Adolescent IOP Duluth Ga

Nutrition: Back to Basics

September 26, 2024 By Dominique Munday

Nutrition: Back to Basics

The definition of nutrition is “the process of providing or obtaining the food necessary for health and growth”, yet it is not uncommon to lose or warp some of the most foundational aspects of nutrition in the name of “health”. Often, nutrition advice we receive involves restricting certain foods or food groups, conflicting information, unsustainable asks, and rigid rules. In today's world, where diet culture predominates, embracing a non-diet approach to nutrition can feel like navigating uncharted territory. However, understanding the basics of nutrition without the constraints of dieting can lead to a more peaceful relationship with food AND a healthy nourished body.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a psychological theory that illustrates human motivation through a pyramid of different levels of needs, starting with fundamental requirements. This concept can also apply to food and eating, as demonstrated by dietitian Ellyn Satter’s hierarchy of food needs. This concept can be used in helping us understand how to meet our basic nutritional requirements before progressing to higher needs.

Sufficiency:
The most foundational level of nutrition is to ensure you are eating enough. Regardless of other food/ nutrition choices, if you are not getting a sufficient amount of energy to support your needs, you won’t be adequately nourished. Your body needs sufficient calories, macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals to support basic functions like heartbeats and breathing. Diet culture often encourages restriction, but not eating enough can increase stress on the body, leading to inflammation and various health issues.

It is important to recognize that anyone, regardless of body size, can be undernourished.

One way to help ensure your body is getting adequately nourished is by eating regularly throughout the day. While each person’s needs and frequency may vary, a good general guideline is to fuel your body every 2-4 hours while awake. This helps maintain consistent energy levels.

Balance:
Balance in nutrition shouldn't be about canceling out or compensating for certain foods. Instead, it means getting enough of each macronutrient—carbohydrates, proteins, and fats—because all play essential roles in the body. When diets demonize any of these macronutrients, it can prevent your body from functioning at its best. Including each of these macronutrients is also important in communicating with the brain. When glucose from carbohydrates, amino acids from protein, and fatty acids from fat increase in the blood after a meal, they signal the brain to reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness. If a meal lacks one of these macronutrients, you may consume a larger volume of food but still don’t feel satisfied or become hungry again soon after.

Creating neutrality around all foods helps foster greater permission to enjoy a variety of foods, including all macronutrients. This approach supports a balanced and flexible relationship with food.

Variety:
As we meet our basic nutritional needs, we next move towards adding more variety in our food choices. One aspect of variety is eating foods from each of the food groups - grains/ carbs, protein, fruits, vegetables, fat, and dairy. Different foods, even within the same food group, provide different nutrients. Expanding beyond the usual options, such as trying different vegetables or eating several types of carbohydrates, can also offers diverse nutritional benefits. Adding variety also helps prevent food burnout from eating the same meals repeatedly.

Individuality:
As we develop a healthier relationship with food and meet our most fundamental nutrition needs, we can look at more individual needs and preferences. Utilizing individual foods and nutrients can offer specific benefits and, at times, focusing on these foods can be beneficial for overall health (such as probiotics for gut health, fiber for cholesterol management, and protein for blood sugar stability). It is however important to remember that this is not the most important factor in overall nutrition.

Often times, mainstream nutrition advice over emphasizes this top level without addressing the others first. Individual foods only matter when you have adequate intake, balance, and variety in your diet. These foundational aspects of nutrition are essential for the benefits of specific foods to have an impact.

With all of the latest nutrition trends and advice readily available at our finger tips, eating and nourishing our bodies can quickly begin to feel complicated and unattainable. Looking at our most fundamental nutrition needs from a non-diet approach can offer a starting place for improving nutrition, health, and relationship with food.

-Tori Payton, MS, LD, RD, Director of Eating Disorders IOP

If you are interested in more support or help learning how to nourish your body, we offer nutrition counseling/medical nutrition therapy with our Registered Dietitians.

Navigating Adolescence: A Guide to Mental Health

May 28, 2024 By Dominique Munday

Navigating Adolescence: A Guide to Mental Health

Talking about mental health has been a taboo issue for years, but this is starting to change. We hear a lot more about mental health and the stigma surrounding it. Many people have struggled with their mental health for years without understanding what was happening. Adolescents, in particular, experience many changes with their bodies and emotions that can be difficult to understand. And because they have never ever been teens before, “Parents just don’t understand”; or so most teens seem to think.

Adolescent mental health encompasses a wide range of experiences, from everyday stressors to more serious conditions like anxiety and depression. It's essential to recognize that mental health challenges during adolescence are common and treatable. Factors such as hormonal changes, academic pressures, social media influence, and family dynamics can all impact mental well-being during this stage of life.

