Do dietitians help with meal planning?

Dietitians often create personalized meal plans for their clients, and the process involves a collaborative approach where the dietitian works closely with the client to understand their individual needs, preferences, health goals, and any specific dietary restrictions. However, it is important to dive more into what is considered and why when working with a client to develop a meal plan. We are going to break down the when, how, and why of meal planning for the following frameworks: intuitive eating, disordered eating, and eating disorders.

can you meal plan with intuitive eating?

Intuitive eating is a philosophy that encourages you to listen to your body's hunger and fullness cues, rather than relying on external rules or restrictions. It is a response to the diet culture and has been embraced by anti-diet dietitians.

Intuitive eating dietitians approach meal planning by promoting a healthy relationship with food, listening to the body’s cues and signals, and building food and body trust. Intuitive eating dietitians may create meal plans for those interested in incorporating intuitive eating principles into their eating habits. Using meal plans as part of the intuitive eating framework does not mean rigidly planning out every meal and snack in advance but rather involves more flexible approaches, such as creating a framework for balanced meals and snacks or offering guidance on how to tune into hunger and fullness cues when making food choices.

Intuitive eating dietitians may create meal plans to provide structure and support for those learning to trust their body's signals and make peace with food. Meal plans can serve as a helpful tool for introducing variety, ensuring balanced nutrition, and exploring new foods while still honoring hunger and fullness cues and being able to listen to the body to make food decisions. Meal plans can be used to empower individuals to make choices that support their physical and emotional well-being and to help them trust food and their bodies again.

when, how, and why to use meal plans for eating disorders or disordered eating:

When it comes to eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, other specified feeding eating disorders (OSFED), or Avoidant Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), meal planning can be a crucial aspect of treatment and recovery.

Meal plans are designed to provide structure and support during the recovery journey and are adjusted over time based on each person’s progress, goals, and nutritional needs. Meal plans can help restore nutrition and weight balance, establish regular and adequate eating patterns, challenge disordered eating behaviors, and provide accountability and support.

Meal plans are made with the client and are individualized for each client considering factors such as nutritional status, medical history, dietary preferences, cultural background, and treatment goals. They are designed to be flexible and adaptable to accommodate each person’s needs and preferences while providing the necessary nutritional support for recovery. 

Conclusion

Any meal plan developed with a dietitian nutritionist is constantly evaluated and adjusted based on the needs, progression, and goals of the client. Meal plans can be implemented gradually and can become more flexible or more rigid. All decisions are made with the client and are based on the current treatment progress and goals. For example, a meal plan may become more rigid if the client is struggling to make empowered choices on their own. Another example would be for a meal plan to become more flexible if the client is progressing in recovery and has moved to a place where they practice more trust and flexibility with food.

Our dietitians at Side By Side strive to help all clients eventually not feel like they need to rely on rigid meal plans but have the choice to utilize a meal plan as a tool for planning or ease and support. We do not want our clients to need to rely on meal plans to make choices or feel safe. Our goal is for each person who walks through our doors be able to trust and listen to their body. 

Try our meal support groups!