...

ALK NUTRITION offers Nutrition Therapy, composed of nutrition counseling, nutrition education, and medical nutrition therapy, all of which are uniquely designed to help you form a healthy relationship with food that is both life changing and life enduring.

APPROACH

FOCUSED ON PROVIDING INDIVIDUALIZED NUTRITION THERAPY TO THOSE WITH EATING DISORDERS AND DISORDERED EATING, ALK NUTRITION LLC BRINGS A CALM, PROFESSIONAL AND THOUGHTFUL PRACTICE TO MARIN COUNTY. WE ALWAYS TREAT CLIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH AN OPEN HEART, WE RESPECT THEIR POTENTIAL AND RECOGNIZE THEIR SUFFERING.

ANGELLA L KRIENS, RD, CEDRD

I am a Registered Dietitian and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist in my field based in Marin County, California. I have experience and training in nutrition therapy for eating disorders at various levels of care including inpatient, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient.

I specialize in a non-diet approach to eating and focus on a compassionate approach to recovery. With me, you can expect to find a safe, judgment-free space to explore your relationship with food and your body. Together we will help you form a healthy relationship with food that is both life changing and life enduring. I believe that a full, complete recovery from an eating disorder is possible and I want to help you get there.

I demonstrate excellent listening skills, resourcefulness, and a high level of professionalism, respect and compassion toward each client I encounter. I use my abilities to connect with people, deliver practical advice, and understand the challenges that you face to support and promote your unique journey to recovery.

I am a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Behavioral Health Nutrition dietetic practice group, National Eating Disorders Association, the Academy of Eating Disorders, and the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp) Foundation.

• Anorexia Nervosa
• Bulimia Nervosa
• Binge Eating Disorder
• Disordered Eating
• Continuing care for those transitioning from higher levels of care to outpatient
• Acute nutrition care for those recovering from substance abuse
• Chronic dieting
• Compulsive exercise
• Obsession with food and weight
• Body Image Concerns​

INITIAL CONSULTATION

Reaching out for help is an important step in your journey to recovery. In an effort to provide you with the best care possible, I ask that we schedule a brief telephone consultation before beginning treatment. If we decide we would like to move forward together, we would schedule an Initial Nutrition Assessment visit. After that, we will establish regular visits that meet your current needs.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE FIRST VISIT: INITIAL NUTRITION ASSESSMENT​

Your first visit will likely run about 75 minutes, which will provide an nice opportunity for us to get to know one another. You'll be able to ask questions you may have and get a general feel for who I am as a practitioner. I'll want to know about your medical and nutrition history, experiences and beliefs about food, and what brought you to my practice. Together, we will begin to establish some short and long-term goals and identify different tools and pathways that will help you achieve them. 

WHAT TO EXPECT IN FOLLOW-UP VISITS

Follow-Up appointments typically last 50 minutes. During this time we will explore the experiences you've had since the last time we visited. This might be through a food journal, a recovery-based app, diary, or memory. We'll find out what is working for you and what isn't. Throughout, I will interweave the three pillars of nutrition therapy: 

Things we may do in the nutrition counseling realm:

• Explore food rules, rituals, fears, and beliefs
• Fear food challenges
• Meal coaching in my office 
• Meal coaching on restaurant outing
• Dining out
• Grocery shopping
• Workbooks or reading assignments

Ways Nutrition Education might be explored:

• Function of nutrients in the body
• Effects of nutrient deficiencies
• Food facts and fallacies
• Anatomy and physiology
• Physiological effects of malnutrition and semi-starvation
• Refeeding process
• Weight and metabolism
• Effects of compensatory behaviors (purging, laxatives, diuretics, diet pills, exercise etc.)
• Relationship between food and mood
• Assist clients in planning menus to meet needs
• How to grocery shop
• How to cook

Use of Medical Nutrition Therapy

• Establish goal weight range
• Monitor weight changes and educate accordingly
• If necessary, prescribe healthy exercise
• If necessary, prescribe meal plan
• Optimize resting metabolic rate

COORDINATED CARE

The multidisciplinary team approach is widely recognized as the best practice. With your permission, I will consult and coordinate care with your other providers, or can help you find them if needed.

FAMILY SUPPORT

I believe family education and support is extremely important and should be encouraged whenever possible. Family involvement is a key predictor of good outcomes. With that in mind, I help families understand the illness, along with signs of recovery and relapse. My goal is to help the family develop nutrition-related skills to support their loved one. Loved ones are supported and welcomed in the treatment process by participating in nutrition education, meal planning, and portion training of their own.