Hi, I’m Katie Jeffrey,
The Awareness Dietitian
My Background
I am passionate about mindful and intuitive eating, fueling and living. I hold a M.S. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Connecticut. I have been a Licensed and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) since 2007 and a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) since 2010. I am also a Licensed Be Body Positive Facilitator.
I am honored to be the co-leader for the International OCD Foundation’s (IOCDF) Special Interest Group (SIG) for OCD and Eating Disorders. I am also thrilled to be a member of the IOCDF’s Anxiety in Athletes Task Force. Anxiety in Athletes is a resource center that was created to address the mental health needs of the athletic community.
In 2007, I established my nutrition private practice. I provide nutrition and sports nutrition counseling, coaching and consulting as well as hands-on, scientifically-based presentations and webinars. I am honored to have been the sports dietitian for Providence College for almost ten and half years and the sports dietitian for Brown University for four and half years.
As a weight-neutral and Health at Every Size (HAES) dietitian nutritionist, I promote a non-diet mindful and intuitive eating and fueling philosophy.
Through my personal experiences and passion for mindful and intuitive living, fueling and eating, it is my mission to empower individuals to honor their inner wisdom, make peace with food, feel comfortable in their body, cultivate a nourishing self-care practice and enjoy a lifetime of physical and emotional resiliency. I enjoy working with individuals to bring greater awareness, curiosity and compassion to their food choices, eating behaviors, thoughts and feelings so they can nourish their bodies and minds and thrive.
Additionally, I am an advocate for eating disorders, OCD and other anxiety related disorders. I understand how debilitating OCD can be and how intense OCD fears can feel. Therefore, I am passionate about increasing mental health awareness to help individuals living with mental health challenges receive effective treatment and support in a timely manner. I empower teenagers and adults who are struggling with OCD and their relationship with food to face their OCD food fears.
Photos of Katie by Amy Lane Photography
My Personal & Professional Journey
My own journey to discovering mindful and intuitive living, fueling and eating has many twists and turns, ups and downs. With each challenge I faced I learned new ways of doing things and more effective ways of working with clients. I continue to learn about myself and how best to work with individuals who are looking to feel their best both physically and emotionally.
Through my personal experiences and passion for mindful and intuitive living, fueling and eating, it is my mission to help every client honor their inner wisdom, make peace with food, feel comfortable in their body, cultivate a nourishing self-care practice and enjoy a lifetime of physical and emotional resiliency.
I would like to hear your story and understand how we can work together to reach your goals.
Are you ready to become empowered to make peace with food and develop a mindful and intuitive eating and living wisdom of your own as I have done?
I will walk with you, stay curious and offer support, compassion and encouragement to help guide you along your own journey towards healing.
My Journey – Making Peace with Food
In my own journey to making peace with food, I faced numerous challenges from overeating to restrictive eating as well as coping with stomach issues and, at times, feeling uncomfortable in my skin.
Like many of us, I faced emotional triggers during certain periods of my life. In college, boredom, procrastination, stress and food availability led me to eating more than I wanted to at night while doing homework. This left me feeling physically uncomfortable and wishing I hadn’t eaten so much…again. Sound familiar? I also faced fueling challenges as a Division I field hockey player. Read about my fueling story as an athlete.
In grad school and for a few years afterwards, due to greater stress and increased anxiety, I became hyper-focused on what I was eating. Unfortunately, I was surrounded by diet culture which influenced my food choices and amounts. I developed rigid rules regarding food and working out. This left me feeling depleted, caused me to feel irritable, increased my stomach issues and food sensitivities as well as led to feelings of frustration. I knew “something” was “off” but I wasn’t sure what.
A few years after earning my masters in Nutritional Sciences, I attended a mindful eating retreat where I increased my mindful eating knowledge. I learned how to listen to my inner wisdom, honor my hunger and fullness and enjoy all foods that I love. Overtime, I learned how to be “in charge” of my food choices and amounts rather than being “in control” and following rigid rules.
My own experiences at this retreat and hearing about the experiences of other participants who wanted to make peace with food and their bodies was pivotal for me (and now my clients)! A few months later, after studying and passing an exam, I became a Licensed Am I Hungry?® Mindful Eating Facilitator. I also joined The Center for Mindful Eating (TCME.org) and began learning more about mindful eating and living. I loved the mindful eating approach and how it was based on mindfulness. This approach DOES NOT involve food rules regarding when, what and how much to eat; instead, mindful eating is an inside-out approach. Mindfulness is paying attention on purpose in the present moment to one’s own physical and mental processes with curiosity, nonjudgement and compassion. Research regarding the benefits of mindfulness is numerous.
