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Live Webinar
ConnectED Virtual Learning Day 2026

The Brain Doesn't Know BMI: Malnutrition & Nutritional Rehabilitation in Eating Disorders

Taylor-Rose Olea, RD, CEDS-C
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Information

Date & Time

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Describe at least three ways how malnutrition alters brain structure, cognition, mood, and behavior.

  • Recognize at least three clinical indicators of significant malnutrition across all eating disorder diagnoses, regardless of body size or BMI.

  • Identify at least two clinical strategies for discussing nutrition support with patients and families using a compassionate, non-stigmatizing approach.

Educational Goal

The educational goal of this workshop is to understand the connection between malnutrition and the brain and how that can impact a patient's ability to engage in treatment.

Description

What if the rigidity, anxiety, emotional dysregulation, poor insight, or “treatment resistance” we see in eating disorder care is not simply psychological - but the result of a brain that is undernourished?

Malnutrition can profoundly affect cognition, mood, behavior, and a person’s ability to engage in treatment, yet it can be overlooked when a patient does not appear underweight. This presentation challenges weight-based assumptions about malnutrition and explores what happens to the brain when it does not receive the energy it needs—across eating disorder diagnoses and body sizes.

Participants will examine how nutritional rehabilitation supports neurological and psychological healing, including the role of enteral nutrition when oral intake is not enough. Through clinical examples and an interdisciplinary lens, this session will offer practical strategies for recognizing nutritional compromise and talking with patients and families about nutrition support in compassionate, non-stigmatizing ways.

Target Audience

  • Addiction Professional
  • Counselor
  • Dietitian
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker

Presenters

Taylor-Rose Olea, RD, CEDS-C
Taylor-Rose Olea, RD, CEDS-C, is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist Consultant with more than eight years of experience in the eating disorder field. A graduate of California State University, Long Beach, she has worked across the full continuum of care, from inpatient through outpatient settings, serving in both clinical and leadership roles within eating disorder treatment programs. Taylor-Rose is passionate about helping individuals heal their relationships with food and their bodies, with particular interest in incorporating Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) into nutrition care. Her approach is grounded in compassionate, evidence-informed treatment that supports meaningful and sustainable recovery. Outside of her professional work, Taylor-Rose is a circus performer and enjoys gardening and spending time with her cats.

Financially Sponsored By

  • Reasons Eating Disorder Center