Nourishing Nurturers: How Nutrition Counseling and Intuitive Eating Can Promote Perinatal Health

Thrive • August 23, 2022
By Thrive Wellness Reno Registered Dietitian Laura Oberg, RDN, RYT, MFA

As a person’s lifestyle changes throughout the perinatal period, which accounts for pregnancy through one year postpartum, they may experience disruptions in how they nourish their body. New parents may be faced with harmful societal pressure for their bodies to appear a certain way, confusing misinformation around perinatal fad diets, and difficulty fueling their bodies amid the demands of new parenthood. Perinatal nutrition guidance that encourages intuitive eating can help a person free themself from rigid food rules, savor the experience of eating, and adjust to the nutritional needs of their new lifestyle.

FIVE WAYS NUTRITION SUPPORT AND INTUITIVE EATING CAN PROMOTE PERINATAL HEALTH 

As an individual becomes accustomed to the obligations of new parenthood, perinatal body changes, and possibly shifting eating preferences, nutrition guidance can help them develop and reinforce a strong and healthy relationship with food and their body. 

Dietitians can help those in the perinatal stage:

1. Overcome unrealistic postpartum expectations and pressure around body appearance.

Implementing intuitive eating principles with counseling from a dietitian can empower a person to reject any societal expectations to regain their pre-pregnancy body and instead explore how and what foods fuel their new lifestyle, while also creating space for self-acceptance

2. Disregard perinatal food fads. 

Caregivers can become caught up in eating trends that require restriction and promise to make them “better parents,” such as clean eating, detox cleanses , or other limiting approaches to eating. Endorsed by diet culture and commonly promoted by social media, these detrimental narratives around perinatal diets can lead to unfair and unhealthy comparisons. Individuals can avoid the fallout of fad diets altogether by gaining insight into the practice of intuitive eating from dietitians. Instead of relying on definitive food rules, a new parent can learn to listen to their body’s natural cues on when, what, and how to nourish it by integrating intuitive eating principles.  

3. Integrate self-care into their lives. 

Nourishing one’s body is a form of self-care which may become more difficult to practice as parents focus on caring for their children. Nutrition guidance can teach individuals to implement self-care by fueling their bodies effectively and mindfully enjoying the experience of eating .

4. Improve their mood by eating adequately. 

Just as emotional regulation skills suffer with lack of sleep , possessing a positive perspective can be challenging when one is inadequately nourished. A basic biological need, food allows the brain to function optimally. By eating according to one’s hunger and fullness cues, a person can prepare themselves for appropriate emotional responses and brighten their overall outlook.

5. Ensure they’re nourished adequately for breastfeeding if that’s their chosen feeding method. 

If a birthing parent chooses to breastfeed , they need appropriate nourishment so they can feed their baby effectively. A dietitian can provide guidance around intuitively fueling one’s body for nursing, which can be a physically demanding endeavor. 

By meeting one’s nutritional needs, a parent can support their overall well-being — body and mind . When caregivers prioritize their own health, they’re more likely to face each day of parenting with full cups that brim with gratitude and strength.

PERINATAL NUTRITION SUPPORT AT THRIVE WELLNESS

To help caregivers feel energized, balanced, and resilient in their roles, Thrive Wellness offers perinatal health services that include mental, behavioral, and physical health support. For parents seeking to gain more insight into nourishing their bodies, we provide individualized nutritional counseling that emphasizes intuitive eating, while offering clients creative ways to integrate nutritional self-care into their daily lives. To learn more about our perinatal health services , reach out

While all Thrive Wellness locations offer interdisciplinary clinical teams who collaborate to treat eating disorders, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), and additional mental and behavioral health conditions, programs and services may vary by location.

About the Author

Thrive Wellness Reno Registered Dietitian Laura Oberg, RDN, RYT, MFA

With a bachelor’s of science in dietetics from Brigham Young University and having graduated from the Sodexo Dietetic Internship program in New York with honors, Laura Oberg built her career as a dietitian upon strong foundations. Early in her career, she provided critical care and pediatric nutrition services at both Jamaica Hospital in Queens, New York and St. Luke’s Hospital in Manhattan, New York. Later, her journey brought her to Intermountain Medical Center in Utah where she joined a nutrition support team with an exclusive concentration on parental and enteral nutrition (also known as tube feeding) for severely malnourished patients and those unable to obtain nutrition via traditional means. Along the way, Laura also spent time working as a care technician at a residential center for eating disorder recovery, where her passion for promoting holistic eating disorder healing grew stronger. 

At Thrive Wellness Reno, Laura works with clients struggling with a variety of eating and feeding disorders. She finds the relationship each individual has with food and their body to be fascinating and encourages the concept of intuitive eating. As a registered yoga instructor, she also integrates mindful movement into her approach as she feels the mind-body connection that it offers can be extremely effective. She believes that together, nutrition and movement therapies can provide connection with and integration of the self.

