Dr Stephanie Fade

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PhD Dietitian, Director at Eating Mindset
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

Watford WD18 & WD19
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

Drawing on over 30 years' experience in the NHS and private practice I have particular expertise in mental health, helping people shift their mindset and break free from limiting behaviours, eating disorders, extreme picky eating in young people and adults, the gut/brain connection and helping people achieve and maintain a healthier weight. 

My practice is rooted in my values:

Credibility - everything I do is based on the best scientific evidence coupled with over 30 years of learning from my patients' lived experience.

Acceptance - I will accept you where you are on your journey to better health without judgment. Feelings of shame can be a huge barrier to people seeking help with their eating. I aim to put you at ease so that you can be open and get the help you really need.

Responsiveness - no one wants to wait weeks for support and answers to their questions. I offer rapid response coaching so that you can get the help and reassurance you need in a timely way.

Empathy - I seek to understand how you are feeling so that I can provide sensitive and compassionate support and just the right amount of challenge to help you move forwards.

Support for individuals and families

I can help you move away from:

  • Unhelpful thinking and behaviours associated with eating and body image distress;
  • Emotional eating;
  • Ways of eating that cannot be sustained long-term;
  • Self-blame and shame.

And move towards:

  • Eating for joy as well as health;
  • Enjoying food socially;
  • Understanding the broader benefits of food for a well-functioning body and mind;
  • A healthier weight and better overall health and functioning.

Help for those who are struggling to access NHS services

I am a fierce lobbyist for fair access to expert nutritional support. I equip individuals and families with the tools that help open doors to the right NHS support whilst giving them expert support to make high impact changes fast, whilst they wait. 

Programmes for schools and youth organisations

My “fresh thinking” programmes for schools and youth organisations help communities develop a positive nutrition culture that promotes sustainability and healthy eating whilst helping prevent eating disorders and respecting those who are already struggling with their relationship with food. 

I am registered with the Health and Care Professions Council, which is the independent regulatory body that exists to protect the public and ensure the best possible standards of healthcare practice. I am a member of specialist groups supporting best practice in mental health, autism and ARFID (Avoidant, Restrictive, Food Intake Disorder.)

Training, qualifications & experience

I have a degree (BSc) in Nutrition with First Class Honours and a Postgraduate Diploma in Dietetics from Kings College, London University. As a Dietitian my work is regulated under UK law by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC.) To stay registered with the HCPC I have to demonstrate that I continue to meet the high standards they set throughout my career.

I use the title Dr because I have a PhD. This means that I have demonstrated expertise in assessing the quality and value of other people’s research and in designing, conducting and presenting my own research. I use these skills to make sense of the science behind the nutrition headlines and bust myths about diet and health. This is crucial in a popular field like nutrition where sensational claims are made almost every week.

I have learnt a vast amount from over 30 years' experience in my profession and from parenting 2 children with additional needs that make it hard for them to eat healthily. It’s a pleasure to support other parents in their labour of love to help their children meet their nutritional needs.

All this means that you can be assured that I maintain expertise about how our bodies and minds work in relation to the food and drink we consume and that I can apply this knowledge to the practical challenges you face.

Member organisations

Registered / Accredited

Registered / Accredited

Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.

HCPC
Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

The HCPC are an independent, UK-wide health regulator. They set standards of professional training, performance and conduct for 14 professions.

They keep a register of health professionals who meet their standards, and they take action if registered health professionals fall below those standards. They were created by a piece of legislation called the Health Professions Order 2001.

Registration means that a health professional meets national standards for their professional training, performance and conduct.

Photos & videos

Fees

£150.00 per session
Free initial telephone or online session

Health Insurance/EAP

  • Aviva
  • Axa Health
  • Vitality
  • WPA

Additional information

I recognise that people often need support over a period of time and so I put together bespoke packages to give the best value for money. Please contact me for further information.

If you have private health insurance please contact me to discuss pre-authorisation for your treatment.

If you are concerned that your budget might not stretch to an individual or family programme please get in touch about how I can support you to get the right support on the NHS.

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Night

Consultations available office hours and early evenings Monday-Friday

Further information

Testimonials

Young man in his twenties with anxiety and ARFID

I have been talking to Stephanie for a few months now regarding my issues with food & my lifestyle around food. I have a number of physical and mental health issues that I believed myself to be different to others & left me in a place of ‘I’ll never get this fixed or trust my own brain’ which Stephanie is helping me work my way through. I have found it easy to talk to her and she has helped me to understand that the issues I have aren't of my making, just how my brain works. It has been lovely & also very comforting to speak to someone who has been able to not only help me with my food & health journey, but also help me understand why I think the way I do & how I go about making positive changes.

Secondary school aged young woman with ADHD and autism

Stephanie has been working with my daughter (B), who has ADHD and Autism, for the past 5 months.
During our time together B has made significant progress thanks to Stephanie's support. Stephanie is particularly understanding and considerate (with considerable knowledge on neurodiversity) to her way of thinking and is very patient, helping us to work through alternative solutions when needed – which is frequent!
Stephanie has built trust and psychological safety with B which is fundamental to their working relationship to help B consider her mindset and set views around food.
Stephanie is the best recommendation we have been given and as a mum I also feel fully supported.

Young woman of 6th form age with Anorexia Nervosa

X got her period this morning! This has 100% made my Christmas, she has worked so hard. I don’t think I can ever thank you enough for how you have turned things around for X and us as a family.

