Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, also known as PCOS, comes from the presence of small cysts on the ovaries (although not everyone with the condition has cysts on their ovaries). PCOS is not well-understood and can be misdiagnosed in many instances. This is one of the most common hormonal disorders occurring in people assigned female at birth…
In the public eye, trauma is often viewed as a major event that poses an immediate sense of danger. In reality, trauma is a very complex experience that can occur on multiple timeframes, in a variety of forms, and of varying degrees. Traumas can be both physical and/or psychological. These include chronic traumas, which are…
Introduction Intuitive eating isn’t just about eating whatever you want, whenever you want. Intuitive eating is also about using nutritional principles as a guide and not as rules. This is called Gentle Nutrition. Gentle nutrition is the 10th and last principle of intuitive eating: « Honor your health with gentle nutrition ». It means that…
Oftentimes, you’ll hear the words ‘dieting’ and ‘healthy eating’ being used interchangeably. This can be confusing, especially when anti-diet dietitians are consulting people on how to ‘eat healthy’. We each build a relationship with food from the day we’re born, and many things can affect that relationship as we grow up. As parents or caregivers,…
A few months have already passed since the famous New Year’s resolutions have been put into action. Many people are committed to taking care of their health and for most, this means going on a diet and watching their weight. This is understandable; everything around us sends us the message that being thin is better…
Introduction to yoga Have you ever seen people practice yoga and wondered what it’s all about? What are they doing and what’s the purpose? In recent times, yoga has gained in popularity among several populations, including those in eating disorder (ED) recovery. In fact, yoga has been integrated in residential programs for ED recovery, which…
What is the role of the dietitian in treating gender-diverse youth? The core role of the dietitian when treating gender-diverse youth is to provide nutrition interventions in conjunction with the management of gender-related needs. The difference between treating gender-diverse adolescents versus cisgender adolescents is that among gender-diverse adolescents disordered eating may be rooted to prevent…
Individuals with eating disorders are not all the same and each individual has a unique lived experience. Transgender and non-binary people are at increased risk of developing eating disorders. This is a two-part blog series that focuses on gender-affirming care. Part one will discuss why gender-diverse people are at increased risk for the development of…
What is Family-Based Treatment? Family-based treatment (FBT) is a therapeutic approach that was developed in the 1980s for management of anorexia nervosa [1]. In FBT, the therapist has an agnostic view where no time is spent analyzing why the eating disorder developed. In this approach, food is seen as “medicine” and the therapy prioritizes full…
Before you start reading, take a wild guess at how many decisions you think you make about food. Think about the first hour of your day when you wake up- do you think about what to eat? Whether to eat at all? Should you have a coffee or a tea? With milk? Iced or hot?…