David continues to inspire change in our field as he challenges the limits of existing care models and substantially enhances our capacity to deliver care that is nuanced and person-centered rather than dogmatic.
Chief Medical Officer, SunCloud Heath
David is one of the most talented and innovative dietitians that I have ever known or had the pleasure of working with.
Affiliate Professor, Medical University of South Carolina
David Wiss is a committed clinician who brings a wealth of knowledge, passion, and expertise to help clients find their best path to healing and wellness through nutrition.
Carolyn Costin Institute
David’s nuanced approach to understanding and treating eating disorders and addiction helps patients understand their experiences from a unique perspective and receive treatment tailored to their individualized needs.
Assistant Research Professor, Drexel University
Dr. David Wiss is a pioneer in understanding the integral ties between the fields of mental health and nutrition.
Adjunct Assistant Professor, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
David is not afraid to carve his own path, which is refreshing and keeps the field progressing. He utilizes his expertise in public health, mental health, psychology, and nutrition to communicate novel work that can be trusted as being thoroughly researched.
Chief Nutrition Officer, Within HealthAbout David Wiss PhD
Dr. David Wiss is an independent thinker unafraid to challenge the status quo in the nutrition field. Dr. Wiss pioneered the field of nutrition for addiction recovery and is a world-renowned expert in disordered eating. His mental health research bridges gaps between neurological, psychological, behavioral, and nutritional sciences.
Dr. David has treated over 1,000 patients in the last twelve years using a food-positive functional medicine approach through his practice, Nutrition In Recovery. Dr. Wiss has developed innovative methods for using nutrition to improve mental health without feeling like a “diet.” Dr. Wiss believes gut health is the key to brain health and wants to show you how to heal yourself and help your clients.
Services
Dr. David Wiss brings his twelve years of experience as a mental health nutritionist to patients, treatment facilities, institutions, academics, and the press.
Treatment
Individual and family counseling, functional medicine, group facilitation
Consulting
Professional supervision, staff training, expert opinion/quote
Speaking
Academic conferences, podcasts, wellness workshops
Collaboration
Joint efforts on research, statistical analysis, manuscript writing
Research
With over 20 peer-reviewed journal publications, Dr. Wiss is dedicated to disseminating his findings and progressive perspectives at the intersection of nutrition and mental health.
Dietary restraint and food addiction
Food addiction cases should always be conceptualized in a psychosocial context, including life history and current mental…
Ultra-processed foods and mental health: Where do eating disorders fit into the puzzle?
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) like pastries, packaged snacks, fast foods, and sweetened beverages have become dominant in the…
A novel weight suppression score associates with distinct eating disorder symptoms
Weight suppression has been defined as diet-induced weight loss, traditionally operationalized as the difference between one’s highest…
Training
Dr. Wiss is available to provide trainings to your staff or organization on mental health nutrition, addictions, disordered eating, and more.
Podcasts
If you would like to feature Dr. Wiss on your podcast, please send a message and we will gladly discuss a collaboration with you.
I’ve witnessed Dr. David Wiss guide individuals on transformative journeys toward holistic wellness, personally observing him bridge the gap between nutrition, spirituality, and mental health with unmatched compassion and insight.
Co-Founder and Co-Medical Director, Skylight Psychedelics
Dr. Wiss isn’t afraid to keep it real and has been a solace of comfort for me in the field, trusting he will meet our patients with a level of critical thinking and discernment unique to him.
Private Practice
As a scientist and practitioner, David Wiss has a level of genius that combines rigorous research, creative applications of knowledge, a deeply caring counseling presence, authenticity, and truth-telling.
Philosopher of ConsciousnessFrom The Socials
In a world of polarization, people are feeling forced to “pick a side” because the middle ground is lonely. Plus the algo doesn’t know what to do with you.
I’ve never picked a side between the pro vs. anti dieters, or the pro vs. anti food companies. I’ve always offered a nuanced and balanced perspective.
If you’re willing to stand in the middle ground with me, comment “middle” and let’s join forces 🙌🏼
#nutrition #nuance #wisemindnutrition
We continue to learn about the health consequences of regularly consuming ultra processed foods. But what about them is harmful?
The problem is 3-fold.
First, ultra processed foods contain ingredients that are hedonic, meaning they strongly trigger the dopaminergic reward system in the brain, making them much more likely to lead to loss of control eating. Sometimes they may not even be foods we “like”, but we continue eating them anyway because of how our brains respond to them.
Next, the way they are prepared in the factory can add in other compounds that are negative to our health. Sometimes the packaging itself can leech into the food, as is the case with plastic wrapping.
Finally, we have to consider what is NOT in ultra processed foods. Many of the vitamins and minerals found in whole foods have been removed during manufacturing, meaning that if we are over-consume these processed snacks then we will end up under-consuming nutrient dense foods.
