Nutritionist for Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED)

Compassionate, evidence-based nutrition therapy for recovery and healing

Understanding OSFED

Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) includes eating disorder presentations that don’t meet full criteria for anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder but still cause significant physical, emotional, and psychological distress. OSFED is often misunderstood or minimized—many individuals are told they’re “not sick enough” to warrant treatment because their weight may appear normal or because their symptoms don’t fit a textbook definition.

The truth is that OSFED is just as serious and medically risky as other eating disorders. Whether you experience a mix of restrictive eating, purging without bingeing, occasional binge episodes, or significant distress around food and body image, your struggle is valid, and full recovery is possible with proper support.

Signs & Symptoms

  • Atypical anorexia: significant weight loss and restriction but weight remains in a normal or higher range

  • Purging disorder: purging behaviors (vomiting, laxatives, diuretics) without binge eating

  • Subthreshold binge eating or bulimia (less frequent episodes than diagnostic criteria)

  • Night eating syndrome: excessive eating during nighttime hours

  • Intense preoccupation with food, weight, and body shape

  • Extreme rigidity or perfectionism around eating habits

  • Emotional distress, shame, or guilt related to eating behaviors

The Physical Impact

OSFED can have profound physical consequences, even if not always immediately visible:

Physical Complications:

  • Malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies

  • Menstrual irregularities or amenorrhea

  • Low energy availability affecting heart, bones, and hormones

  • Electrolyte imbalances (especially in purging presentations)

  • GI issues: constipation, reflux, bloating, delayed gastric emptying

  • Fatigue, dizziness, or fainting episodes

  • Anxiety, depression, or obsessive thinking related to food

How I Support Your Recovery as Your Registered Dietitian

My Approach

As a registered dietitian specializing in eating disorder recovery, I provide comprehensive nutrition therapy that goes far beyond meal planning. My approach is:

  • Individualized: Every nutrition roadmap is tailored to your unique needs, medical status, and recovery goals

  • Collaborative: I work closely with your medical doctor, therapist, and psychiatrist as part of your integrated care team

  • Evidence-Based: Treatment follows established protocols while honoring your personal recovery journey

  • Compassionate: Creating a safe, non-judgmental space for healing and growth

What We Work On Together

Nutritional Stabilization

  • Consistent, Adequate Intake: Creating individualized meal structures to ensure stable energy intake and prevent further restriction or compensatory behaviors

  • Medical Support: Monitoring nutritional labs, electrolytes, growth curves, and vital signs to support full physical recovery

  • Symptom Interruption: Identifying behavioral cycles (restriction, purging, night eating, etc.) and implementing interventions to stabilize eating patterns

  • Weight-Neutral Focus: Prioritizing your health and recovery regardless of weight status

Food Relationship Healing

  • Reframing Food Rules: Challenging rigid beliefs and perfectionism around “good” and “bad” foods

  • All Foods Fit Approach: Allowing formerly restricted foods back into your eating in a controlled, safe way to reduce emotional charge

  • Intuitive Eating Foundations: Helping you reconnect with hunger, fullness, and satisfaction cues over time

  • Body Image Work: Supporting body neutrality and trust, regardless of weight or size

Shame Reduction and Empowerment

  • Validation: Affirming that OSFED is real, serious, and deserving of full care — regardless of external appearance

  • Psychoeducation: Teaching how restriction, purging, or binge behaviors affect your brain, hormones, and mood

  • Emotional Coping: Developing alternative strategies for managing anxiety, perfectionism, or emotional distress without relying on disordered behaviors

  • Long-Term Skill Building: Equipping you with lifelong tools for relapse prevention and self-monitoring

What you can expect

OSFED recovery is highly individualized and may involve addressing multiple behaviors simultaneously. Clients often feel empowered as they recognize that healing is fully possible — even when their presentation hasn’t fit neatly into a diagnostic box.

Weeks 1-4:

  • Clarifying specific disordered behaviors and developing a customized care plan

  • Normalizing consistent eating patterns to reduce physiological triggers

  • Beginning to challenge food rules and black-and-white thinking

Months 2-6:

  • Significant reduction in disordered behaviors (purging, bingeing, restricting)

  • Improved emotional regulation as consistent nourishment stabilizes mood

  • Growing comfort with a wider variety of foods and more flexible eating

  • Improved physical health markers and reduced GI distress

Long-term Recovery:

  • Peaceful, balanced eating across a wide variety of foods

  • Confidence in your ability to nourish yourself consistently

  • Reduced anxiety around food and body

  • Increased self-compassion and resilience in handling triggers

Take the Next Step

Recovery from OSFED is possible, and you don't have to do it alone. If you're ready to begin or continue your journey , I'm here to help.

Natalie is a registered dietitian with a background in psychology and a deep commitment to supporting individuals through eating disorder recovery. She holds an honors degree in Psychology from UC Berkeley and a Master’s in Clinical Dietetics from NYU, with training in eating disorder care. Her approach is rooted in intuitive eating and weight inclusive care, blending clinical expertise with warmth and compassion. Natalie believes in helping clients build a peaceful relationship with food and body while supporting lasting, meaningful recovery.