Dave Cannon, Kristie Moore, and David Wiss
What is it like to be a West Los Angeles Dietitian in 2016?
The field of dietetics is changing rapidly. I have done much reflecting on this lately. Much of the information I was taught in school is entirely obsolete. Much of it was never true in the first place. I am really proud of the work we have done as Dietitians for Professional Integrity attempting to make an impact on the corrupt nature of corporate sponsorship within the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. While we have not made much of an impact on the national level, we have made a splash at the local level, particularly in the Los Angeles District (LAD). As a West Los Angeles Dietitian and proud member of LAD, I have made a few short informational videos worth watching. The first is about Corporate Sponsorship and the second is about Food Industry Front Groups.
Staying on the Cutting Edge
Thinking about my journey over the last several years, I am very grateful for my Master’s training at California State University, Northridge. My experience doing a Thesis has positioned me to be a critical evaluator of the latest research in the fields of nutrition, neuroscience, endocrinology, microbiome, addictions, eating disorders, and more! My first real interest was in the concept of Food Addiction and then I became obsessed with hormones. In 2014 I released an intense article called Hormones and Addiction and recorded a webinar on this fascinating topic. In 2015 I presented a webinar called Nutrition Therapy for the Addicted Brain through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals. This presentation has been given in several different settings and is the basis of the work we do at Nutrition in Recovery. The webinar is free to view, and I hope you take advantage of it HERE.
Excellent Teamwork
Being a training site for RDNs and DTRs has been critical to the growth of the company. Kristie Moore was David Wiss’ first dietetic intern and the magic has continued since that collaboration many years ago. Kristie and David even did research at Breathe Life Healing Centers for Kristie’s Thesis. Read all about in a recent article of the Behavioral Health Nutrition Newsletter. This concept of Hands-on Nutrition for addiction recovery is something we plan to develop more in this upcoming year. Read more about it HERE. Dave Cannon was also an intern with Nutrition in Recovery, and has since joined the team offering his expertise with group facilitation, personal training, in-home cooking instructions, and so much more. Dave Cannon has brought incredible value to the NIR team. Currently we have several other students rotating soon, and two more Master’s Thesis’ on the way. Stay tuned!
Keeping a Strong Presence
This work that we do truly is an uphill battle. It is very difficult to revamp food service systems in addiction treatment centers. There is resistance from the clients and resistance from the staff. It takes persistent and belief in our message. And we have that! So David Wiss gets his name out there in cyberspace to spread the word about the Nutrition in Recovery movement. Read a very potent blog article with a sample meal plan HERE. Mr. Wiss believes that the future of treatment will address addictions and eating disorders concurrently and simultaneously. This concept of integrated treatment is very important at Nutrition in Recovery. Listen to David talk about it on RadioMD.
West Los Angeles
West LA is the hub of many addiction treatment centers. We have helped so many programs integrate nutrition counseling. There are so many more that need our help! Contact us today and see how we can be improve the quality of your recovery!
David Wiss
David became a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) in 2013 and founded Nutrition in Recovery, a group practice of RDNs specializing in treating 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 Ph.D. 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. Wise Mind Nutrition's website offers a fully online interactive treatment program in Spring 2023.