#123: Dr. Whitney Trotter on Body Identity as an Athlete, Disordered Eating in BIPOC, & the Impact of Intergenerational Trauma

The Full Plate Podcast with Abbie Attwood, MS

The incredible Dr. Whitney Trotter (RD / RN) joins us in this revisited episode to talk about intersectionality, trauma-informed care, and how eating disorder treatment fails BIPOC communities (plus, of course, what needs to be done to improve access and approaches to care).

We discuss...

• Whitney’s experience as a black college athlete
• How college athletes are impacted by diet culture
• How "eating for performance" affects body image Body grief in transitioning out of athletics
• Why Whitney fell in love with nutrition, and then eating disorders
• What we need to know about eating disorders in BIPOC (underdiagnosis, lack of medical care, lack of resources and support, how universities and education systems play a role, socioeconomic barriers to treatment, discrimination, stigma, and lack of research)
• The intersection of HIV and eating disorders
• Weight-gain on medications and providing informed consent for harm-reduction
• Racism in nutrition
• Social Determinants of Health and eating disorders in BIPOC
• The bio-psycho-social components of eating disorders
• How we can make care and treatment more accessible Intergenerational trauma and the increased risk of disordered eating behaviors

Resources mentioned:

BIPOC eating disorders conference

Whitney's post on the social determinants of health

Whitney's IG post about bio-psycho-social aspects of EDs

Whitney's IG post about the price of divestment

Whitney Trotter (she/her) is dually licensed as a Registered Dietitian, Nurse, and yoga instructor and is currently working on her doctorate degree to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Whitney has over ten years of experience working as a registered dietitian serving various communities such as the HIV/AIDS community and the eating disorder field. Whitney also previously worked at a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center as a Pediatric emergency room nurse. In addition to working as an RDN and RN, Whitney has served as a member of her county's Rape Crisis Center. Her work at the Rape Crisis Center equipped her to co-found an anti-trafficking organization Restore Corps, where she now provides medical training to the community focusing on human trafficking response. Whitney's career in the Eating Disorder field includes being a former Nutrition and Nursing director of a Residential, PHP, and IOP center. Whitney is also the owner/founder of Bluff City Health, a private practice that bridges the gap in the eating disorder field of equitable care and social justice. This past year Whitney created the first-ever BIPOC Eating Disorders Conference and started #bipoceatigndisordersawarenessweek. Learn more about Whitney on Instagram and her website.

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Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy

Podcast Editing by Brian Walters

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