Disordered Eating & Eating Disorders
Supporting the community battling eating disorders
Dietitians help in supporting you to achieve regular, adequate and enjoyable variety of nutrition and relationship with food. Dietitians assist in working towards nutrition balance for your body to work optimally, and educate about food, the effects of dieting/undernutrition, and the physical and psychological impacts in can have.
What to expect?
- An Eating Disorder Dietitian provides nutritionalcounselingg to achieve physical nourishment and the restoration of normalised eating behaviours.
- Initial assessment: 60-minute 1:1 consultation with an Accredited Practicing Dietitian (APD) discussing your personal health and diet history and collaboratively working on a plan to assist in your recovery and relationship with food.
- Follow-up consultations: 30 minutes discussing and modifying goals, nutrition intake and strategies to assist recovery.
Why us?
Our dietitian, Emma is a specialist in this area. With a gentle approach and works with those along the spectrum of disordered eating and of differing ages, life stages and goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
At our allied health clinic, we are committed to offering valuable educational resources and addressing your most common questions to support your journey to better health and wellness.
Do I need a referral?
A referral is not a requirement; however, it is a good idea to speak with your GP about your concerns as you may be eligible for the Medicare Eating Disorder Plan which gives you 20 subsidised Dietitian sessions in a 12-month period.
If your GP is unaware of this plan direct them to:
insideoutinstitute.org.au/resource-library/eating-disorder-care-plan
Do I need a blood test before my appointment?
Ideally your GP should complete the following:
- Conduct a physical assessment including:
- Height, weight, body mass index (BMI; adults), BMI percentile for age (children)
- Pulse and blood pressure, with postural measurements
- Temperature
- Laboratory investigations:
- Full blood count, urea and electrolytes, creatinine, liver function tests, albumin, blood glucose, iron studies, B12, folate, CMP
- Electrocardiography
- Hormonal testing: thyroid function tests, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinising hormone, oestradiol, prolactin
- Bone densitometry: relevant after 9-12 months of the disease or of amenorrhoea and as a baseline in adolescents. The recommendation is for two-yearly scans thereafter while the DEXA scans are abnormal.