OSFED Support with Dietitian and Nutritionist

Name: JM Nutrition
Price range: $$

Personalized support and interventions of a dietitian for other specified feeding or eating disorder known as OSFED.

Schedule an appointment and receive the care you need.

Before we our dietitians can help provide support for OSFED, a little background information is necessary.

JM Nutrition Dietitians on OSFED

What is OSFED?

OSFED stands for Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders and replaces the previous term EDNOS or Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.

This “catch-all” category was developed to diagnose those individuals who do not fully meet all the strict diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder, but still have significant eating disorder signs and symptoms affecting their physical and mental health.

Our dietitians remind that individuals diagnosed with OSFED are affected by a serious, life-threatening, but treatable eating disorder. OSFED requires just as much attention as any of the other eating disorders, as health consequences can be equally severe if left untreated.

At JM Nutrition, our ED and DE dietitians provide support for OSFED within the scope of their practice.

What are examples of OSFED?

Here are examples of OSFED cases:

1. Atypical anorexia nervosa: All criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except the individual’s weight is within or above the “average” range despite significant weight loss.

2. Binge eating or Bulimia: Frequency or duration of symptoms do not meet criteria for binge eating or bulimia diagnosis, yet folks are symptomatic and at risk of complications.

3. Purging Disorders: Purging behaviours to influence weight or body shape in the absence of binging behaviours.

4. Night Eating Syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating after dinner or upon awaking from sleep overnight.

How can our dietitian and nutritionist help manage OSFED?

A registered dietitian and nutritionist for OSFED can help in the following ways:

Assess eating habits, nutritional status, lifestyle factors and impact of OSFED on overall health in a trauma-informed, warm and non-judgmental environment.
Provide education on OSFED signs and symptoms affecting physical, mental and psychosocial well-being including possible complications if condition is not treated.
Explore body image struggles, previous dieting history and weight change patterns, including medical and mental health history pertinent to OSFED.
Normalize eating habits: Help clients develop regular, balanced eating to reduce cycles of restriction, bingeing and purging.
Challenge food rules and feared foods: Build flexibility and variety into eating plan, reduce guilt around eating and gradually reintroduce feared foods.
Provide nutritional education around hunger and fullness cues, metabolism and energy needs to fuel one’s body optimally.
Help clients build body trust and awareness: Provide guidance to reconnect with internal signals, including hunger, fullness, and meal satisfaction.
Create individualized meal plans (when needed) to help guide and regain eating competence, meal plans can offer a template for meal planning and portion control.
Address specific OSFED dynamics, including night eating, purging, restricting; explore triggers and provide practical tips to help overcome unwanted behaviours.
Provide gentle guidance and reassurance about what you’re experiencing, where focus is on progress, not perfection and rigid rules.
Dietitians often collaborate with medical and mental health providers, providing case management and advocacy to help improve client experience and treatment outcome in hopes of optimal recovery and healing from OSFED.
Provide ongoing support from an OSFED dietitian.
And more.