Video: Nutrition in Recovery: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Headed?

Are you interested in the connection between substance use disorders and nutrition? I sure am. That is why we created Nutrition in Recovery. I’m so glad you’re here.

I have put forth a tremendous amount of effort to raise awareness on the topic, as well as the broader intersection of food and addictive disorders. This includes the domain of health psychology and the study of eating behavior. Nutrition in Recovery is actually quite broad and extends beyond addiction recovery.

Truly understanding this connection necessitates an understanding of public health, food service, implementation science, gut health, mental health, eating disorders, food addiction, and so much more! It’s one thing to have an idea of what is best for someone to eat and a whole other story understanding how to get them there.

In a recent presentation in collaboration with the University of Minnesota Extension, I broke everything down and made some recommendations for the future of this field. If you are interested in this work, I highly recommend this hour-long presentation. UMN has summarized some of my work in a downloadable Nutrition in Recovery: A Guide for Professionals Supporting People with SUDs.

Learning Objectives: 

• Efforts to integrate nutrition programming into substance use disorder treatment
• Different lenses by which nutrition can be viewed and taught
• How substance use disorder might impact the gut and nutritional status.
• Trauma-informed nutrition therapy
• Future directions

Did you know that we also offer curriculum to be used in addiction facilities? The Nutrition in Recovery Curriculum has been used worldwide as a great starting place to run groups in facilities.

Our newest project Wise Mind Nutrition is a 30-day app-based program designed to use nutrition to improve mental health, coming soon! We have a FREE VERSION coming so please spread the word and please sign-up for the newsletter.

David Wiss

David became a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) in 2013 and founded Nutrition in Recovery, a group practice of RDNs specializing in the treatment of eating and substance use disorders. In 2017, David received the “Excellence in Practice” award at the national Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo. The California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics awarded him the “Emerging Dietetic Leader Award” in 2020.

He earned his PhD from UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health in the Community Health Sciences department (with a minor in Health Psychology) by investigating the links between adverse childhood experiences and various mental health outcomes among socially disadvantaged men.

His treatment philosophy is based on a biopsychosocial model which incorporates an understanding of biological mechanisms, psychological underpinnings, and contextual factors that integrate the social determinants of health. His website Wise Mind Nutrition offers a fully online interactive treatment program that will be available in the Summer of 2022.