes, and offer alternatives. For example, you might discuss vitamins, liquid shakes, and foods that offer the right amount of calories. In addition, you explain how food energizes the body, and help the client achieve nutritional goals.