A Daily Mindfulness Practice
Since being introduced to both mindful eating and mindfulness, I have developed my own daily mindfulness practice and have attended a three-day mindful eating workshop held by Megrette Fletcher, M.Ed., R.D., CDE, a week-long Mindfulness Stress-Based Reduction Course (MSBR), and an 8-week Mindfulness Training for Senior Staff hosted by Brown University Mindfulness Center and attended many mindful eating webinars.
As my knowledge with mindful eating grew, I also learned about Intuitive Eating and began to increase my knowledge regarding this approach. Intuitive Eating and Mindful Eating are similar and different. I like to think of them as kindred spirits. Both are an inside-out, non-diet approaches to food and eating behaviors and thoughts. They promote listening to one’s inner wisdom and finding healthy ways to take care of one’s self.
Mindful & Intuitive Eating Wisdom
I now believe that I have (what I refer to as) Mindful and Intuitive Eating and Living wisdom. My knowledge plus my own experiences with both approaches have enabled me to make peace with food and develop a compassionate, curious and non-judgmental approach to all aspects of my life (and the lives of others). As a learner for life, I enjoy broadening my knowledge and learning from the clients I work with. I continue to deepen my understanding of mindful and intuitive eating and living. I also continue to experiment and fine-tune how I relate to and work with others.
Knowledge + Personal Experience = Wisdom
I understand that you are unique. Only you know how hungry and full you are, what foods you love and are the most satisfying for you, what your struggles are and how you want to feel.
I will stay curious with you and offer support, encouragement and compassion along with knowledge and hands-on learning activities during your mindful and intuitive eating and living journey towards healing.
Are you ready to embark on your own mindful and intuitive eating and living journey? If you are, I am ready to be your guide!
Are you interested in learning more?
EDUCATION
Saint Joseph College, West Hartford, CT, Dietetic Internship, 2007
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, M.S., Nutritional Sciences, 2006
Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT, B.A., Sociology, 2001
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS / LICENSES
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, September 2007 – present
Connecticut Certified Dietitian/Nutritionist, September 2007 – present
Rhode Island Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist, September 2007 – present
Florida Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist, February 2023 - present
Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, February 2010 – present
ED for RDs Eating Disorder Education Course for Registered Dietitian, September 2023
Big Hearted Embodiment Treatment Provider Facilitator, https://elizabethscottresources.com/business-directory/, 2021 - present
Licensed Be Body Positive Facilitator, April 2022 - present
Qualified Instructor of MB-EAT (MB-EAT-QI) trained through the Mindful Eating Training Institute (METI) by Andrea Lieberstein, founder of METI, March 2023 - present
Licensed Am I Hungry?® Mindful Eating Facilitator, 2013 – 2016
RELEVANT TRAININGS
ED for RDs 1-Year Online Course for Eating Disorders, November 2022 – October 2023
Marci Evans RD Nutrition : Food and Body Image Healers Eating Disorder Online Training Course, November 2022
Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training (MB-EAT) Course for Professionals, October 2022 – February 2023
Trauma-Informed Care: A Nervous System-Informed Course for Nutrition & Health Professionals, Fiona Sutherland, RDN and Tracy Brown, RDN, 2021
Big Hearted Embodiment Treatment Provider Training, trained by Elizabeth Scott, co-founder of The Be Body Positive, https://elizabethscottresources.com/business-directory/, 2021
Molly Kellogg’s Motivational Interviewing Course for Dietitians, 2020
The Mindful Dietitian’s Online Eating Disorders + Body Positive In Sport Course, 2020
The Mindful Dietitian’s Online Mindfulness for Dietitians Course, 2020
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) 8-Week Workplace Course, 2019
Framework for Mindful Living (MBSR) Course, The Mindfulness Center at Brown University, 2019
Mindful Eating Workshop with Megrette Fletcher, M.Ed., R.D., CDE, 2014
Molly Kellogg’s Motivational Interviewing Intensive Course for Dietitians, 2014
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Collegiate and Sports Professional Sports Dietitians Association (CSPDA), August 2012 – present
Founder & Co-Leader of the International OCD Foundation’s Special Interest Group for OCD and Eating Disorders, March 2023 – present
International OCD Foundation’s Anxiety in Athletes Task Force Member, August 2022 – present
International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (IAEDP), January 2024 - present
International Federation of Eating Disorder Dietitians (IFEDD) , March 2023 – present
National Alliance for Eating Disorders, February 2023 – present
The Center for Mindful Eating (TCME.org), February 2019 – present
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Association, September 2005 – March 2020
Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutritionists (SCAN) Specialty Group, December 2007 – 2020
Nutrition Entrepreneurs (NE) Private Practice Specialty Group, October 2008 – 2015
Board Member for Girls on the Run of Southeastern Connecticut, September 2013 – February 2015
