Care Through Culinary - Toledo Center

All Foods Fit and Exposure Therapy

We believe that all foods fit into a nutritionally balanced meal plan featuring a variety of foods consumed in moderation. In our therapeutic menus, we incorporate a variety of foods of various flavors, textures, and colors.

The driving force behind our menu is exposure therapy. At Toledo Center, clients are exposed to their fear foods more often than at home. The goal of exposure therapy is to reduce the anxiety around mealtimes and create a better relationship with food. By providing nutritious and satisfying meals, as well as experiential learning in the kitchen, we help our clients gain the necessary skills to make peace with food.

The Care Through Culinary™ Difference

Nutrition: A Vital Part of Treatment

At Toledo Center, we’ve found that serving high-quality, thoughtfully prepared meals has a direct impact on how clients approach their confidence in care. Learning how to prepare meals, balance exposures, and trust in the therapeutic process is highly important in rebalancing clients’ relationships with meal planning. Nourishing the mind, body, and soul is part of our whole-person approach as it helps to accelerate each client’s path to sustained recovery.

Care Through Culinary™: Helping Our Client Progress In Their Recoveries

Our nutritional and culinary teams are dedicated to preparing nutritious food and by doing so, extending real-time care to our clients. Culinary excellence involves nourishing the mind, body, and soul and our clinical team collaborates with each client in four key areas to help them achieve life-long recovery by:

Teaching them how to plan, shop, and prepare meals
Helping them build supportive communities during meals with others
Supporting them as they actively explore culinary options
Providing welcoming therapeutic environments to help them change behaviors and overcome fears

This culinary collaboration builds the foundation of recovery by instilling clients with the knowledge, trust, and confidence they need to make choices that support sustainable freedom.

“I liked making the Kabobs in cooking group. This is a meal I thought I would not like but I really liked the flavor. This meal reminds me of home because my mom would make this.”

“Food is a potent and scientifically grounded means of not only replenishing vital energy stores of an eating disorder client’s metabolically stressed body, but also of restoring the integrity of the brain’s circuits devoted to attention, perception, and executive functioning. Our kitchen is where our medicine is delivered to our clients.”

Nutrition: A Vital Part of Treatment

Teaching them how to plan, shop, and prepare meals
Helping them build supportive communities during meals with others
Supporting them as they actively explore culinary options
Providing welcoming therapeutic environments to help them change behaviors and overcome fears

This culinary collaboration builds the foundation of recovery by instilling clients with the knowledge, trust, and confidence they need to make choices that support sustainable freedom.

“I liked making the Kabobs in cooking group. This is a meal I thought I would not like but I really liked the flavor. This meal reminds me of home because my mom would make this.”

Investing in Culinary Excellence

In 2020, Toledo Center undertook a complete overhaul of their culinary program to institute a true Care Through Culinary™ experience for each of our clients. The food preparation area for clients was completely transformed into a gourmet kitchen, which allowed us to shift to made-from-scratch menus. We also hired a chef to bring nutritious, delicious, and made-with-care meals to our residents. To celebrate, the first thing we made were cupcakes.

Meet the Nutritional and Culinary Staff

Natalie Olrich, RD – Registered Dietician

Natalie received her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from University of Cincinnati with a focus on clinical and community nutrition, as well as health promotion and education. She believes in client-centered care and promotes an “All Foods Fit” and HAES approach to nutrition counseling and education. Natalie is passionate about helping people heal their relationship with food and exercise, to better their pursuit of goals and aspirations with a nourished body and mind. In her free time, you can find Natalie outside at a park or spending time with friends and family.

Emily Beasecker, MFN, RDN, LD – Registered Dietician

Emily started out at Toledo Center as a Recovery Care Specialist while working on her graduate degree and dietetic internship. Emily completed the dietetic internship and received her Master of Food and Nutrition at Bowling Green State University. As a Registered Dietitian, Emily is responsible for working with clients in both individual and group settings as well as managing the kitchen. Emily is excited to work with clients in another role at the clinic and provide nutritional support for the client’s recovery.

If you’re interested in learning more about our Care Through Culinary™ program, contact us today.

LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Eating Disorder Treatment

A Proudly Inclusive Environment

Toledo Center is an LGBTQIA+ inclusive environment. At our treatment center, we treat clients with diverse gender identities. Our philosophy at Toledo Center is that a welcoming and inclusive environment is crucial to the recovery and healing process for all. We’re proud to be an LGBTQ+ affirming environment, meeting every client where they are with compassion and collaboration.