Timberline Knolls and iaedp Present: Orthorexia Nervosa, Healthy Nutrition and Eating Disorder Treatment

If you’ve ever counseled an extremely health conscious person, it probably doesn’t surprise you to hear the weight management industry has grown to more than $200 billion. Consider the range of advertisements one could see during a 30-minute TV program, or while visiting a single website:

• Supplements that promise to burn body fat
• “Super foods” like probiotics or acai juice
• Exercise devices for every body part
• Weight loss programs
• Products claiming to be “natural,” free of trans fats, “organic,” or gluten-free
• Devices to sculpt your abs while you read

Concerns over fat, carbohydrates and weight are often exacerbated by constant media reports about an “epidemic of obesity.” Most health conscious individuals can keep this stream messages in perspective and make reasonable decisions about food (if not always healthy ones). For others, self-imposed pressure to make healthy nutritional choices can become overwhelming. In the most serious cases, this may trigger a pathological obsession that requires professional help for orthorexia, anorexia nervosa, or other related eating or body image issues. In this presentation, Juliet Zuercher, RD, will explore the causes of orthorexia, signs and symptoms of orthorexia, and common pitfalls professionals can encounter in clients with orthorexia. Various eating disorder treatment approaches will be reviewed, with focus on applicability to clients with symptoms of orthorexia.

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About Juliet Zuercher, RD

Juliet Zuercher is a member of the Timberline Knolls leadership team, and works with the medical director to oversee nutrition therapy for women and girls seeking recovery from anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and other eating disorders and co-occurring disorders.

Juliet leads a staff of nutrition therapists who are fully integrated into each resident’s treatment team. Her primary approach to nutrition therapy addresses the thoughts and feelings connected to one’s relationship with food and body. Juliet and her team use this approach to challenge the distorted myths about food, to teach the science behind how the body works, and to help TK residents appreciate ways food can nourish both mind and body. This is integral to helping residents redevelop and tap into their internal wisdom and to get reconnected to their body’s wisdom through the process of recovery.

Juliet is a regular presenter at conferences held by the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED) and the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp). She has traveled extensively across North America presenting workshops to help educate professionals about treating eating disorders.

Juliet is a graduate of Ohio State University with more than 10 years of experience in directing nutrition counseling and services and reaching out to the greater community as a speaker, advocate, and nutrition resource.

About Timberline Knolls

Timberline Knolls is a residential treatment center located on 43 beautiful acres just outside Chicago. Expert a nurturing environment of recover for women ages 12 and older struggling to overcome eating disorders, substance abuse, mood disorders and co-occurring disorders.

About iaedp

The International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp) provides first-quality education and high-level training standards to an international multidisciplinary group of various healthcare treatment providers and helping professions, who treat the full spectrum of eating disorder problems.