Health Nutritionist Los Angeles

About Nutrition in Recovery Founder,
Dr. David Wiss

David Wiss, PhD, MS, RDN

Dr. David Wiss grew up in Los Angeles where he received his Bachelor’s in Social Science from the University of Southern California (USC). During his senior year at USC, David discovered health and wellness as a way of life, which profoundly influenced his career trajectory. Working as a private personal trainer in preparation for his dietitian profession, he found that one-on-one coaching with people during important transition periods in their lives was deeply gratifying.

Having developed an interest in nutrition, David enrolled at California State University, Northridge where he earned a Master’s of Science in Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science. This led to a dietetic internship at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center where he received specialized training on their eating disorders unit. This experience sparked a deep interest in the role of nutrition and the nutritionist profession as part of mental health recovery.

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. During this time, David developed a specialized nutrition curriculum that has been incorporated at more than fifty addiction treatment centers in Southern California and worldwide. In his nutritionist profession practice, David consults and develops nutrition protocols for clients in treatment. He also regularly conducts staff training for professionals and speaks at conferences on topics including disordered eating, gut health, and trauma-informed nutrition. In 2017, David received the “Excellence in Practice” award at the national Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo.

Based on extensive clinical experience with clients in mental health recovery, he began collaborating with other experts in the field to publish book chapters and manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. In 2017, David matriculated at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health in the Community Health Sciences department, with a minor in Health Psychology. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D.) in 2022 by investigating the links between adverse childhood experiences and various mental health outcomes among socially disadvantaged men.

During his doctoral training, Dr. Wiss published multiple peer-reviewed manuscripts in the fields of food addiction, eating disorders, substance use disorders, depression, trauma, and childhood sexual abuse. These papers have been published in high-impact journals such as Appetite, the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Frontiers in Psychiatry, Public Health Nutrition, Nutrients, Eating and Weight Disorders, and others. In addition, as a health nutritionist, he has contributed multiple book chapters on topics such as binge eating and dietary restraint. Enclosed is a full link to his publications.

Dr. Wiss is an advocate for change and improvement in the emerging fields of nutrition and behavioral health. Being a dietitian, he welcomes new ideas and encourages critical thinking when collaborating with other professionals, colleagues, and students. Dr. Wiss continues to mentor and train dietitians and dietetic interns and has been a thesis committee member for several Master’s students. As a leading Health Nutritionist in Los Angeles, Dr. Wiss hosted several annual non-profit conferences in Los Angeles that focused on controversial issues in nutrition. This led the California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to award him the “Emerging Dietetic Leader Award” in 2020.

Dr. Wiss has spent over 10,000 hours conducting one-on-one nutrition counseling to clients and families both in-person and virtually. 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. Dr. Wiss has received additional training from the Institute of Functional Medicine (AFMCP) and Psychiatry Redefined (Depression Intensive). Based on his extensive professional experience, Dr. Wiss strongly supports the healing power of food as well as the importance of how we think (and talk) about food (and bodies). Listen to some of his podcasts. 

Dr. Wiss is available to help you during your quest for optimal wellness by improving your relationship with food and body. He can be your nutrition and health consultant, functional medicine practitioner (we offer various tests), recovery coach, or simply provide psychoeducation related to his areas of expertise. Dr. Wiss will create a safe space for you to discuss your health in an environment that is inclusive and non-judgmental. There are several options to work with him directly, or with one of the dietitians on his team.

His website Wise Mind Nutrition offers a free app for logging food and an interactive treatment program that will be available in the Spring of 2023. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions you have about the process of working together. You can learn more about him on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, or YouTube. 

Check out some testimonials from individuals who have worked with Dr. David Wiss.