Embark on a journey to a self-compassionate, trusting, empowering relationship food and body and holistic well-being. Our certified medical nutrition therapy dietitians provide compassionate care to guide you toward lasting wellbeing and empower you to reclaim food and body trust and freedom, embracing life with a renewed sense of wellness and vitality.
At Side By Side Nutrition, our certified medical nutrition therapy dietitians provide personalized, one-on-one nutrition counseling for people struggling with ADHD. We also provide family-based treatment for parents and caregivers of children or adolescents facing struggles with their relationship with food due to ADHD symptoms.
Our approach is grounded in a holistic philosophy that prioritizes behaviors, and overall well-being, fostering a positive relationship with food and our bodies, and practicing self-compassion rather than fixating on numbers. This philosophy forms the foundation of values-aligned, intuitive, sustainable health and well-being. Our focus lies in assisting clients in cultivating a sustainable, empathetic, respectful, and trusting connection with food, body image, and self.
Our dietitians are based in Colorado Springs and Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as Woodinville, Washington, and we work with patients from all over the state and country providing in-person and online nutrition counseling.
People with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) may face various challenges related to their relationship with food and nutrition. Here are some common issues:
Impulsivity: Impulsivity is a key characteristic of ADHD. This can manifest in impulsive eating behaviors, leading to difficulties in maintaining a balanced and adequate diet. It’s not common for those with ADHD to experience difficulty planning and preparing meals.
Distractibility: People with ADHD often experience distractibility, affecting their ability to focus during meals. This may make it hard for them to make mindful food choices or eat attentively, potentially resulting in overeating or undereating.
Time Management: ADHD can impact time management abilities, posing difficulties in planning and organizing meals. This might lead to irregular eating schedules, skipping meals, or depending on convenient food choices with limited variety.
Sensory Sensitivities: Sometimes people with ADHD experience sensory sensitivities that shape their food preferences. This can result in a narrow selection of acceptable textures or flavors. This, in turn, can affect a diet’s diversity and nutritional adequacy.
Medication Side Effects: Medications commonly prescribed for ADHD may affect appetite and eating habits. Some medications suppress appetite, leading to reduced food intake, while others may increase appetite.
Emotional Regulation: ADHD can be associated with difficulties in emotional regulation. Emotional challenges may contribute to stress or boredom eating, making it important for those with ADHD to develop healthy coping mechanisms.
Forgetfulness: Forgetfulness is another common ADHD trait. This may result in missed meals, irregular eating schedules, or forgotten plans for grocery shopping, affecting the consistency and quality of their nutrition.
Executive Functioning Deficits: ADHD often involves deficits in executive functioning, which includes skills like planning, organizing, and initiating tasks. These deficits can impact the ability to plan and prepare meals, manage grocery shopping, and maintain a consistent eating routine.
It's important to note that the challenges individuals with ADHD face in their relationship with food and nutrition can vary widely. Addressing these challenges often involves personalized strategies, support, and collaboration with healthcare professionals, such as dietitians or therapists.
Nutrition can influence ADHD symptoms. While diet alone is not a substitute for medical treatment, certain dietary factors may play a role in managing ADHD symptoms. As dietitian nutritionists, we can provide parents, caregivers, and people struggling with ADHD and nutrition the support they need to implement healthy eating behaviors, expand their food choices, identify nutrient deficiencies, and identify medication interactions with nutrition. Our team of pediatric dietitians is uniquely equipped to work with you and your pediatrician, therapist, and other members of the treatment team to manage and improve your ADHD symptoms.
The Side by Side Nutrition team has a team of 12+ outpatient registered dietitians. We provide online nutrition counseling to patients in Colorado and around the country. We offer one-on-one and family nutrition counseling for patients either online or in person, with offices located in Colorado Springs and Fort Collins. We specialize in eating disorder recovery and body image healing.
RD - Registered Dietitian
RDN - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
MS - Masters of Science
Strive to create a safe and nurturing space for individuals on their journey to wellness.
Understand the profound impact that eating disorders can have on one's life
Are committed to fostering a supportive community where every client feels seen, heard, and understood.
