ILLUSTRATION FERNANDO SAFONT
In becoming the dietitian I am today I had to unlearn some reductionist thinking. There were a lot of hard truths to face. Listening to people’s stories of body shame, eating struggles and stigma made me realise that the drive to “weight-correction” was the problem – not the solution. It also dawned on me that any approach to health that ignored external social factors such as racism and income was missing something significant. A combination of personal experience, practice, desktop research, chance connections and travelling around the world has helped me figure out how to be a socially-aware dietitian. The approach I developed and use is called Well Now and it teaches health-gain and body respect for all. Compassion, connection and curiosity (critical thinking) are staple ingredients.
If you have a clinical condition and need to see a dietitian you may be able to get a referral from your GP. If you don’t have a medical condition and are searching for support, then as well as a check on appropriate qualifications and experience, the sorts of things I’d be looking for include: Will they listen and take your concerns and life experiences seriously? Have they got a set agenda of reaching goals they decide or persuading you of the merits of their approach? Does the approach strengthen body-mind connection or disrupt it? How does the approach foster self-care? What about their response to the role of food and eating in identity? A good practitioner would welcome you getting in touch and asking questions before committing.