At Alsana Treatment Centers, we work with clients to develop a balanced approach to nutrition—but what exactly does that mean?

Most basically, it means we want to help our clients gain a normalized approach to eating. We want them to be able to eat without any food-related anxiety, stress, judgment or shame. That obviously encompasses the food on the plate, but it is not just about the food on the plate. It is also about eating rituals, habits and socialization.

Let’s talk about food, first. What we tell clients at Alsana is that “all foods fit.” In other words, we do not focus on certain foods and we do not discriminate against others. In our nutritional philosophy, there is room for all kinds of culinary items, and our focus is on real variety: We want our clients to be comfortable eating a wide range of foods, without seeing any particular food as shameful or scary.

This naturally leads to a balanced array of food groups and nutrients—ensuring that our clients meet their particular metabolic requirements and receive all the nourishment they need for optimal, healthy living. Ideally, a client will be able to go to a restaurant or to have dinner in someone’s home and be able to eat what is served without worry.

The other facet of balanced nutrition is being able to eat comfortably and fearlessly in a number of contexts—contexts that include independent eating, eating with a group, eating at a restaurant, going to the grocery store to buy food to prepare, and so forth. Balanced nutrition means being able to handle all of these scenarios without anxiety.

In short, we want our clients to be able to enjoy eating—to be able to eat both for nourishment and for pleasure. That, to us, is true balance. To learn more about our nutritional philosophy, you can always head over here.

[cta] What does balanced nutrition mean to you? Let us know! [/cta]