We’re looking forward to introducing you to Kaitlin Moses, RD, LDN, CEDS. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Kaitlin, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is a normal day like for you right now?
During the week I am a stay at home mom, raising my toddler during the day and then supporting my clients in meeting their nutrition goals in the evening. My son and I, and my husband if he’s working from home, start our days off with breakfast, coffee, and morning chores. After breakfast we usually go enjoy a morning adventure, whether that’s a run or walk around our neighborhood, hiking at the local trails, find a new park, or meet up with people for coffee. We make it home in time for lunch to then relax for a couple of hours before my work evening starts. Weekends we spend time as a family with our friends and neighbors at our home, enjoy outdoor activities in the Triangle, or travel to see family out of state.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Thank you for taking the time to read my story!
I am a dietitian of Enhance Nutrition supporting folks in healing their relationships with food, body and movement. My specialty is eating disorders and disordered eating, where I have gone the extra step to gain a certification in working with EDs and am always building on my knowledge for treating this population. I also love working with athletes in fueling for sport, and moms in different stages of life, such as pregnancy nutrition and how to eat for themselves plus feed their growing baby, breastfeeding nutrition considerations, meal planning for themselves and the family, and childhood feeding specifics.
Enhance Nutrition itself was founded by Christy Maloney in Charlotte, NC, and today we have a total of 6 dietitians, 3 office locations, and are licensed in several states. I can not say enough great things about our team and the incredible work that we do. I especially love our ongoing collaboration and how well we align in the care we provide to our clients. We all support those struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating, and provide a weight-neutral approach to health within our other specialties.
Another affiliation I want to speak to is the Carolina Resource Center for Eating Disorders. I currently serve on the nonprofit’s board and lead an adult support group monthly. This organization is one I recommend all the time to those looking to gather resources on EDs as it’s an incredible one-stop spot for education, outreach opportunities, and free resources. My big why for being a part of CRC is because of its selfless devotion and the incredible impact the organization has made, and will continue to make, on the ED community.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
Being an athlete was a big part of who I was growing up. No one example made me feel powerful, but rather getting the chance to push myself to the best of my ability, improve as the season went on, gain strength and endurance, and build friendships through my sport were my reasons why. Participating in sports gave me the confidence to excel in other areas of my life, and still to this day use these past skills to push myself forward in my career and role as a mom.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
This is something I think about a lot in relation to the work that I do. I challenge my clients all the time to speak more gently to themselves, and ask them if how they speak to themselves currently, how would they respond to the younger version of themselves, or their own child, or a friend, if they were saying the same. For me personally, I wish I could go back and share the same messages I pass on to my clients to my middle school and high school self. I was absolutely a perfectionist (newsflash: I still am and it’s still something I work on daily), so always improving and meeting high standards felt like a must. I remember wanting to grasp onto food and my body as things to control, the way I thought of it then was being perfect in my nutrition or being the perfect weight/shape/size would allow me to be a better soccer player, runner, friend, kid and student. What I’ve learned through my career and own personal growth is that there is no such thing as the perfect nutrition regimen, perfect body, or perfect performance. Rather, finding success in progress overtime, learning from your fall backs, turning to others for support, such as seeking help from an expert and creating your circle of people, and gaining healthy tools to manage stress are all key points to achieving physical and mental wellbeing.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
To tie this into my role as a dietitian, I’ll use the example of fad diets and foundational nutrition. When I think of fads, ie new diets, media nutrition trends, or food elimination recommendations, I don’t consider these sustainable approaches, whereas foundational shifts in one’s nutrition I do. I see the latter as approaches that may work for the individual advertising it, or for some people for a short period, but for the majority of people they are not sustainable and may add more stress and deter an individual from developing a healthy nutrition regimen. I recommend trying a more food-neutral approach and exploring nutrition for the individual and their lifestyle. I recommend adding in foods rather than cutting out specific ones (unless a certain food or ingredient makes someone physically ill, then of course I don’t encourage adding these in). I challenge people to dig deep into why they might be craving certain foods and what rules they have that affect their food choices that may be impacting their nutrition balance. I help folks eat enough and build body awareness to their hunger and fullness cues. I unpack what a basic meal plate should be, how to build a snack, what’s an appropriate amount of fluids, and what foods may need to be emphasized to prevent or improve nutrient deficiencies. To me these are concepts that build someone’s foundation in nutrition and allow them to meet their food and hydration needs long term rather than relying on an external source to tell them so.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Absolutely, yes. I try to live by the message “your best is enough”, one that was passed down to me by my parents and I will share with my son. Even if praise isn’t their immediately, the energy and passion towards achieving your best, and seeing this outcome blossom to life is a win in itself. I also remind my clients regularly that to achieve the best version of themselves in all areas of life they must build their support system and not rely on their ED to cope, nourish their bodies adequately vs restricting and having to earn nourishment, and replace their negative thoughts with positive ones to improve their relationship with food and their bodies. Shifting away from focusing on changing your body and losing weight to be successful, and not getting praised like weight loss may have provided, is hard to sit with, so challenging being okay with this and recognizing that you are enough, that your worth is not defined by your body, weight, shape, or size will allow for that time and energy to get put towards being the best version of yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://enhancenutritionassociates.com/staff/kaitlin-moses
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nourishwkait/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kmoses-rd/
Image Credits
First Image: Enhance Nutrition was a proud sponsor of Charlotte’s Mental Health Matters 5K. The featured team: (left to right) Christy Maloney, Jen Wetzel, Ilyssa Rubenstein, and Kaitlin Moses.
Second Picture: One of Kaitlin’s many hiking adventures with her son, Oliver.
Third picture: Kaitlin’s first ultramarathon in 2023: Pilot Mountain to Hanging Rock. This picture captures her love for running as she climbed up Pilot Mountain within the first few hours of daylight.
