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We specialize in supporting individuals diagnosed with various eating disorders such as Anorexia, Atypical Anorexia, Binge Eating Disorder, Bulimia, ARFID, Orthorexia, as well as those with disordered eating patterns. Disordered Eating refers to a range of behaviors commonly associated with eating disorders that may not meet the full criteria for a formal diagnosis. We recognize the seriousness of disordered eating behaviors and believe they deserve attention and treatment. If left untreated, these behaviors have the potential to develop into diagnosable eating disorders, which can pose significant risks to individuals' mental and physical health. We also specialize in other medical issues resulting from eating disorders.

Anorexia Nervosa:

Anorexia nervosa is a complex eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, along with a distorted body image. People with anorexia nervosa often have a strong desire to achieve and maintain a low body weight, which leads to severe dietary restrictions, excessive exercise, and other behaviors aimed at controlling weight and shape.

The key features of anorexia nervosa include:

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  1. Restrictive eating patterns

  2. Intense fear of weight gain

  3. Distorted body image

  4. Physical and psychological consequences

  5. Self-esteem tied to body weight

If not treated, anorexia nervosa can lead to serious complications. These include malnutrition, weakened immune function, electrolyte imbalances, heart problems, bone loss and osteoporosis, gastrointestinal issues, hormonal imbalances, reproductive health problems, mental health issues like depression and anxiety, and social and interpersonal difficulties. Early intervention and comprehensive treatment are crucial to prevent and address these potentially severe consequences.

 

How can we can help:

 

Our team at Rooted Path specializes in treating various eating disorders, including atypical anorexia nervosa:

  • Personalized and Compassionate Support: We provide individualized and compassionate support throughout the treatment process, working closely with the entire treatment team.

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  • Tailored Approach: We understand that the journey of treating anorexia nervosa is unique for each person, and we meet clients at their current stage, offering guidance and support.

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  • Safe and Non-judgmental Space: Trust and compassion are at the core of our client-dietitian relationships. We create a safe and non-judgmental environment for clients to openly express their thoughts and feelings about food and their bodies.

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  • Challenging Nutrition Myths: We address and challenge nutrition myths, helping clients navigate the complexities of nutrition and break free from rigid thinking perpetuated by diet culture.

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  • Empowerment and Balance: Our ultimate goal is to empower clients to find a balanced and sustainable approach to food and nutrition that supports their overall well-being.

Anorexia Nervosa

Atypical Anorexia:

Atypical Anorexia is an eating disorder that is frequently overlooked in diagnosis. It shares similar warning signs as Anorexia Nervosa, but individuals with "atypical" anorexia may not experience significant weight changes despite engaging in restrictive and disordered behaviors. Furthermore, even if weight loss does occur through restriction, they may not meet the medical definition of being "underweight." Despite being more prevalent than Anorexia Nervosa, Atypical Anorexia often remains undiagnosed due to weight stigma. This poses a significant issue within the eating disorder community since Atypical Anorexia carries the same medical complications and health risks as Anorexia Nervosa. These include malnutrition, weakened immune function, electrolyte imbalances, heart problems, bone loss and osteoporosis, gastrointestinal issues, hormonal imbalances, reproductive health problems, mental health issues like depression and anxiety, and social and interpersonal difficulties.

How can we can help:

 

Our team at RootedPath specializes in treating various eating disorders, including atypical anorexia nervosa:

​

  • Personalized and Compassionate Support: We provide individualized and compassionate support throughout the treatment process, working closely with the entire treatment team.

​

  • Tailored Approach: We understand that the journey of treating anorexia nervosa is unique for each person, and we meet clients at their current stage, offering guidance and support.

​

  • Safe and Non-judgmental Space: Trust and compassion are at the core of our client-dietitian relationships. We create a safe and non-judgmental environment for clients to openly express their thoughts and feelings about food and their bodies.

​

  • Challenging Nutrition Myths: We address and challenge nutrition myths, helping clients navigate the complexities of nutrition and break free from rigid thinking perpetuated by diet culture.

​

  • Empowerment and Balance: Our ultimate goal is to empower clients to find a balanced and sustainable approach to food and nutrition that supports their overall well-being.

Atypical Anorexia
Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a relatively new diagnosis in the realm of eating disorders, appearing for the first time as a clinical diagnosis in the DSM-5 in 2013. ARFID is an eating disorder that sometimes is labeled as “picky eating”. The individual will have a limited list of safe foods due to taste or texture aversions or to avoid a scenario such as choking or vomiting. Due to the intensity of these concerns, the person is unable to meet their nutrition needs. 

