March is Nutrition Month, and this year, dietitians across Canada will be celebrating the potential of food – to fuel, discover, prevent, heal, and bring us together. I am proud to be part of a profession that is key to unlocking the potential of food.
As a dietitian practicing primarily in the field of eating disorders, I will be focusing in particular on the potential of food in healing these devastating illnesses. Food is medicine – this is an oft-repeated refrain by those who provide care to individuals living with eating disorders. Because food is a form of treatment. In fact, adequate nutrition is the most essential component of the treatment plan for healing eating disorders. And in this era of “clean eating” rhetoric, I think it is important to emphasize that all food provides nutrition, and therefore all food has a role in healing eating disorders. Yes, even potato chips, and packaged snack cakes, and pop. To be clear, I am not asserting that all foods are nutritionally equivalent and that snack cakes and pop ought to be part of one's diet. What I am saying is that foods that are not typically perceived as "healthy" can – and do – help people with eating disorders get well.
So during Nutrition Month, I will be celebrating the potential of not only vegetables, legumes, whole grains and the like to heal illnesses. I will be celebrating the potential of all food to heal. And I invite you to join me.
If you are experiencing an eating disorder and would like help in unlocking the potential of food to heal, please feel free to contact me. You can also use Dietitians of Canada's Find a Dietitian tool to locate a dietitian who serves your area.