At Magnolia Creek, we meet the needs of the whole person by treating not only the eating disorder, but also the mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of each woman in our care. We believe that All Foods Fit, meaning there are no “bad” foods and there is room for all foods. Our holistic approach allows us to help our clients to redevelop and re-learn to honor their hunger and fullness cues and to understand that all body types were created for a purpose.
Upon admission to Magnolia Creek, clients will meet with a Registered Dietitian within 48 hours for their initial nutrition assessment with a standardized meal plan used in the first 48 hours. During the initial nutrition assessment, the client will receive an individualized meal plan tailored specifically to their needs.
After completion of the initial nutrition assessment, clients will meet weekly with their dietitian for 30-90 minutes to discuss any nutrition-related topic ranging from education of macro nutrients to discussing the functions of their eating disorder to developing acceptance/tolerance of their current body as it restores weight. As progress is made, clients gain freedom and responsibility related to meal planning, portioning, and preparing meals and snacks.
If a client is severely underweight and after the initial nutrition assessment is classified as being at risk for re-feeding syndrome, further measures will be taken to insure they are restoring weight in line with the recommendations of nutritional rehabilitation for re-feeding the anorectic patient via the National Institute of Health and Clinical excellence (NICE). In these specific cases, the dietitian will make the following recommendations:
- Labs are obtained for 3 days
- Weight is taken in the morning before any intake
- Daily monitoring of vital signs 3x/day
- Daily medical assessments
- Meal plan increases/adjustments for 3-4 days
- 24/7 monitoring by the medical and nursing staff
Meal Guidelines
The Magnolia Creek dietitians create individualized meal plans based on each client’s specific nutritional needs. All clients participate in three meals and three snacks per day, as eating consistently provides several advantages, including, but not limited to blood sugar regulation, appetite regulation, and metabolism restoration.
Magnolia Creek allows clients to maintain some level of flexibility within their meal plan. After clients receive their prescribed meal plan, they may choose from the MC inventory list what they would prefer to have at breakfast and their three snacks based on their individualized meal plan. This approach helps the clients to learn to be flexible within their food choices, but also allows them to practice choosing to eat what they are craving in the moment.
Regarding lunch and dinner meals, Magnolia Creek honors allergies where there is provided medical documentation prior to or on arrival to MC. Once a week, clients may choose to substitute a “lunch-box meal” for one entire meal (clients may not substitute desserts which are offered 2-3x/week). A lunch-box meal consists of a peanut butter or almond butter and jelly sandwich, a meat and cheese sandwich, or a grilled cheese sandwich with a fruit and vegetable side. After the dietitian reviews the weekly lunch and dinner menus, clients and other staff members do not make changes to the menus. Clients receive a copy of their approved menu for the week.
Why We Do What We Do
Our clients. Everything that we do is with the hope that we may be the answered prayer needed on their journey to freedom from their eating disorder. As a culture, we’ve neglected the social, emotional, and psychological aspects of health and have instead focused so much of our attention on eating and exercise that in turn, we have begun to normalize disordered eating and exercise. Our hope at Magnolia Creek is that we can break down the barriers of the eating disorder, begin to have the client challenge all internal eating disorder “rules”, and thus, embark on the journey of healing their relationship with food and their body.
Each week, as part of our daily nutrition groups, clients who are medically approved attend group meal and snack outings with Magnolia Creek’s dietitians and staff counselors. Clients practice dining in public, eating food prepared by unknown people, determining appropriate portions, and ordering challenging foods. Dietitians provide instruction and/or portion size recommendations, as needed.
Comprehensive Therapy Options at Magnolia Creek
Magnolia Creek provides a range of therapeutic options in addition to our nutrition therapy program. To learn more, contact us at 205-650-8077.