Meal Support for Eating Disorder Recovery

We are very excited to announce our Meal Support Group near College Park, Maryland. This meal support program takes place the second and fourth Tuesday every month at 6:00pm in our Greenbelt office.

Re-cov-er-y noun: a return to a normal state of health, mind or strength.

Recovery. A four syllable word that has so much meaning. What does this word mean to you?

Everyone may have their own definition of recovery and you may currently be working on your recovery journey. As dietitians specializing in eating disorders, our ultimate goal is to counsel you to meet your recovery goals and finally become “recovered”.

Start a Revolution: Love Your Body

As you may already know, the eating disorder recovery process involves members from multiple different professions at various levels of care. The treatment transition from a higher level of care program to the outpatient level can be difficult. You may now have less hours of support from your professional team. Additionally, you are just getting back to school or work, family, friends and the other commitments in your daily life. Think about it… At a higher level of care you were receiving professional support daily or for multiple hours three times/week, then suddenly you are only seeing each member of your treatment team for an hour or two each week. Unfortunately, this is a time where many are vulnerable to relapse into old thinking and behavioral patterns. To help prevent giving your eating disorder a chance to creep back into to your life, we want to help you continue your recovery momentum after more intensive treatment. We launched an outpatient meal support program designed to provide you with additional support outside of your regular appointments with members of your treatment team. We will be offering structure sessions, meal support and recovery related activities in our main office in Greenbelt, MD which is conveniently located near the University of Maryland (UMD)’s main campus in College Park, MD. Our office is even on the UMD shuttle bus route. Greenbelt also has access on the Metro line for those traveling from Washington, DC.

As you know, eating meals, can be filled with worry and anxiety. We are here to help you bring back the joy of food preparation and eating and bring you one step closer to helping you create a life free from food struggles!

What does the Empowered Dining Program include?

• Bimonthly 2-hour meal support sessions with Registered Dietitian
  • Before the meal- enjoy a fun, educational session and/or food preparation
  • During the meal- eat dinner in a supportive environment
  • After the meal- an opportunity to share time with others who are also making recovery a priority
• The opportunity to eat a meal and discuss meal-centered concerns with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and peers
• A supportive, comforting recovery environment to explore food options
• Recovery tools at each meal that will be discussed

When are the sessions?

• Greenbelt: 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at 6pm. 

During these bimonthly 2 hour meal support sessions, we focus on positivity, encouragement and empowerment surrounding your meal time. You will be provided with the support you need to continue along the path to a successful recovery and silence the eating disorder voice. Our ultimate goal is to bring the fun back into eating and build your confidence so you can feel empowered in making food and nutrition choices from day to day.

We welcome all clients. You do not have to be a part of our Empowered Eating program in order to participate in Empowered Dining. We also offer meal support at lunch time 2x/week at our Greenbelt Office. Because some Empowered Dining sessions require you to bring your own dinner, we do ask that you send a copy of your meal plan to us (admin@empoweredeatingrd.com) before your first session.

Please email us for more information about pricing at admin@empoweredeatingrd.com. 

Testimonials from members of Empowered Dining:

What do you like most about Empowered Dining?

• “The activities are nice and the people are interesting and positive”
• “Meeting other like me and talking about my [eating disorder] problems”
• “It feels like a safe and trusting environment. Focusing on the positives and encouragement for recovery.”

What activities are your favorite?

• “Recovery Jenga!”
• “Jenga!!! And arts and crafts”
• “Jenga!”

Clearly there was an overwhelming positive response for Recovery Jenga 🙂

How do we support the group members?

• “helps us talk about issues we have and offers helpful solutions.”
• “has a very warm and supporting presence.”
• “is happy and non-judgmental.”
• “is a good listener, helps us to focus on the positive, understanding about ups and downs of recovery. She is friendly and open.”

Our Registered Dietitian Nutritionist will be running these programs. If you are not a current client of Empowered Eating, you can contact us directly for a free Empowered Dining screening.  Please reach out to her directly at admin@empoweredeatingrd.com if you have any questions.