Who is a psychodietitian – and when can they help us?

Psychodietetics is a relatively new fieldzine that combines knowledge of psychology and dietetics. Specialists working in this nurcie deal with problems such ask:

• Difficulties in maintaining a normal body weight;
• Lack of dietary assertiveness;
• eating under stress;
• eating disorders;
• Difficulties with changing eating habits.

The connection between food and state of mind and emotions is obvious, though not always realized. Anyone who – for example – reaches for chocolate in between stressful meetings knows about it. As Sylvia E. Haskvitz writes in her book “Eat by Choice, Not by Habit: “Eating is often a strategy for satisfying needs other than hunger.”

Through the stomach to the heart?

One of the main goals of psychodietetics is to make the patient aware of the relationship between nutrition and health – both physical and mental. The saying “through the stomach to the heart” contains a grain of truth, and not only about the effectiveness of grooming with home-cooked meals. However, in psychodietetics, a bigger role than the stomach and heart is played by the gut and brain, which are constantly communicating with each other. The gastrointestinal microflora has a significant impact on brain function; it affects our emotions, mood and behavior, and even some aspects of personality.

As Giulia Enders writes in her book “An Inside Story: The Gut – Our Body’s Most Fascinating Organ.” “The gut is a sensitive, hard-working and responsible organ, as well as hugely influential. Such seemingly disparate issues as overweight, depression, colds and itchy rashes are associated with their work.”

Stress and diet

We recently talked about the fact that stress at work Can lead to eating disorders. Especially in recent years, when the way we work – and eat while working – is changing so much:
A study conducted on a group of Poles
working remotely showed that during lockdown 64.4% of them noticed changes in their eating habits.

There are
healthy methods
to deal with stressors, but these require conscious effort, while our body craves relief in the here and now. A strong urge to eat chocolate may be a signal from a stressed body, which itself suggests solutions to us based on memories and associations.

According to a study published in the journal
Scientific Reports
, there are links between high sugar diets and depression. The task of the psychodietitian is therefore to to break the vicious cycleinto which people who maintain poor eating habits while struggling with various psychological problems fall.

What does a consultation with a psychodietitian look like?

When choosing a specialist, it is worth remembering that nowadays many doctors and therapists offer the possibility of
online consultations
. A remote meeting is especially convenient for people who are hesitant about whether a psychodietitian is the right specialist for them.

[See also:
What to expect when you reach out for psychological support
]

During the consultation, a psychodietitian:

1) He will familiarize himself with your health condition, problems and needs.

During the first consultation, the psychodietitian phe will conduct a thorough nutritional and psychological interview. In doing so, he will take into account existing health problems and, if necessary, recommend tests. After such an interview, he will determine a plan of action, taking into account your needs and capabilities.

2) He will tailor dietary recommendations to your needs.

In psychodietetics, we focus primarily on healthy lifestyles. Meals should be wholesome. A psychodietitian helps determine if, for example, we are eating too much or too little, and what products to include in (or exclude from) our diet to improve our well-being. There are no forbidden products, balancing is the basis of psychodietetic activities 🙂

3) It will help restore control over the eating process.

A psychodietitian analyzes eating habits In terms of the psychological aspects of eating. It can help with introductions and, most importantly, maintaining healthy habits as part of a long-term strategy to normalize weight or improve well-being. It will also encourage the search for answers to such questions:

• When do you feel stress most often?
• After eating what product do you feel calmer?
• Do you feel unpleasant emotions immediately after eating a product?

The role of the psychodietitian is to encourage the patient to understand and accept their own emotions and states, in order to build a positive relationship with food and with one’s own body.