Characteristics/behaviors seen with ARFID:

 

  • Elimination of entire food groups

  • Limited list of acceptable/safe foods

  • Significant stress or anxiety when new foods or situations with food are introduced

  • Acceptable foods may all have similar characteristics such as crunchy texture, similar color, temperature, etc

  • Vitamin/mineral deficiencies (iron, vitamin C, and vitamin A are most common)

Someone with ARFID may or may not experience weight loss or be at a dangerously low weight. What sets this apart from anorexia nervosa is that food isn’t avoided or restricted due to concerns around weight, size, or body image. Many of the same complications that result from anorexia nervosa are a risk for those with ARFID since both disorders lead to malnutrition.

 

How we can help:

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  • Provide a safe, non-judgmental environment for exploring recovery

  • Give direction for nutrition replenishment 

  • Provide guidance/recommendation if a higher level of care is warranted

  • Offer structure and support for experiences such as food exposures to add new foods or textures

  • Work with other members of your healthcare team to help develop and apply coping skills related to food fears or aversions

Binge Eating Disorder

Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

Binge eating disorder (BED) is one of the newest eating disorders recognized as a formal eating disorder diagnosis. It is defined as a loss of control and urgency around food during a binge, that is often followed by feelings of distress and shame. Binge eating is not usually coupled with compensatory behaviors, such as overexercising or purging.

It is characterized by the following behaviors:

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  • Sense of lack of control with food when experiencing an episode 

  • Eating beyond your body’s needs in a discrete period of time, such as within 2 hours

  • Eating quickly and until uncomfortably full 

  • Eating without hunger

  • Feelings of shame, guilt, distress and/or disgust following an episode

  • Binge episodes that occur 1 or more times per week

  • Isolating yourself during meals or binge episodes

  • Fear of eating around others

  • Use food as a sole soothing mechanism

  • Have symptoms of insomnia, headaches, joint and muscle aches

We understand that this experience can be very upsetting, and can impact other areas of your life. If you feel that you exhibit many or all of these behaviors, it is ok to reach out for help.

 

How we can help:

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  • Provide a non-judgemental, body positive, compassionate, safe space to explore your relationship with food and your body

  • Personalized, targeted nutrition and lifestyle recommendations to support your healing and to provide structure 

  • Ease fear around food by guiding you toward mindful/intuitive eating

  • Provide guidance/recommendation if a higher level of care is warranted

  • Work with other members of your healthcare team to help develop and apply coping skills that support your recovery

  • Address and challenge nutrition myths, and help dismantle the idea that one size fits all

Bulimia Nervosa

In bulimia nervosa, the individual eats a large amount of food in a relatively short time and then attempts to compensate for the “binge” with behaviors such as vomiting, abusing laxatives or diuretics, or engaging in excessive exercise.

Characteristics/behaviors seen with bulimia:

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  • Feeling of loss of control with eating

  • Intentionally vomiting after eating

  • Eating until uncomfortably full

  • Using exercise to compensate for eating - even when fatigued, sick, or injured

  • Using the bathroom during and/or after meals

  • Preoccupation and/or dissatisfaction with body shape/size or weight

A large percentage of people experiencing bulimia developed this disorder, at least in part, due to dieting. Distorted body image, low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse are often experienced by individuals diagnosed with bulimia nervosa. They are at risk for physical complications of the digestive tract, including the mouth - frequent vomiting damages the teeth. In bulimia, there is also a higher incidence of electrolyte disturbances due to purging behaviors. These electrolyte abnormalities can lead to cardiac complications and respiratory difficulties. 

 

How we can help:

 

  • Provide a safe, non-judgmental environment for exploring recovery

  • Give direction for nutrition replenishment 

  • Provide guidance/recommendation if a higher level of care is warranted

  • Help manage symptoms commonly experienced after stopping compensatory behaviors

  • Work with other members of your healthcare team to help develop and apply coping skills that support interruption of the binge-purge cycle and overall recovery

Bulimia Nervosa
Disordered Eating

Disordered Eating

We know how hard it can be to distinguish disordered eating from having an eating disorder. To give you some clarity, disordered eating is food- and diet-related behaviors that do not meet diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder, but can still negatively impact your physical, emotional and mental health. It is often accompanied by the goal to lose weight, or be in a certain sized body, but does not have to be related to this outcome.