Autistic young man in his 20's with IBS

Hi Stephanie,
I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the help and support for you are giving me & my son. You are one of a very few health care professionals we have dealt with, who we felt really understood the challenges that autistic people might face. You adapted your approach to take account of his repetitive behaviour, hyper-sensitivities, food intolerances, likes & dislikes etc. and came up with practical solutions that he could also implement away from home.

When we hit a brick wall there were always useful suggestions and different approaches to try. My son is now ready to return to university after a year out, with his IBS, anxiety & depression under much better control. He has several strategies to try, in order to relieve an IBS flare-up and knows what to do to try and avoid them.

You suggested pragmatic solutions rather than just repeating what he needs to do. Offering shorter appointments, allowing me to take the appointment on his behalf when he wasn’t feeling up to it and prompt replies to questions via Teams were a great help too.

Thank you once again, with very best wishes

18 year old autistic girl with a very restricted diet

With limited food choices and restricted eating due to anxieties surrounding food, we were looking for a dietician to support our 18 year old autistic daughter.  She was immediately comfortable with Stephanie - she felt listened to and that she understood the specific issues she was having as an autistic person.  Stephanie has been wonderful.  She has given advice on nutrition, supplements and introducing new foods, but in a way that has never been overwhelming, rushed or pressured.  The process has been a gradual one and if something wasn't a success then Stephanie talked this through with my daughter and an alternative was suggested.  Over the course of several months her general anxiety around eating has improved greatly and, although still restricted due to following a vegan diet, she has developed better routines and is now eating foods I never thought she would touch.  It has been a really positive outcome for us.

Adult with long-term anorexia and purging

After over 25 years of virtually daily purging, often several times a day, it seems a minor miracle that N has virtually ceased purging this year. I’m so pleased that she has finally received the support she has deserved for so long. Your amazing advice and support means she is much, much better and healthier as a consequence. I truly believe your support has been life changing for her. I know there will always be a daily struggle for N and ups and downs but I do believe the fact that there is greater stability and improved health makes this a bit less challenging and significantly improves her quality of life.

Young person with REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) an eating disorder that can affect elite and recreational sports people 

Our son has been struggling with anxiety, leading to over-exercising and controlled eating. Stephanie was very generous with her time and communicated with us, as well as our son, over the phone and through email prior to the treatment plan. Her  kind, reassuring and professional approach immediately put us all at ease. Stephanie is clearly very experienced and she quickly identified the root cause of the problem and put in place a treatment plan which was structured yet flexible, working around the changing needs of our son. We would not hesitate to recommend her.
(WD3 resident)

Support for weight reduction and to reduce food related anxiety after cancer treatment

Working with Dr Steph has actually truly changed not only my 'eating mindset' but my life - now sitting comfortably in the 'healthy' weight range, (after being borderline obese for years) with a massively improved level of understanding of food, cooking, nutrition and confidence in keeping it that way, I'm actually no longer afraid or ashamed each time I go near the food cupboard or the fridge. For the first time, I'm looking forward to Christmas as well, with plans for fun, yummy and HEALTHY recipes that will keep me on plan throughout.' 'I can honestly say I have not been hungry on this diet/plan/programme which is truly amazing for me! AN

Support to achieve a healthier weight and eating mindset

Stephanie provided a great consultation which included a pre consultation questionnaire, detailed discussion and assessment of my lifestyle and requirements. She was able to tailor make some great suggestions which have changed my food mindset and have enabled me to lose a bit of weight without feeling like I am on a diet. This has been great as it has enabled me to change my lifestyle in an ongoing and sustainable way without getting involved in faddy diet plans which have never worked. Overall I feel a lot healthier and have also increased my exercise regime.

Support to achieve weight reduction and a healthier eating mindset

Dr. Stephanie Fade's diet diagnosis and advice has really helped me to eat healthier and maintain my weight loss! Her approach is sympathetic, friendly and professional. Stephanie was clear in explaining my challenges to me. The practical changes she put in place with me were easy to follow . And the new foods she recommended were tasty as well as nutritious. Stephanie is an intelligent, encouraging dietitian. I heartily recommend her programme."

Support for weight reduction and a healthier eating mindset

If you are looking to lose weight, then you can do no better than looking to Dr. Fade for her professional advice & support.

When I first approached her in April 2017, I had already lost 10kgs on my own, but I was slowly gaining weight. Since my first appointment in May till today (Jan 2018), I have lost 17.3kgs. I have found Dr Fade to be knowledgeable, approachable & easy to talk to. Our partnership has reaped all the benefits I had hoped for and I look forward to reaching goal weight and maintaining it with her very able guidance."

Watford, Hertfordshire, WD18

Watford, Hertfordshire, WD19

Type of session

In person
Online
Phone
Home visits

Types of client

Children
Young people
Adults
Older adults
Couples
Families
Groups
Organisations

Key details

Wheelchair user access
Wheelchair user access

Wheelchair-accessible premises should have step-free access for wheelchair users and individuals who are unable to climb stairs. If a Nutritionist's premises aren't step-free, they may offer alternative services such as telephone/web-based appointments, home visits, or meeting clients in different location, so you can choose the option that suits you best.

You can contact the Nutritionist to discuss the options available.

Under the Equality Act 2010 service providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that individuals with disabilities can access their service. You can read more about reasonable adjustments to help you to access services on the CAB website.

I offer in person sessions in my consulting room in WD19. I also offer online sessions and I will support you with the technology. I can do home visits for very local clients. Please enquire about additional costs to cover travel.

Online platforms

Skype
Whatsapp
Zoom
Microsoft Spaces

Social

Dr Stephanie Fade
Dr Stephanie Fade