EPA-1820 – Nutritional Interventions for Eating Disorders

Abstract

Both scientific literature and practical guidelines of eating disorders emphasize the importance of nutrition education intervention in the comprehensive treatment of eating disorders and obesity. Nutritionists and dietitians play a significant role in the comprehensive therapeutic team along with psychologists, psychiatrists, and other medical practitioners. The goal of nutritional intervention in the treatment of eating disorders is laid in the therapeutic alliance with a client to reach weight and nutrient restoration, as well as to adopt healthy and weight sustainable eating habits (Winston et al., 2005). Taking into consideration physiological, psychological, and socio-cultural perspectives the definition of’healthy eating habits’ varies considerably. Perhaps for this reason, the general population seems to seek the help of nutritional experts to a much larger extent nowadays than previously seen. The goal of my presentation is to discuss the key aspects of nutrition intervention for eating disorders and relapse prevention, to discuss the prevalence of eating disorders among nutritionists (Rance, 2010), and last, but not least, to discuss the functional role of nutritionists within ED specialists teams (Hart, 2011).