Dietetics

Specialist Eating Disorder Dietitians

Personalised, compassionate nutrition support to help you rebuild trust with food and support lasting recovery.

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Dietetics EXPLAINED

What Is Dietetic Support for Eating Disorders?

Dietetic support for eating disorders goes far beyond providing meal plans or general nutrition advice. It is a specialised therapeutic approach that helps you understand your relationship with food, nourish your body safely, and make meaningful progress in recovery.

A core part of this work involves gently exploring the behaviours that often accompany eating disorders, such as food restriction, compulsive exercise, binge eating, purging, or the use of laxatives or diuretics. Our dietitians help you understand why these behaviours develop, how they affect your health, and how to move towards safer, more balanced alternatives.

1.25M

people living with an eating disorder

At The London Centre, our eating disorder dietitians and nutritionists support the full spectrum of eating difficulties, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID, emotional eating, and disordered eating patterns.

Their guidance is always practical, compassionate, and tailored to your individual needs.

46%

of Adults feel unhappy about their appearance

How it works

How Our Dietitians Support Recovery

Dietitians at The London Centre offer structured, gentle guidance across all stages of recovery. This may involve:

  • Restoring regular eating and stabilising nutrition
  • Increasing food variety and reducing avoidance
  • Supporting weight restoration where clinically appropriate
  • Reducing binge urges through consistent nourishment and behavioural strategies
  • Safely addressing purging, laxative use, or diuretics
  • Developing a healthier, more flexible relationship with exercise
  • Building practical routines around meals, snacks, and self-care
  • Managing physical symptoms linked to irregular eating or compensatory behaviours
How it works

For clients navigating compulsive or high-risk exercise…

Dietetic support can be offered as a standalone therapy, alongside external psychological therapy, or as part of a broader multidisciplinary approach. Sessions may be weekly or reviewed every 4–6 weeks depending on your needs.

For clients navigating compulsive or high-risk exercise, dietitians provide support around:

  • Fuelling appropriately for movement
  • Recognising when exercise is driven by anxiety or compulsion
  • Creating a more balanced and flexible exercise routine
  • Understanding the physical and metabolic impact of over-exercise
THE BENEFITS

Benefits of Working with an Eating Disorder Dietitian

  • Gentle, personalised support to help you feel safer and more confident with food
  • Evidence-based guidance to improve nutrition and energy in a clinically appropriate way
  • Practical tools for creating structure and reducing overwhelm
  • Support for physical recovery alongside emotional and psychological well-being
  • Help to understand and safely reduce compensatory behaviours
  • Sensitive guidance for co-occurring medical needs such as diabetes, PCOS, IBS, allergies, or intolerances
  • Specialist knowledge for those balancing recovery with elite or performance-level sport
  • Integrated care with your therapist, psychiatrist, and wider treatment team (where relevant)
  • Reduced fear, guilt, or confusion around food and eating

Why Choose a Specialist Eating Disorder Dietitian?

Seeing a specialist eating disorder dietitian is very different from seeing a general dietitian. Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions, and nutritional rehabilitation requires specific expertise.

1. Understanding of the Medical Risks of Eating Disorders

ED dietitians are trained to recognise clinical red flags, monitor risk, and guide nutritional change safely, including managing the risk of refeeding syndrome.

4. Ability to Balance Recovery with Additional Nutritional Needs

Many clients also live with diabetes, PCOS, IBS or digestive issues, allergies or intolerances or performance nutrition requirements (e.g., elite sport)

Specialist dietitians can integrate these needs without reinforcing restrictive patterns.

2. Expertise in Eating Disorder Thoughts and Behaviours

They understand the fears, rules, and compulsions that can surround food, weight, and exercise, making sessions safer, more validating, and more effective.

5. Integrated, Recovery-Focused Care

When part of a wider team, they collaborate closely with psychologists, psychiatrists, medical professionals, and families to ensure consistency and safety.

3. Psychological Insight and Behaviour Change Skills

Unlike general dietitians, ED specialists are trained to work with emotions, urges, motivation, and behaviour change, not just food choices.

6. A Non-Diet, Long-Term Approach

The emphasis is on nourishment, flexibility, confidence, and sustainable recovery, not dieting or rigid rules.

What to expect

What to Expect from a Dietetic Session

A thorough assessment is essential, particularly for individuals at risk of refeeding syndrome. Our dietitians are trained to guide nutritional rehabilitation safely.

Your first session is a warm, confidential conversation exploring:

  • Your eating patterns
  • Food beliefs or anxieties
  • Weight and health history
  • Physical symptoms
  • Compensatory behaviours
  • Exercise habits
  • Any medical or dietary needs
  • Your goals for recovery
Dietetics EXPLAINED
  • Setting gentle, achievable goals
  • Restoring regular eating
  • Broadening food variety
  • Working through feared foods
  • Reducing reliance on compensatory behaviours
  • Developing a balanced relationship with movement
  • Managing medical or dietary needs safely
  • Addressing unhelpful beliefs about food or your body

Develop a personalised plan

You will move at your pace. Sessions are collaborative, non-judgemental, and supportive. Your dietitian will work with you to develop a personalised plan. This may include:
Approach

A Dietetic Approach Built Around Your Needs

Dietetic support at The London Centre can be accessed in whatever way feels right for you. Some people choose to work with a dietitian as their primary or only clinician, while others see a dietitian alongside psychological therapy or medical support. All options are valid.

When more than one clinician is involved, our dietitians collaborate closely with therapists, psychiatrists, and medical professionals (with your consent) to provide joined-up, consistent care.

When dietetic support is offered as a standalone therapy, you will still receive the same high standard of specialist, recovery-focused guidance.
Whether you are seeking individual sessions or part of a wider treatment plan, our approach is flexible, personalised, and centred around your needs, preferences, and circumstances.

A Place of Specialist Support

Who Can Benefit from Dietetic Support?

Dietetic support is helpful for:

  • individuals with any eating disorder diagnosis
  • those experiencing disordered eating or long-standing food anxiety
  • people with allergies, intolerances, diabetes, PCOS, IBS, or other medical dietary needs
  • individuals balancing recovery with elite or performance-level sport
  • those needing structure and reassurance in early recovery
  • people wanting support to reduce bingeing or compensatory behaviours
  • clients seeking continuity after more intensive treatment
  • parents or carers wanting guidance to support a young person
  • individuals with ARFID or avoidant/restrictive eating patterns
Start your journey

Take the First Step
Towards Recovery

You do not need to navigate food or nutrition alone. Whether you want a one-off assessment or ongoing support, our dietitians offer warmth, expertise, and a calm, grounding presence.

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FAQs

FAQs About Dietetic Support for Eating Disorders

An assessment is a gentle, confidential conversation exploring your eating patterns, health history, symptoms, and goals. It is not a test, and there is no judgment – just an opportunity to understand your needs so we can support you safely.

No. Eating disorders affect people of all weights, ages, and backgrounds. Dietetic support is beneficial whether you are underweight, within a healthy weight range, or in a larger body.

Yes, we offer both in-person and online appointments for flexibility and accessibility.

Only if it is clinically appropriate, helpful, and aligned with your recovery stage. Any plan will be flexible, supportive, and personalised – never rigid, punitive, or diet-focused.

With your consent, your dietitian and therapist share relevant information and collaborate on treatment goals to ensure a consistent, joined-up approach.

Yes. Family sessions can be included if this would be helpful for your progress or if you are supporting a child or adolescent through recovery.

We offer short waiting times and responsive scheduling so you can begin receiving support without delay.