Work from an intuitive eating, HAES (Health at Every Size) Informed Approach.
Believe everyone has the right to high-quality care – accessibility and inclusivity are at the core of our values.
Stand firm in our belief in the possibility of full recovery.
Continually invest in our education to stay at the forefront of the field.
Are committed to ongoing learning.
Channel all our resources into becoming the best eating disorder nutritionist counselors.
Are dedicated to guiding our clients toward a life of lasting health and empowerment.
Our dedicated team of dietitian nutritionists is committed to guiding clients toward a path of healing that transcends fear and shame. By addressing food fears and dismantling negative body image, we empower clients to become the experts of their bodies and to shift their perspective towards love, respect, and acceptance. This helps, clients reach lasting recovery. Together, we work to eliminate food and body shame, identify triggers leading to self-doubt, and foster a trusting relationship with food and body, allowing space for genuine values to emerge.
Recognizing that each individual holds the key to their own healing journey, our diverse team of medical nutrition specialists facilitates a process of self-exploration and empowerment. Recovery from an eating disorder and disorder eating extends beyond overcoming the eating disorder; it involves cultivating a rich and empowered life through healing around food and body image.
Our approach is centered on breaking free from the constant thoughts and behaviors associated with the eating disorder that keep individuals stuck in a cycle of distress. Together, we embark on a transformative journey to build trust in the body's natural cues and become intuitive and trusting eaters, allowing for a renewed sense of freedom and openness in life.
Our approach is centered on breaking free from the constant thoughts and behaviors associated with the eating disorder that keep individuals stuck in a cycle of distress. Together, we embark on a transformative journey to build trust in the body's natural cues and become intuitive and trusting eaters, allowing for a renewed sense of freedom and openness in life.
Our focus goes beyond merely managing symptoms; we aim to facilitate a profound transformation in how body image is perceived, fostering self-acceptance and a genuine appreciation for one's unique self. By breaking down the mental and emotional barriers imposed by the eating disorder, we empower our clients to embrace a life free from never-ending negative food and body image thoughts, nurturing a newfound sense of joy, purpose, and opportunity. Follow-up sessions are central to our collaborative efforts. We thoroughly explore your connection with food and body, addressing obstacles and co-creating personalized strategies. We delve into body image examination, dismantling external pressures of food and body negativity, and establishing supportive frameworks as necessary. Our objective is to assist you in broadening the spectrum and adaptability of your eating habits, learning to nuture and tend to your body's signals of hunger and satisfaction, and cultivating a joyful relationship with both food and body
Throughout your journey, we offer unwavering support, navigating the inevitable ups and downs. We celebrate your progress and stand by you as you cross the finish line. Our mission is not only eating disorder recovery but also the cultivation of a life that is rich, meaningful, and fully aligned with your values. We believe in the importance of this journey and the therapeutic relationship, and our dedicated dietitians are here to guide you every step of the way.
TESTIMONIALS
Our team of Expert Dietitian Nutritionists Have Been Featured In:
We are committed to ensuring that our clients have access to healthcare, and we make every effort to facilitate this. We accept insurance plans such as BlueCross Blue Shield (Anthem/Regence), United HealthCare (Optum), Aetna, and Cigna.
Side By Side Nutrition is in network with Cigna, Cigna Localplus, Aetna, BlueCross Blue Shield (Anthem/Regence), UMR, and United Healthcare. Prior to your visit, please call your insurance company to check your benefits. We can not guarantee coverage.
For other insurance companies, we are out-of-network providers. This means we can provide you a superbill to submit to insurance for possible reimbursement. SBS can not submit superbills without a medical diagnosis. Payment is due at time of service for folxs using out of network benefits.
Absolutely! We are passionate about making care accessible for you and offer telehealth services and online nutrition therapy when appropriate. We will meet via a HIPAA-compliant video conference platform and communicate between sessions using email.
We provide nutrition counseling to clients from around the county.
Side By Side Nutrition session rates for private pay clients are:
$225 for the initial session and $170 for follow up sessions.
