Nutrition Services
At the UTHealth Houston Center for Eating Disorders, we understand that nutrition is vital for recovery from eating disorders. Our nutrition services provide Nutrition Education and Nutrition Counseling, both of which play a crucial role in the healing journey.
Nutrition Education
Our nutrition education program provides foundational knowledge about food and nutrition. Topics may include meal planning, developing a regular pattern, addressing health concerns or symptoms and building sustainable eating habits. Delivered through various formats—such as group classes, cooking demonstrations, engaging workbooks and self-monitoring with individual feedback —this educational approach encourages positive eating behaviors and empowers you and your child to make informed and balanced food choices.
Nutrition Counseling
Nutrition counseling focuses on you or your child’s unique dietary habits and challenges. A registered dietitian will work closely with you to enhance your understanding and improve your relationship with food. This weight inclusive and supportive process involves analyzing eating behaviors, exploring experiences with hunger, and understanding thoughts and body signals. Through personalized recommendations, you will set achievable goals and develop coping skills for challenges. The focus may be on enhancing hunger and satiety awareness, mindful eating, improving flexibility and comfort in the eating experience or reducing preoccupation and rigidity with food choices. Ultimately, this journey aims to build a healthier, more balanced relationship with food and health.
Family-Based Treatment (FBT)
Enhance your recovery journey with Family-Based Treatment (FBT), a research-backed approach that actively involves the family in the recovery process. This method is recognized for improving treatment outcomes in children, adolescents and young adults by empowering caregivers to take an active role in intervening on eating disorder behavior, creating a supportive home environment and driving the re-nourishment phase of treatment.
Using FBT-informed nutrition care, you will:
- Understand FBT Principles: Discover how FBT transforms the treatment for adolescents.
- Increase Confidence at Home: Learn strategies to intervene on eating disorder behavior and provide compassionate support that leads to recovery behavior
- Overcome Challenges: Navigate common obstacles in family-based interventions.
What to Expect
In FBT, parents or caregivers are the ones guiding recovery with the full support of your treatment team. It’s important to know that training in eating disorder treatment is not standard for all dietitians. Always seek treatment from someone who has specialized training in eating disorders. Our registered dietitians are trained and experienced, ensuring you receive expert guidance and an individualized approach. Together, we will work toward your family goals, which may include:
- Achieving a healthy weight.
- Understanding how nutrition affects health.
- Practicing meal planning and returning to flexible eating.
- Taking steps to avoid dieting, purging, binge eating or over-exercise.
- Correcting health issues related to poor nutrition.
Start your journey to recovery today. Together, we can build a sustainable support system that reinforces healing and strengthens family bonds.