Disordered eating is associated with the following behaviors:

 

  • Chronic restrictive dieting

  • Avoiding categories of food like carbohydrates or fats

  • Skipping meals to “make-up” for eating beyond fullness

  • Exercising to work off the calories from overeating

  • Feeling shame or guilt around eating, especially foods that are considered to be “bad"

  • Being preoccupied with your body, food and weight

  • Compulsive overeating or undereating

Disordered eating can lead to various health consequences including digestive upset, depression, bone loss, electrolyte imbalances, anxiety, high or low blood pressure, and progression to an eating disorder.

How we can help:

 

  • Be a safe space to explore your relationship with food and your body

  • Guide you through identifying the root of the disordered eating behavior, and offer a personalized plan for transforming your relationship with food into a positive one

  • Ease your fear of foods by guiding you towards mindful/intuitive eating

  • Reconnect you with your body by providing guided meditations, and mindful eating exercises

  • Support your health by providing an evidence-based, personalized, functional medicine nutrition plan

Orthorexia Nervosa

In this disorder, eating exclusively what one perceives to be “healthy” interferes with one's social life and can negatively impact their physical and/or psychological health. Orthorexia often starts out with a desire to improve health, but can develop into obsessive fixation on eating patterns and exercise regimens. 

Some behaviors commonly associated with Orthorexia:

 

  • Extreme focus on “clean” or “healthy” food planning/prep/consumption

  • Always checking nutrition labels and ingredient lists

  • Exercising even when fatigued, sick, or injured

  • Feeling shame or guilt if deviate from exercise regimen

  • Experiencing significant distress if “healthy” foods aren’t available, then severe guilt if “forbidden” foods are eaten

  • Rules about healthy eating impact relationships and attendance at social events

  • Preoccupation with healthy lifestyle influencers on social media

  • May begin to experience physical symptoms common to anorexia nervosa such as weight loss, bone loss, brittle hair and nails, etc

How we can help:

 

  • Give direction regarding balanced nutrition and lifestyle that is specific to you

  • Provide a safe, non-judgmental environment for exploring recovery

  • Help reduce food fears and work toward mindful and intuitive eating

  • Give direction for nutrition replenishment 

  • Provide guidance/recommendation if a higher level of care is warranted

  • Work with other members of your healthcare team to help develop and apply coping skills that support your recovery

Orthorexia Nervosa

Mindful Eating

Mindful eating is a practice that involves being in the present moment, with attuned awareness during the act of creating meals and consuming foods and beverages. In addition to paying attention, mindful eating includes showing up to the act of sustaining yourself through food with no judgment. The providers at Rooted Path utilize mindful eating in their practice to help their clients cultivate a better relationship with food and their body, as well as support other conditions such as chronic stress, digestive upset, and blood sugar regulation. 

Key elements of mindful eating include: 

 

  • Bringing mindful awareness to the act of eating

  • Being present with your food, non-judgmentally

  • Tuning in with all of your senses

  • Cultivating a connection with your body's hunger and fullness cues

  • Making conscious food choices

  • Understanding the difference between physical hunger vs. emotional hunger

Mindfull Eating

PCOS:

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder that primarily affects women of reproductive age. It is characterized by irregular menstrual cycles, elevated levels of androgens (male hormones), and small cysts on the ovaries. PCOS not only poses fertility challenges but also increases the risk of developing various health conditions, including diabetes. In addition to the physical symptoms, PCOS often brings about emotional and psychological struggles for many women. Body image concerns and disordered eating patterns are commonly observed. Hormonal imbalances associated with PCOS can make weight management difficult, leading to negative body perceptions and further impacting overall well-being. Nurturing a healthy relationship with food and the body is vital, and seeking treatment for disordered eating behaviors is crucial for holistic wellness. Moreover, PCOS can influence gut health, giving rise to discomforting symptoms like bloating and constipation. Recognizing and addressing these digestive issues is essential for managing PCOS effectively and enhancing the overall quality of life.

How can we can help:

 

  • Specialize in comprehensive support for clients with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)

  • Personalized approach focusing on overall health and well-being, by addressing unique challenges and needs associated with PCOS

  • ​Develop balanced eating habits to support hormonal balance and overall health

  • ​Guidance on managing hormonal imbalances through nutrition and lifestyle modifications

  • Mindful eating and body image support to address the emotional impact of PCOS

  • ​Support in developing a healthy relationship with food and body

  • ​Emphasis on the importance of gut health in PCOS

  • Guidance on gut-friendly nutrition and lifestyle practices

  • ​Collaboration with other healthcare providers for a comprehensive approach

  • ​Empower clients with knowledge and tools to effectively manage PCOS

  • ​Improve quality of life for clients with PCOS

PCOS
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