97: Different Settings For Sports Dietitians

Female Athlete Nutrition

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I talk with fellow registered dietitian Emilie Burgess. We hear her introduction to sports through tennis and her experience playing on an NCAA Division 1 team. Emilie shares how being an athlete led her to studying nutrition, and why she ended up specializing in disordered eating and female athlete nutrition. We discuss the need for sports dietitians to understand disordered eating and eating disorders given their high prevalence in athletes.

Emilie talks about being a part of the pioneering Female Athlete Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, and the ongoing research and educational resources they are putting out.

Emilie shares her own “all foods fit” nutrition philosophy, based around listening to our bodies rather than the latest TikTok trend or diet fad. I talk about my love-hate relationship with social media and why I put more effort into the podcast than Instagram. We discuss social media frustrations and the importance of knowing which sources of information you can trust, and what you should ignore.

Emilie talks about her passion for working with athletes with eating disorders in both inpatient and outpatient settings. We debunk the “not sick enough for treatment” myth, highlighting how your physical appearance does not determine your right to care: psychological pain has no look, and you deserve care and mental freedom.

We discuss different work settings for sports dietitians: on the field and with collegiate teams, inpatient treatment centers, hospitals, research environments, 1:1 consultation and private practice. We highlight the role of sports dietitians within high school and college settings, work both Emilie and I love! Emilie and I finish off by comparing different nut butters: have you tried walnut butter?!

Follow Emilie on Instagram @emthedietitian and online at emilieburgess.com

Emilie’s Official Bio:

Emilie completed her Bachelor’s degree in Dietetics at the University of Connecticut, where she competed as a Division I tennis player. She went on to obtain her Master’s of Science in Nutrition and Food Science, and completed a dietetic internship at West Virginia University. She is also a Board Certified Sports Dietitian (CSSD) specializing in sports performance nutrition and eating disorders in athletes. Emilie began her dietetic career at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston as a Clinical Dietitian, and then accepted a position at the Cambridge Eating Disorder Center (CEDC) as a Registered Dietitian. Along with her inpatient and eating disorder experience, Emilie has volunteered for two U.S. Division I sports nutrition programs.

Emilie has worked at Home Base, a Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital program, where she provided nutrition support to veterans and their families. During her time there she supported Home Base's tactile athletes who were competing in events such as the Boston Marathon and the Marathon Des Sables.

Emilie has also spent time as a Clinical Nutrition Specialist in the Division of Sports Medicine and Female Athlete Program at Boston Children’s Hospital and as a Registered Dietitian at MIT Recreation. She recently completed a sports nutrition fellowship at the University of Washington through the Gatorade Sports Nutrition Immersion Program (SNIP).

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