The Mindful Dietitian - Snack Sized Insights

I'm back and this time there's no fluff. Just 10-15 minutes of a topic that I want to rave on about. 

This first one's about the mess and the meaning.

Help! My kid has been sent home with a serve of diet culture!

If you recognise this, either as a parent, or as a health professional, you'll love this episode with Gwen Kostal from Dietitians 4 Teachers. Educators, we love you! And we would love to work with you to make our schools and education settings a safer place for more kids.

 

In this episode, Gwen shares her career trajectory, the intention behind D4T; Dietitians 4 Teachers, how no educator intends to cause harm, what we can offer teachers as we begin to work shoulder-to-shoulder, questions dietitians can reflect on when wanting to work in schools, questions we can ask teachers to learn more about their needs and concerns, an introduction to a helpful change management framework, ‘Best Practice’ for giving school talks and presentations and how we as dietitians can best support our student clients when they are in the classroom/school setting.

Here Fi and Gwen chat about;

Gwen’s trajectory from primary care dietetics into problem solving and the intention behind @Dietitians4Teachers.

The importance of working beside teachers and educators and why Gwen’s work is grounded in support and validation. 

How no educator intends to cause harm, acknowledging the impacts of diet culture on educators and the trouble with ‘health’ and ‘healthy eating’ being assumed knowledge in the classroom.

The permission giving statement we can offer teachers and educators in the first instance to reduce shame and defensiveness and the ways in which we can begin to partner and work shoulder-to-shoulder.

Important reflective questions we can ask ourselves as dietitians when we have a desire/interest to work in schools.

How change work must start with humans and what we must offer teachers to empower change within the classroom/school.

The vital questions we can ask teachers when it comes to resources and offerings and how we can encourage resistance and rejection when using existing curriculum and lessons.

Change Management Framework’s and an introduction to an effective method; ‘What? So What? Now What?

Gwen gently guides us through ‘Best Practice’ for initiating and providing school presentations/talks.

How dietitians can best support their school student clients when they notice concerns within the school/classroom settings. 


 

Connect with Gwen:

Instagram

Website

Linktree

Email

Grace Wong on inclusive, flexible feeding modalities and how we can bring a more reflective spirit to our work.

In this episode, Grace discusses the ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) umbrella diagnosis and its shortcomings, Responsive Feeding Therapy (RFT); how it was developed. who was part of its curation and its rationale, what each of the 5 interrelated values offers, why moving away from manualised approaches can help more people and how dietitians can use their supervision space well.

 

In conclusion, Fi and Grace each share how they both engage in their own reflective work. 

Here Fi and Grace chat about;

What Grace has been up to since her last chat with Fi on TMD podcast (2017).





Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID); Grace explains what the DSM-V diagnosis is, along with its main strength and its shortcomings. 


Responsive Feeding Therapy (RFT); Grace introduces us to the curated framework developed in collaboration with Dr Katja Rowell, Dr Jo Cormack, and Heidi Moreland and the rationale behind its development.


The 5 interrelated values at the core of RFT; Grace provides us with context as to why RFT has been developed in this way.

Grace steps us through each value;  Autonomy; why this is first and foremost and how autonomy creates safety.

Relationship; the harm which can occur when feeding is taken outside of relationships. 

Internal motivation; how it helps behaviour change to be more sustainable and helpful long-term.

Individualised care: how centring our client story can guide us as practitioners







Competence; how this works and is weaved in with RFT


Moving away from a one-way model and manualised approach; why not being manualised is the best approach for a whole lot of people. 


How dietitians can use their supervision space well and how we can unpack in supervision to not get in our clients way.

Reflective work; Fi and Grace both share examples of how they carry out their own reflections and how its okay to do this work individually, collaboratively and in supervision.  


More about Grace: 

Grace Wong MSc, RD, CEDS-S is a registered dietitian specializing in feeding and eating disorders.  She works with all ages and provides medical nutrition therapy from a weight inclusive lens.  Grace is experienced in working with a broad range of eating challenges along with complex co-existing conditions including medical conditions, developmental concerns, mental health concerns, addictions, and trauma.  Besides her clinical practice, she provides training and supervision for health professionals in Canada and overseas.

Connect with Grace:

Facebook

Email

Naureen Hunani on how the diversity of the human brain, and shifting from shame, to affirmation.

 

In this episode, Naureen discusses Neurodiversity, Neurodivergence and The Neurodiversity Movement/Paradigm and how they differ from each other, how generalising and stereotypes are unhelpful, why we need to consider all underlying challenges for neurodivergent people when it comes to food, eating and their body, the power of social media and expertise by lived experience for the neurodivergent community, what screening can look like and how dominate autonomic responses can show up for neurodivergent children.

 

Here Fi and Naureen chat about;

‘A week in the Life of Naureen’; what it encompasses and how Naureen has honoured herself and her own neurodivergence through the type of work she engages in. 

Neurodiversity, Neurodivergence and The Neurodiversity Movement/Paradigm; Naureen steps us through each term and how they differentiate.

The importance of not applying generalisations and stereotypes when working with neurodivergent people.

What can show up for neurodivergent people which can impact their capacity around food, eating and their body.

Why it’s imperative to look at and consider all the underlying challenges that neurodivergent people face when it comes to living in a body and living in a world where their bodies are constantly violated.

How social media has been a powerful tool for the neurodivergent community and why we need to centre and elevate expertise by lived experience.

Patterns of food related trauma that can show up for neurodivergent people.

What screening looks like and the importance of understanding that these behaviours can often show up before a diagnosis. 

Flight, Fright, Freeze and Fawn; how these responses can show up for neurodivergent children and why more therapies need to centre consent.

More about the courses Naureen has developed and where you can find them!


 

About Naureen: 

Naureen Hunani is a Neurodivergent registered dietitian with over 15 years of experience. In her private practice, she treats children and families struggling with various feeding challenges through a trauma-informed and anti-oppressive approach. 

She is particularly interested in the intersection of neurodivergence and feeding differences. Naureen is the founder of RDs for Neurodiversity, an online education platform for RDs and helping professionals. 

She has had the privilege of sharing her knowledge and expertise at multiple national and international conferences. She is passionate about supporting pro-justice, HAES®-aligned professionals who are striving to build liberatory practices.

 

Connect with Naureen:

Facebook

Instagram

Website

Email

Supporting today's young people to stay connected with food, eating and their body by building parental confidence.

 

Links from the episode:

How To Raise an Intuitive Eater; Raising the next Generation with Food and Body Confidence

EDRDPRO

 

About Sumner:

SUMNER BROOKS, MPH, RDN, LD, CEDRD is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) and certified eating disorder specialist (CEDRD) based in Portland, Oregon who has been working with clients on all levels of the disordered eating spectrum for 15 years. Sumner is a mom and has put her knowledge, intuition and parenting skills of Intuitive Eating to the test of real life. She is also the founder of an online training platform for weight-inclusive eating disorder professionals geared toward dietitians, called EDRD Pro.