GasLit Truth Podcast

Breaking Free from the Nutrition Field’s Identity Crisis

Recently, I joined the Gaslit Truth podcast to discuss my journey as a mental health nutritionist and the systemic issues plaguing our field. What started as a conversation about functional medicine quickly evolved into a deeper examination of how the nutrition profession has lost its way—and why I’m no longer renewing my membership with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics after 13 years.

The Problem with “America’s Nutrition Experts”

When I entered dietetics school, I was promised we’d become “America’s nutrition experts”—respected professionals making meaningful impacts on patients’ lives. Instead, I discovered a curriculum that seemed more aligned with promoting food industry interests than public health.

The disconnect was glaring: while we were being taught that “all foods fit” and that artificial sweeteners are safe, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being groomed to perpetuate a system that prioritizes corporate profits over patient outcomes.

Why Calories Don’t Tell the Whole Story

Perhaps nothing illustrates the field’s misguided priorities better than the obsession with calorie counting. During my training, we were given plastic food models to teach “appropriate” portion sizes—as if people’s eating behaviors were simply a matter of not knowing what constitutes a serving.

This reductionist approach completely ignores:

• The neuroscience of eating and reward pathways
• Trauma’s impact on food relationships
• How ultra-processed foods are engineered for maximum palatability
• The role of inflammation and gut health in mental well-being

The message that “a calorie is a calorie” serves the food industry beautifully—it keeps us focused on quantity rather than quality, personal responsibility rather than systemic issues.

The One-Size-Fits-All Eating Disorder Treatment Trap

During the podcast, I shared my observation about eating disorder treatment centers placing bags of chips and processed snacks on lunch tables. While food inclusivity can be therapeutic for restrictive eating disorders, the field has adopted an “anorexia-centric” approach that treats all eating disorders the same way.

This creates a dangerous blind spot: someone with binge eating disorder, food addiction, or metabolic dysfunction receives the same “all foods fit” messaging as someone with orthorexia. We’ve prioritized protecting one vulnerable population while potentially harming others who need more nuanced care.

From Dietitian to Mental Health Nutritionist

After years of watching my field stagnate—with dietitians earning less than they did when I started 13 years ago—I’ve made a conscious choice to identify as a mental health nutritionist rather than emphasizing my RDN credential.

This isn’t about rejecting my training; it’s about acknowledging that the title may be doing more harm than good. When the public perception of dietitians is at an all-time low and our parent organization seems more interested in protecting turf than advancing the profession, it’s time for a new approach.

Moving Beyond the Culture Wars

The nutrition field has become fertile ground for infighting—diet culture versus anti-diet culture, weight-inclusive versus weight-focused, functional medicine versus conventional approaches. I believe this discord is partly by design, keeping us distracted from addressing the real issues: corporate influence, lack of insurance coverage for nutrition services, and the systematic exclusion of nutrition from mental health care.

The Path Forward: Sanity Before Vanity

My philosophy remains simple: use nutrition to improve mental health and quality of life, not just appearance. This means:

• Considering individual biological, psychological, and social factors
• Acknowledging that nutrition is both a personal responsibility AND a social justice issue
• Bridging the gap between those who need structure and those who need freedom
• Recognizing that expensive organic food isn’t the only path to health, learning to cook simple, nourishing meals can be transformative

Join the Movement

If you’re tired of nutrition being reduced to weight loss and calorie math, you’re not alone. Through my practice Nutrition In Recovery, my Wise Mind Nutrition app, and my ongoing research, I’m working to create alternatives to the status quo.

The nutrition field needs voices willing to challenge corruption, embrace nuance, and prioritize patient outcomes over professional politics. Consider this your invitation to join a movement that puts mental health first and recognizes nutrition as the powerful therapeutic tool it can be.

Because at the end of the day, connecting with food, nature, and our own bodies shouldn’t be controversial—it should be healing. Don’t let yourself be gaslit on the truth!