While we are not suggesting that consuming an occasional processed food will cause immediate health detriments, our patterns over time do determine our long term health outcomes.
How are you shaping your future?
#nutrition #mentalhealth #publichealth
We can’t recommend that everyone stop eating ultra-processed foods if most can’t afford to make that change.
But what can we do? We can change policies to make minimally processed foods more accessible and UPFs less accessible.
Where do we start? We have to remove the conflicted industries from the science and no longer give the bad actors a seat at the policy table.
When do we start? NOW.
#nutrition #publichealth #MAHA
Too often nutrition advice is about what foods to avoid.
“Reduce nutrient X”.
“Limit nutrient Y”.
“Only eat Z occasionally”.
Food manufacturers have taken advantage of these dieting tips, recognizing that these powerful messages translate into high sales. They give us the illusion of health, while often we are missing the bigger picture.
What if we follow a “high everything” lifestyle instead?
“Eat plenty of high quality proteins”
“Include fruits, vegetables and fibers at every meal”
“Consume enough healthy fats to promote brain health”
The messaging matters!
Is it time for a high everything diet?
#nutrition #nutritiontips #eatrealfood
My nutrition journey started began in 2006. I was at my most unwell state I had been in, and knew I needed a significant change in my life. I started eating the fruits and vegetables even though they weren’t exciting or appealing, but because they were calling to my spirit.
It only took a few months before they started tasting better, before everyone around me started noticing a difference in my appearance, and most importantly, before I started feeling better. My anxiety went away and my mental health improved, in ways that I had never thought possible from lifestyle shifts alone.
It was in this moment that I decided to dedicate my life’s work to educating others about impacts of nutrition on mental health. I knew I wanted to make the systemic changes to help promote health and mental health, through nutrition.
I am still on this journey today. Are you with me?
#nutrition #mentalhealth #nutritioninrecovery #nutritionalpsychiatry
My career has been so exciting and fruitful 🍇
I’m blessed to have landed on this path, but can’t help but to reflect on how difficult it has been. I think about all the contention and debate and the lost friends. I think about the times when I wanted to abandon the mission and just join everyone else to support the status quo.
And then I realize that I’ve never really had a bone to pick with anyone, I’ve only had issues with the big industries. I’ve always pushed back on their agendas and never had a problem with any actual people (including people who I know took money from big industries).
But people have had a problem with me. It’s almost as if these people are defending the big industries. I’ll never forget feeling ostracized at an ED conference for my work in ultra-processed food addiction.
So I ask myself: is it because the things I talk about are wrong that it bothers people so much? Or is it because the things I talk about are right that it bothers them?
Remember: people don’t get censored for telling lies. They get censored for telling the truth.
So now we have a movement of truth telling and I’m proud to align with it. I’m noticing a lot of my colleagues saying so many negative things about MAHA, and making negative predictions about the future.
It’s almost as if these corporations don’t even need to defend themselves. They just need to keep people polarized on social issues and there will be a group of people there to defend them, often times without even knowing it.
My deepest wish is that we would stop fighting amongst ourselves and stick together to fight the real issues plaguing our health. These issues are known as the commercial determinants of health.
Stay tuned for more 🙌🏼
#MAHA #makeamericahealthyagain #socialjustice #nutrition
When something is ultra-processed, it is generally made by a series of large-scale industrial practices that most people could never do on their own. Ultra-processing compromises the integrity of the original product which takes on some new properties and many new elements are added to maximize its allure.
Welcome to the era of ultra-processed news.
p.s. I love you
#ultraprocessedfood #ultraprocessedpeople #ultraprocessednews
So I learned yesterday that if you support nutrition and health through government reform targeting commercial actors then you are a mysogynist and bigot 🤯
✅ checkmate for Big Food, Big Pharma, Big Ag
Transnational multibillion dollar corporations control us through giving us culture wars and social issues to fight over so that we don’t band together to rise up against them. This playbook works over and over again and people always seem to fall for it.
I literally spent my whole career fighting corruption in the food industry (in my talks and writings) for very little personal gain. I got a few people that I love and care for perceiving my interest in healthcare as threatening and counter to their issues, and it hurts my soul ❤️🩹
This is the scarcity mindset and threat vigilance the system relies on to stay in power.
We’re all on the same team. Our own community is not the problem. The guy wanting to hold the pharmaceutical companies responsible is not the problem. Toxic division is the real issue. I’m sure of it.
I refuse to be programmed with hate and I refuse to abandon my core values in the face of social pressure.
Regardless of party, I support @robertfkennedyjr
My mission is love, social justice, and health equity.
With deep respect for all human issues,
David Wiss, PhD