Additionally, Laura has a master’s degree in fine arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York City with a focus on visual effects resulting from racism and generational trauma. She is captivated by artistic expressions of all kinds. When she’s not busy changing lives, she enjoys spending time at the lake, reading, playing with her kids, and taking road trips to her hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

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When Emma was 8, her parents noticed her food choices shrinking. At first, they assumed it was just picky eating — “She’ll outgrow it,” friends said. But by 10, Emma would only eat crackers, cheese, and chicken nuggets. Family dinners became nightly struggles, her growth slowed, and she skipped birthday parties to avoid “strange food.” Her parents felt powerless, her brother grew frustrated, and outings dwindled. What began as food avoidance soon reshaped the rhythm of the entire household. When children avoid food, most parents expect it’s a passing stage. But when restriction deepens, shrinks to only a few “safe foods,” and begins affecting growth or health, families suddenly find themselves in unfamiliar territory. This is often where Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) emerges — with effects that extend far beyond the plate. As providers, we need to be attuned to these patterns. It’s tempting to dismiss them as “no big deal,” yet for many families, they are life-altering. Sadly, Emma’s story is not unusual. Mealtimes as Battlegrounds Families living with ARFID often describe mealtimes as emotionally charged, exhausting, and unpredictable. What should be a chance to connect around the table can feel more like a negotiation or even a standoff. Parents wrestle with whether to push their child to try a new food or give in to the same “safe foods” again and again to avoid tears, gagging, or complete meltdowns. This ongoing tension can make mealtimes dreaded rather than cherished. Siblings, too, are affected. Some may feel resentful when family meals are limited to what only one child will tolerate. Others may act out in response to the constant attention the child with ARFID receives. Over time, the dinner table shifts from a place of nourishment and bonding into a stage for conflict, anxiety, and guilt — a pattern that can erode family cohesion and resilience. Social Isolation and Missed Experiences ARFID impacts more than what happens at home; it influences how families engage with the world around them. Everyday events — birthday parties, school lunches, vacations, even extended family dinners — become sources of stress. Parents may pack special foods to avoid confrontation or, in many cases, decline invitations altogether to protect their child from embarrassment or overwhelm. This avoidance can lead to an unintended consequence: isolation. Families miss out on milestones, friendships, and traditions because of the unpredictability surrounding food. The child may feel left out or ashamed, while parents grieve the loss of “normal” family experiences. This social withdrawal can compound the anxiety already present in ARFID and deepen its impact across generations. Emotional Toll on Parents The emotional strain on parents navigating ARFID is significant. Many describe living in a constant state of worry — Will my child get enough nutrients? Will they ever grow out of this? Am I doing something wrong? This worry often spirals into guilt and self-blame, particularly when outside voices dismiss the disorder as mere “picky eating.” In addition, the pressure to “fix” mealtimes can strain marital relationships, creating disagreements over discipline, feeding strategies, or medical decisions. Parents may also feel emotionally depleted, pouring all their energy into managing one child’s needs while inadvertently neglecting themselves or their other children. Without support, this chronic stress can lead to burnout, depression, and disconnection within the family system. The Role of Providers For clinicians, ARFID must be viewed not only as an individual diagnosis but as a family-wide challenge. Effective care requires attention to both the clinical symptoms and the family dynamics that shape recovery. Parent Support: Educating caregivers that ARFID is not their fault, offering psychoeducation, and helping them reframe mealtime struggles as part of the disorder — not a parenting failure. Family-Based Interventions: Coaching families in structured meal support, communication strategies, and gradual exposure work so parents don’t feel powerless. Holistic Care: Involving therapists, dietitians, occupational therapists, and medical providers ensures that the family does not shoulder the weight of treatment alone. When families are validated, supported, and given practical tools, the entire household can begin to heal. Treatment is not only about expanding a child’s food repertoire but also about restoring peace, resilience, and connection at home. Moving Forward ARFID may begin with one individual, but its ripple effects are felt across the entire family system. By addressing both the psychological and relational dimensions, providers can help transform mealtimes from a source of conflict into an opportunity for healing and connection. For those who want to go deeper, we invite you to join our upcoming training on ARFID , where we will explore practical strategies for supporting both clients and their families.
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As a parent, noticing alarming behaviors around food or routines in your child can raise some important questions. You might be asking yourself, “Is this an eating disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or something else entirely?” Understanding the signs and differences between these disorders is key to getting your child effective, timely treatment. In this blog, we’ll break down the overlap between OCD and eating disorders, what signs to watch for, and how to get professional help. If you're a parent wondering “Is my child’s eating disorder actually OCD?” or “OCD vs eating disorder in teens,” know that you’re not alone and you’re in the right place to find specialized care for your child. What Is OCD? Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition where unwanted thoughts (obsessions) cause anxiety, leading to repetitive behaviors (compulsions) intended to ease that anxiety. OCD can be focused on any subject. Common obsessions include contamination, perfectionism, scrupulosity, and harm, but sometimes, the content of obsessions can be focused on food, body image, or weight. What Is an Eating Disorder? Eating disorders , like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) involve disturbed eating behaviors and intense concerns about body weight or shape. These conditions go beyond dieting or “picky eating” and can become life-threatening without professional intervention. The Overlap: Why It Can Be Confusing OCD and eating disorders often share similar symptoms : Ritualistic eating (e.g., needing to eat foods in a certain order or at a certain time) Rigid rules about food (like only eating certain food groups or certain amounts of food) Excessive checking (like weighing food or body or repeated checking of expiration dates or thorough cooking) Avoidance behaviors ( like avoiding carbs, fats, or other food groups or avoiding places or objects that can trigger obsessions) Distress when routines are disrupted (either around mealtimes or exercise routines) So, How Can You Tell the Difference? Use the following chart to compare and contrast symptoms of OCD and eating disorders.
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