When we think about taking care of our mental health, therapy, medication, and stress management usually come to mind. But we often don’t consider another important part of our well-being: nutrition.
Whether you’re managing depression, anxiety, or other mental health challenges, the food you eat plays a critical role in how you feel physically and mentally.
Rogers Behavioral Health’s clinical nutrition manager, Maggie Richmond, MS, RD, CEDS-C, and clinical nutrition supervisors, Maxine Cimperman, MS, RD, CEDS-C, and Emily Lackas, RD, CD, explain how Registered Dietitians support people in their recovery journey.
What are some common misconceptions about nutrition in recovery?
Common misconceptions include the idea that there’s a “perfect” way of eating, strict food rules to follow, or a “miracle” supplement or vitamin. Each person’s food journey is unique. Treatment teams create personalized plans that consider cultural, social, and biological factors that can influence an individual’s nutritional needs.
Why is nutrition an important part of mental health and recovery?
Mental health challenges can significantly impact how a person eats and their relationship with food. For example, depression and anxiety can lead to loss of appetite, low motivation to eat, or reliance on certain foods to deal with difficult emotions. This can result in undernourishment, which affects brain functioning and hormone regulation, further worsening depression and anxiety. Breaking that cycle with regular, balanced eating is key to starting the recovery process.
While our emotions can influence eating at times, it becomes a concern when that is a person’s only coping mechanism. Rogers’ team-based approach helps people build a toolbox of coping skills.
How do Registered Dietitians collaborate with the rest of the treatment team?
Registered Dietitians (RDs) work closely with a multidisciplinary team, which includes psychiatrists, nurses, therapists, behavioral specialists, case specialists, and mental health technicians to provide nutrition services. Through daily meetings and family sessions, we ensure a unified and patient-centered approach in several ways:
- RDs meet with patients together with a therapist or behavioral specialist when the treatment focus includes nutrition.
- They collaborate with the team on nutrition-related exposure work.
- They work with nurses and mental health technicians to ensure nutrition-related orders are carried out, such as meal plans or prescribed supplements.
- The entire team collaborates on an individualized discharge plan to support a successful transition and maintain recovery.
How do Registered Dietitians work with people in treatment?
Our mission is to restore health and well-being through structured, balanced nourishment while fostering a positive relationship with food in a safe, supportive environment.
At Rogers, Registered Dietitians work with you to design a nutrition plan tailored to your unique needs and treatment goals, whether you’re recovering from an eating disorder, or addressing another mental health challenge.
Treatment plans may include:
- Structured eating with meals and snacks
- Nutritional supplements
- Tube feeding
- Interventions to address and manage common challenges, such as gastrointestinal discomfort, extreme hunger, delayed digestion, lack of hunger and fullness cues, and other physical symptoms
- Medications, vitamins, or supplements to alleviate discomfort and support continued recovery
How do RDs tailor nutrition plans to meet each person’s needs?
Rogers’ dietitians understand that every person’s experience with food and mental health is deeply personal. That’s why we take a compassionate and individualized approach when creating nutrition plans; taking the time to understand and consider everyone’s medical needs, cultural background, personal preferences, and lived experiences. This means looking beyond what someone eats to explore why and how they eat, helping to uncover patterns and barriers that may affect their relationship with food.
In collaboration with other members of the treatment team, we design structured yet flexible plans that meet medical and nutritional needs while also supporting emotional well-being and recovery goals. These plans may incorporate:
- Therapeutic exposures to feared foods
- Gradual reintroduction of avoided items
- Culturally relevant meal planning to ensure an individual feels both supported and respected
What can I expect when working 1:1 with a Registered Dietitian as part of my treatment?
Working one-on-one with people in our care, Rogers’ Registered Dietitians:
- Educate about nutrition and how it impacts mental health
- Provide individual and group nutrition counseling
- Support overcoming food-related challenges by helping identify and address food fears, debunk disordered beliefs and nutrition myths, and gradually reintroduce avoided foods through personalized strategies and therapeutic exposure in a structured, supportive way
- Teach how to recognize and respond to the body’s hunger and fullness cues through mindful eating practices
- Engage in individualized goal setting to assist with treatment progress and discharge readiness
How do Registered Dietitians help patients build healthy, sustainable eating habits beyond treatment?
We incorporate mindfulness practices, structured eating, and gentle guidance to rebuild confidence in internal cues.
Planning for discharge begins at the start of treatment. The care team partners with each individual to build a toolkit for success after they leave treatment. For nutrition, this may look like planning grocery lists, practicing family meals, and going on meal outings. It may also include learning ways to cope when eating times are stressful, whether that’s due to family dynamics, past traumatic events, or concerns with the food itself. We build individualized approaches for a sustainable lifestyle.
At Rogers, Registered Dietitians are an essential part of the recovery journey, helping people meet their nutritional needs while building a positive, balanced relationship with food. Working closely with the treatment team, we equip patients with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to continue nourishing both their bodies and minds long after treatment ends. By meeting people where they are and walking alongside them on their recovery journey, dietitians help build a foundation for lasting change, one meal and one empowered moment at a time.
Rogers offers mental health treatment
Reaching out for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. When you’re ready, we’re here to provide compassionate and effective care.
For a free, confidential screening, call 833-308-5887.