Signs

Some signs that your child may be struggling with their mental health may look like:

1. Changes in behavior: Sudden or significant changes in behavior patterns such as withdrawal from social activities, increased irritability, aggression, or mood swings.

2. Academic decline: Decrease in academic performance, lack of interest in schoolwork, or frequent absences from school.

3. Sleep disturbances: Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or oversleeping, which can lead to fatigue and daytime drowsiness.

4. Appetite changes: Noticeable changes in eating habits, such as loss of appetite or overeating, leading to weight gain or loss.

5. Physical complaints: Frequent complaints of headaches, stomachaches, or other physical symptoms without apparent medical cause.

6. Substance use: Experimentation or increased use of alcohol, drugs, or other substances as a coping mechanism for emotional distress.

7. Self-harm behaviors: Engaging in self-harm behaviors such as cutting, burning, or scratching oneself, which may indicate underlying emotional pain.

8. Social isolation: Withdrawing from friends, family, or social activities, preferring to spend time alone rather than engaging in social interactions.

9. Persistent sadness or anxiety: Expressing feelings of sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, or despair that persist over time and interfere with daily functioning.

10. Risk-taking behaviors: Engaging in risky behaviors such as reckless driving, unsafe sexual practices, or dangerous stunts, which may reflect a lack of concern for personal safety.

While these are some symptoms, it is important to note that these signs can vary greatly among individuals, and not all adolescents experiencing mental health issues will display the same symptoms.

Support

Creating a supportive environment is key to promoting adolescent mental health. Encouraging open communication, fostering a sense of belonging, and validating adolescents' experiences are essential components of support.

· Open Communication: Create a safe and supportive environment where adolescents feel comfortable expressing their thoughts, feelings, and concerns without fear of judgment.

· Active Listening: Listen attentively and empathetically to a child's experiences, validating their emotions and showing understanding.

· Validation and Encouragement: Acknowledge and validate your child's feelings, experiences, and struggles, offering reassurance and encouragement without minimizing their concerns.

· Empowerment: Encourage autonomy and decision-making, involving adolescents in discussions about their mental health and treatment options, empowering them to take an active role in their own care.

· Model Healthy Coping: Serve as positive role models by practicing healthy coping skills, self-care strategies, and effective communication in managing stress and emotions.

· Seek Professional Help: Take proactive steps to seek professional help from mental health professionals if needed, demonstrating a proactive approach to addressing mental health concerns.

· Non-judgmental Support: Offer non-judgmental support and acceptance, letting the adolescent know they are valued and cared for regardless of their struggles.

· Active Presence: Be present and available to listen when the adolescent needs someone to talk to, whether it's in person, over the phone, or through messaging.

· Empathy and Understanding: Show empathy and understanding by validating experiences and emotions, even if you may not fully understand what they're going through.

· Routine and Structure: Establish consistent routines and boundaries to provide stability and predictability, which can help reduce anxiety and promote a sense of security.

· Respect Boundaries: Respect boundaries and privacy, understanding that they may not always want to talk about their struggles or may need space at times.

· Educate Yourself: Take the initiative to educate yourself about adolescent mental health issues, treatment options, and available resources to better support their child's needs.

Ending the Stigma

One of the biggest barriers to adolescent mental health care is the stigma surrounding mental illness. By promoting open dialogue, challenging stereotypes, and advocating for mental health education in schools and communities, we can break down these barriers and create a more supportive environment for young people struggling with their mental health.

Adolescence is a time of growth, exploration, and self-discovery, but it can also be challenging, especially when it comes to mental health. By understanding the unique needs of adolescents, providing support, and promoting positive coping strategies, we can help young people thrive during this critical stage of development. Together, let's work towards a future where adolescent mental health is prioritized and supported by all.

Ta’Neja Rodgers, MSW, Primary Therapist, Adolescent IOP Director

Adolescent IOP

Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program

Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)

A structured three day per week, three hours per day program (Tuesday through Thursday, 4-7pm) designed to support adolescents who are not able to meet their mental health needs on an hour per week basis.

This program is for adolescent mental health needs, including depression, social or other anxiety, coping with family issues (divorce, loss, etc), or other behaviors that are difficult to stop (except alcohol/drug addiction).

If there is an eating disorder concern, we are able to help support you in our comprehensive Eating Disorder PHP or IOP program.

Congratulations for taking a hard and necessary step! Please call our office at (770) 495-9775.

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Clients shall be considered for admission to the Intensive Outpatient Program when they meet the following criteria:

1. Are age 13 to 18 years old (if 18, must still be in high school). 12-year-olds will be considered on an individual basis.

2. The adolescent exhibits psychological or behavioral symptoms that significantly impair their functioning in two or more areas of life: home, school, occupational, and/or other important areas of functioning.

3. Program attendance is expected to improve or maintain the individual's current behavioral functioning and prevent any further decline, which would result in being referred to a higher level of care.