Center for Change has created a supportive dietary program which starts as highly structured, supporting patients in decreasing their eating disorder behaviors and re-nourishing their bodies. Using therapy and a meal plan, the clients are introduced to Intuitive Eating throughout the treatment process. As clients’ eating disorder behaviors subside and recovery focus increases, the dietary structure is decreased with the intent to work towards Intuitive Eating. Each client receives individual counseling sessions and group nutrition classes with a registered dietitian each week during inpatient, residential and day patient care.

Dietary counseling includes education classes, experiential activities (grocery store visits, cooking classes, restaurant outings, etc.) and personalized discharge planning. Dietitians help their clients discover past negative food experiences, triggers and fears, and then help to create a new healthy food experience including variety, moderation and a non-diet approach to eating. The Center’s program which focuses on the intuitive approach to eating has been a pioneer and a leader in eating disorder dietary treatments.

At Center for Change we understand and honor the fact that some individuals follow a vegetarian diet due to spiritual or religious beliefs, family history, etc.  It is also important to recognize that vegetarianism can be deeply entangled in the eating disorder.  Therefore, our dietary, medical, and clinical teams assess each patient’s individual needs to determine the best path, and some patients may be allowed to follow a vegetarian meal plan when deemed appropriate by the treatment team.