Hello, I’m Katherine Dittmann, Nutrition Therapist, Philosophical Practitioner, and Registered Dietitian specializing in eating disorder recovery. Welcome to the Compassionate Body Center, the online home for my compassion-centered, mind-body approach to nutrition therapy for people struggling with eating difficulties.
I created this site to help people help themselves, whether or not they are working directly with a professional. Here you will find a food-positive environment designed to help you tap into and trust your own innate wisdom.
I am devoted to transforming the way people think about food and their bodies for a full and lasting recovery from eating disorders and difficulties. In short, my job is to make eating easier.
But it’s so hard!
Eating can be hard for a lot of reasons, I know. I’ve been working with people and food for over 20 years. Between my first decade as a chef and food writer and my latest as a dietitian and philosophical practitioner, I have definitely learned a few things.
First, everyone has eating quirks, but not everyone develops food issues or an eating disorder. And for those that do, each presentation is unique. But it turns out that most food issues, whether it be overeating, chronic dieting, or anorexia, stem from the same place: a desire to belong and feel loved and accepted, veiled in unworthiness. Somewhere along the way, food becomes the enemy.
Eating isn’t supposed to be hard. As humans, we come fully equipped with the ability to choose nutritious and satisfying foods in the appropriate amount.
It gets hard when the mind thinks it knows better than the body and messes with this intricate system.
It gets hard when we try to control the very biological functions that have kept our species surviving for thousands of years.
It gets hard when we stop trusting and start using food to cope.
Our work together will be to help you learn to trust your body to do what it does best while slowly bringing ease into the day-to-day act of feeding yourself.
What does eating with ease really mean?
It means reducing the obstacles that make eating hard.
It means applying the principles of nutritional adequacy, balance, and variety to your own eating, knowing that being nourished makes the rest of your life easier.
It means accepting that your eating isn’t always perfect.
It means taking small steps now knowing they will lead to more ease in the long run.
It means taking risks when it feels safe.
It means setting compassionate boundaries with food to manage permissiveness and restraint.
It means trusting what moderation means for you.
It means replacing your inner critic with your compassionate voice around food, body, and exercise.
Sound scary?
Change is often scary and that’s normal. It’s OK. Let’s start where you are. If we didn’t, it wouldn’t be compassionate. Together we will decide where to begin and progress at your own pace. Don’t get me wrong; you will do some work. As collaborators, we will find that sweet spot between striving and resisting where real change thrives.
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