Brisbane’s best non-diet dietitians
Whenever I ask a client if they have considered seeing a dietitian – I can see them visibly squirm in their chair. Poor dietitians don’t have the best reputation – particularly amongst people living in bigger bodies. Sometimes this reputation is 100% warranted, especially towards ‘old school” weight-centric dietitians, but I’m delighted to tell you there’s another type of dietitian out there who is compassionate, knowledgeable and knows how to support ALL bodies: a non-diet dietitian!
Non-diet dietitians support people to connect with and honour their body’s cues, rather than restrict or label food. They help people to reduce guilt, obsession and shame around food, and instead work towards creating a relationship with food that is centred on nourishment, joy and satisfaction. They are Health at Every Size® (HAES®) aligned and recognise that bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Learn more on how they differ from “weight-centric” dietitians via the fabulous Feel Good Eating.
At Held Counselling we might recommend you see a dietitian if we identify:
Rigid food rules
Under eating, skipping meals and restriction
Feeling anxious and out of control around food
Unable to identify hunger and fullness cues
Health concerns where doctors have recommended weight loss as ‘the solution’.
As we head into a new year (also known as diet-season), it might be worth considering how a non-diet dietitian could help you. People in Brisbane are spoilt for choice when it comes to working with a non-diet dietitian. See below for Brisbane’s best non-diet dietitians – listed in alphabetical order because they’re all truly wonderful
Eat for Life Dietetics, North Lakes and Wavell Heights
Mikaela and Marley from Eat for Life Dietetics love food and believe people’s experiences with food should be enjoyable and nourishing (heck yes!). They support clients by providing easy to understand, realistic and individualised nutrition advice and education. Mikaela and Marley’s approach is compassionate, caring, non-judgemental and individualised. They are both Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinicians.
Flipside Nutrition, Brisbane CBD
Madeleine from Flipside Nutrition is a ray of sunshine. She specialises in Paediatric and Eating Disorder dietetics, and provides neurodiversity-affirming and trauma-informed care. Maddy teaches people how to tap out of the diet mentality and trust their body, safely supporting people to explore their relationship with food, and understand how it affects eating. Madeleine is a Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician.
Imbodi Health, online
Kiah and the team at Imbodi Health help people say goodbye to fad diets and unrealistic body standards and hello to an improved relationship with food and their body. Imbodi Health specialises in eating disorders, disordered eating, and intuitive eating. They empower people to feel confident and calm around food, and deconstruct rigid food rules. The team also host an awesome podcast – listen here!
Kate Lane, Paddington
Kate practices at Graymind Psychology providing nutrition therapy. Kate brings a warm, unconditionally accepting, and down-to-earth style to sessions with patients. She supports them to improve both their nutritional health and relationship with food, mind and body. She considers your life story, values, goals, symptoms, and in-body experience to improve your nourishment and eating patterns. Kate specialises in eating disorders and gastrointestinal conditions. Her Instagram account has a wealth of information for people considering working with a dietitian. Kate is a Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician.
Kids Dig Food, Carseldine
Deb and the team at Kids Dig Food are leading the way when it comes to Paediatric nutrition. If you’re a parent and wondering how your own relationship and history with food is impacting your child’s relationship with food, this team are the dietitians for you. Kids Dig Food assist families to feed positively and teach kids to confidently navigate the food landscape. They support children to grow into the body that is right for them. Who could say no to that!
Kind Nutrition, online
Alina’s practice Kind Nutrition supports people to work towards a better relationship with eating, weight and body image. She is a compassionate and friendly dietitian with an incredible wardrobe (did someone say food earrings?). Alina is passionate about creating more size diversity in the field of dietetics, and is an advocate for fat positivity and body acceptance. Alina firmly believes that the individual is the expert of their own story and works with them to get to know the whole person alongside their specific nutrition goals. Alina is a Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician.
Rachel Farrell, Sinnamon Park and Everton Park
Rachel practices on Brisbane’s North and West side. She’s the kind of practitioner you want on your team – I have seen her go above and beyond for her patients. Rachel strongly believes that providing personalised, holistic and person-centred care is key to helping you achieve your goals. Health enhancement and reducing weight-stigma are at the core of her practice. Rachel is a Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician.
The Freedom Dietitian, online
Lisa from The Freedom Dietitian is one of Brisbane’s ‘OG’ non-diet dietitians – she truly gets it when it comes to the non-diet approach. Providing compassionate nutrition therapy that is 'diet-culture' free, Lisa will support you to find food freedom. She specialises in supporting people with digestive disorders and gastrointestinal diseases, women’s health issues, and eating, dieting and body image concerns. Lisa believes that diet culture and weight stigma are harmful to people in a multitude of ways, and that everybody has the right to access health care without weight discrimination or stigma. In addition to her dietetics expertise, Lisa recently completed a Masters of Gestalt Therapy.
Wander and Nourish, New Farm
Last and certainly not least are Lisa and her new team member, Misa from Wander and Nourish. These two practitioners ooze compassion, gentleness and curiosity. They work hard to make sure you feel seen, heard, and enough exactly as you are. They use a variety of approaches to support you to heal from diet culture and tune in to your own body wisdom. Wander and Nourish celebrates the diversity of body sizes and shapes that exist (and always will). Lisa is a Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician, with a special interest in digestive issues
Worked with a fabulous non-diet dietitian who isn’t on this list? Let us know and we’ll add your recommendation!