I’m Joanna DiCicco and I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and Diabetes Educator. After receiving my Bachelors of Science degree with a Health Promotion Specialization from Michigan State University, I completed my Dietetic Internship at Hurley Medical Center. After completing the Registration Examination for Dietitians, I started working at a Diabetes Center where I found my love for working in a setting that allows you to see clients on a regular basis and build a solid foundation. My interests grew in not only helping people learn how food and nutrition plays a role in our bodies but also how it plays a large role in our lives, which led me to start working in a Partial Hospitalization Program treating clients with Eating Disorders. When I saw how important nutrition therapy is in the treatment of eating disorders and disordered eating, I decided to start this private practice and become a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor to enhance my nutrition counseling skills as well as dig deeper into the research that supports this weight inclusive framework.

When we are born we have internal mechanisms to tell us when we are hungry, to stop when we are full, and the foods we need to eat in order to nourish our bodies.  As we age, we tend to stop listening to those internal cues and start listening to external factors to tell us when to eat, what to eat, and how much to eat. Intuitive eating allows you to relearn how to listen to your body and connect with your mind to help put food in its place in your life, as a form of fuel and enjoyment, instead of a source of confusion and shame. Intuitive eating has hundreds of research studies to show its effectiveness as well as being an integral role of eating disorder recovery.  

I am passionate about prioritizing well-being over weight loss, which is why I work from a weight inclusive approach that equally focuses on physical, mental, and emotional health. The Health At Every Size (HAESⓇ) approach promotes balanced eating, joyful movement, and respect for the diversity of body shapes and sizes. When looking at health in this lens, you are able to focus on what behaviors you can add to enhance your life and health instead of solely focusing on weight loss or trying to change your body. It has become more widely known that diets do not work long term and in fact are a predictor of future weight gain. That is why it is so important to work with a Registered Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor to help not only learn about the latest nutrition advice, but also heal your relationship with food. Nutrition Therapy can help you learn how to respect and take care of your body instead of punishing it with restrictive eating and workout regimens.

I advocate for the non-diet movement throughout the community and enjoy debunking diet culture myths to help others free themselves from the strains of dieting, for good! I would love to help you free yourself from the guilt and shame surrounding food and help you make peace with your body. I look forward to working with you on your path to recovery.