Insurance rates may vary from private pay rates depending on the insurance provider and your individual plan. We accept credit cards, debit cards, HSA, and FSA cards.
We offer sliding scale spots open for those who qualify and are experiencing financial hardship.
Dietitians at Side By Side Nutrition work with teens and adolescents ages around 9+ and up. With treating adolescents for an eating disorder, we typically use a modified family based treatment approach which involves treating the entire family. You can learn more about Family Based Treatment for eating disorders here.
We have offices in Colorado and WA but we see clients all over the United States! We can see clients virtually in Nevada, Kentucky, Minnesota, New York, Arizona, Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri, Alabama, Illinois, Connecticut, California, Florida, Washington DC, Maryland, Oregon, Texas, New Hampshire, Utah, Virginia, Wyoming, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
We are moving more virtual because our goal is to make nutrition counseling as accessible, affordable, and stress-free as possible. Appointments with your dietitian are rooted in conversation. We have found that exchanging information during nutrition counseling sessions is far more effective and less stressful when you aren’t rushing to get to our office or worried about getting stuck in traffic. Want to talk to your dietitian in your pjs? Feel free! We use HIPAA-compliant Zoom for all of our appointments so you can easily and comfortably connect from home, work or wherever you are, on any device you choose.
Because many patients wait several weeks for an appointment and to protect our providers time, we must strictly adhere to a 48 hour cancellation/late change policy. This policy states that you must cancel your appointment at least 48 hours ahead if you need to make any changes to your appointment. Failing to respect this policy will incur the full session fee. We appreciate your understanding as all clients who wish to be seen sooner benefit from this policy.
Health at Every Size™ is a compassionate care framework that recognizes and promotes body diversity and holistic health. We recognize a focus on intentional weight loss causes harm, does not improve health, and further invokes weight stigma and discrimination. We believe any person in any size body can pursue health and create positive behavior change that prioritizes their individual health desires.
Intuitive Eating is an approach to eating that incorporates building body trust, intuitive responses, emotional awareness, and listening to your body. It encourages self-compassion, curiosity, trust, and a gentle attitude towards food in order to cultivate and maintain a sustainable, healthy, and trusting relationship with food and body image.
In summary, all Registered Dietitians (RD or RDN) are qualified nutritionists, but not all nutritionists hold the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist credential. The term "nutritionist" is not regulated, allowing anyone to use it, which complicates distinguishing individuals with comprehensive nutrition education (e.g., CN or CNS) from those with minimal training such as weekend courses or self-study.
The Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RD or RDN) designation is nationally recognized and provides certain assurances. It indicates that the individual has met specific criteria, including obtaining at least a bachelor's degree in nutrition science, completing a supervised practice program of over 1200 hours, passing a national registration exam, and fulfilling extensive continuing education requirements for license renewal. Our dietitian nutritionists are also licensed in states where licensure is mandatory.
Other practitioners who may identify as nutritionists, such as health coaches, holistic nutritionists, nutrition therapy practitioners, and personal trainers with "nutrition certifications," may lack formal nutrition training. Consequently, their services are ineligible for insurance reimbursement nationwide because they are not recognized as nutrition experts.
Recent “graduate” from Side by Side Nutrition. I started working with SBSN to figure out how food worked after having an eating disorder for years. And I’m so happy I got so much more than that! SBSN introduced me to Self-Compassion and met me with an approach that never included shaming me. I looked forward to our sessions every week, even if I hadn’t done any of my work, because I knew she’d be understanding and work with me to figure out what I needed to make it happen. And none of that compassion and presence was lost when we had to switch to telehealth. When I started, I didn’t think healing from an eating disorder was possible. And I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I’d come out of it with an unshakable love for my body (certainly not a plus size body with chronic illness)! I’m so glad circumstances sent me here because I know I wouldn’t have gotten to this place with my previous dietician! I am STRONG, I am CONFIDENT, and I am in LOVE with myself! Thank you so much for helping me on my journey here! It wasn’t easy, but it was so worth it!
— Michaela Myers