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What is a "Non-Diet Dietitian?"
Non-diet Dietitians
The term non-diet dietitian may sound like an oxymoron. In practice, though, it means that we will focus on improving your relationship with food and how to fuel your body instead of letting any external food rules dictate your eating habits. This approach aligns with the principles of Intuitive Eating.
We don’t recommend diets because diets do not work. Diets put the clock, the scale, the measuring cups, some other inanimate object, or another person in charge of your eating. This leads to further distrust between your body and your mind. Not even your Registered Dietitian knows which foods feel best in your body, which type of movement you will find joyful, or how many snacks satisfy and fuel you well. Sure, we have the education and experience to help guide you in those areas but you are the only person living in your body. You are the expert of you. We are here to help you challenge anything that may be preventing you from listening to your body, such as an eating disorder or diet culture.
Non-diet is not non-health. This is a common misconception about Intuitive Eating. Intuitive Eating has research to back it up. The studies show that Intuitive Eating participants have less disordered eating, decreased biomarkers like triglycerides and blood pressure, reduced body dissatisfaction, higher self-esteem, greater life satisfaction, more variety in the foods they consume, and they find more pleasure from eating. Eating and moving intuitively will be freeing and open up your life in so many ways, while diets (and eating disorders) isolate you. That freedom is sustainable, unlike diets.
Non-diet is also not anti-weight loss. This approach does not focus on changing the size of your body. However, if you eat intuitively your body may feel comfortable decreasing your weight. It may also increase your weight or keep it the same. There are too many factors at play to know what will happen. That can be a very difficult fact to accept due to the diet culture world we live in that praises the thin-ideal. Just because you still have hopes of weight loss does not mean you are failing this process. It takes time to move towards body acceptance. The dietitians at Mood Balance Nutrition are here to help you find peace with food, movement, and your body.
