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Neuro-Inclusive Nutrition
Neuro-Inclusive Nutrition is nutrition counseling for people with neuro-differences like ADHD, autism, OCD, sensory issues, and others. So many amazing, talented, and creative people have neuro-differences! Including Dr. Daisy, who has ADHD!
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We understand the intersection of neuro-diversity, mental health, and nutrition
At Dr. Daisy & Co -
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We provide compassionate, collaborative, and evidenced based care.
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We understand the unique ways in which neuro-differences affect eating experiences.
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We tailor our sessions to accommodate a wide variety of learning styles and communication preferences with no pressure, judgment, or shame.
Here are a few examples of issues we help with:
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Deciding what to eat. Making food decisions can be overwhelming and draining.
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Remembering to eat or being able to follow a reliable and consistent eating schedule.
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Falling into rigid, ultra-particular, and hyper-fixated eating patterns.
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Tolerating sensory properties from food, which creates picky or selective eating and fear of trying new foods (food neophobia).
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Compulsive, impulsive, or sensory-seeking eating can result in excessive eating patterns or bingeing.
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Being under-responsive to internal cues for hunger and fullness (low interoceptive awareness).
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Avoiding social eating - parties, restaurants, and family meals.
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Tolerating overwhelming sensory inputs during meals, like noises, smells, or chewing sounds (aka misophonia - we treat this too!).
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Fearing that something bad might happen when you eat, like not being able to swallow the food or that the food will make you unhealthy.
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Executive functioning challenges, which includes skills like planning, organizing, and initiating tasks. This can affect the ability to plan and prepare meals or make independent food choices.
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Managing medication side-effects, particularly as they relate to appetite. We provide strategies to address side-effects and collaborate with your prescribing physician.
Severe eating challenges
Sometimes eating challenges can get so severe that an eating disorder might form. The dietitians at Dr. Daisy & Co have extensive expertise with eating disorder treatment and merging this treatment within a neurodivergent lens. We’ve got you covered.
Co-occurring
conditions
The dietitians at Dr. Daisy & Co have expertise in treating co-occurring conditions, such as mental and emotional health, gastrointestinal issues, endocrine issues, or other medical concerns that can complicate things. We will collaborate with your medical team for comprehensive care.
Models we use
- ERP (Exposure Response Prevention)
- SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory)
Food Chaining
- CBT-AR (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for ARFID)
- Food Sorting (a technique developed by Dr. Daisy)
- CBT for Executive Functioning
Common Questions
I have eating challenges as an adult. Do you work with adults?
Yes! All of the dietitians at Dr. Daisy & Co work with neuro-diverse adults!
My child is autistic and we’re concerned about nutrition. Do you work with the parents or just kids?
We take a parent-centered approach. We typically find that there’s quite a few things that parents can do (and not do) to help improve their child’s relationship with food and overall nutrition. We typically work one-on-one with kids 10 years or older, if warranted.
How many sessions will I need?
Session needs can vary depending on the complexity of the issues we’re working on, productivity during our sessions, the clients’ time, resources, and preferences for session frequency. We’re flexible! Many clients only need one or two sessions with follow-ups only as-needed.
Telehealth is going to be hard for me but your in-person office is too far from where I live. What do you suggest I do?
There are several accommodations we make over telehealth appointments to improve focus and engagement, and make the sessions fun and comfortable. For example, we can take breaks, turn our screens off, and use co-writing tools for worksheets. Accommodations for shorter sessions is also doable - give us a call to discuss.
I'm worried that my diet isn't healthy enough. Will you guys be able to tell me if it is or isn't?
Many people with neuro-differences worry that their diet isn’t healthy enough. We will do a nutrition assessment as part of your initial 90-minute appointment. Your dietitian will assess overall nutrition adequacy, total energy intake, macronutrient composition and distribution throughout the day, and micronutrient intake. If there are issues or deficits we will talk about these and provide new strategies based on your learning style, motivation, and readiness. We do not pressure our clients. We offer gentle, responsive solutions.
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