In this episode of the Full of Beans Podcast, Han is joined by Sarah Elder, a registered eating disorder dietitian and advanced clinical practitioner, to explore the real role of dietitians in eating disorder recovery.

Together, we unpack what it means to offer trauma-informed, compassionate, and culturally appropriate nutritional care, far beyond simply providing meal plans. Sarah also shares her mission to make ED nutrition education more accessible and effective for all professionals working in the field.

Key Takeaways:

• Why eating disorder dietitians do so much more than write meal plans
• The difference between nutrition education and psychoeducation
• What trauma-informed nutritional care looks like in practice
• The impact of GI issues in recovery and how dietitians can help
• Why collaborative, values-based support is essential for long-term healing
• The importance of cultural and personal context in meal planning
• Why Sarah believes “real food” must reflect real people’s lives

Timestamps:

04:30 – Why trauma-informed, accessible ED nutrition training matters

08:00 – Psychoeducation vs. nutrition education in recovery

13:00 – GI issues during recovery & how to approach them

16:45 – What trauma-informed care means in practice

23:40 – Challenges of restrictive diets & misunderstood advice

27:00 – Collaborating with therapy & OT teams in care

29:00 – Dismantling the fear of seeing a dietitian 3

2:10 – Standard meal plans vs. individualised support

36:30 – Cultural food practices and integration in recovery

Trigger warning: This episode discusses eating disorders and gastrointestinal distress.

Connect with Us:

Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here

Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here

Connect with Sarah:

• Sarah's Website

• Sarah's Instagram (@saraheldernutrition)

Read our latest blog here

Further Resources: First Steps ED

Thank you for listening and being part of this important conversation!

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Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