Eating disorder dietitian in Smiths Falls

A registered dietitian for Smiths Falls, wherever you are in it

Smiths Falls sits on the Rideau Canal in Lanark County, a town that has reinvented itself more than once, from the railway and the Hershey chocolate factory that closed in 2008 to the cannabis company that later made its home in the same building. It is roughly an hour from both Ottawa and Kingston, which is close for a day trip and far for weekly care. I work with people across the area by secure video.

Lauren is based in Guelph and Toronto and works virtually across Ontario. That means people in Smiths Falls can access specialized nutrition counselling without travelling to a clinic, while still working with someone registered with the College of Dietitians of Ontario.

If you searched for a dietitian in Smiths Falls

You may be looking for general nutrition advice, but many people land here because food has become louder than they want it to be. You might be dealing with restriction, binge eating, guilt after eating, fear foods, body checking, or feeling unsure whether your eating is serious enough to deserve support. It is enough to start a conversation.

What I help with

Every person who reaches out is met where they are. These are the main reasons people in Smiths Falls and across Ontario look for this kind of care:

Where eating disorder care sits for Lanark County

Smiths Falls sits almost exactly between two cities with specialized eating disorder programs, Ottawa and Kingston, and belongs to neither. Adults are referred to programs at The Ottawa Hospital or, to the south, at Kingston Health Sciences Centre, and both are about an hour off along the highways through Lanark and Leeds.

Being in the middle sounds convenient and often is not. An hour each way for a weekly appointment, arranged around work and winter roads, is the kind of commitment that quietly falls apart after a few weeks, especially for someone already worn down by their relationship with food.

Smiths Falls has also lived through real economic change. The loss of the Hershey plant and the town's later reinvention brought stretches of uncertainty, and financial stress and upheaval are known to make disordered eating worse rather than better.

Virtual care takes distance out of the equation entirely. Sessions happen by secure video from home, with no drive to Ottawa or Kingston, no waiting room, and no need to be seen walking into a clinic in a town this size. You can hold a hospital referral open at the same time if you have one.

It also helps to name what recovery actually involves, because it is less dramatic than people fear. There is no meal plan handed over on day one and no weigh-ins. We start with a conversation about what brought you here, then work gradually toward regular, adequate eating and a calmer relationship with food and your body, at a pace you set. For someone in a small canal town who has quietly struggled for years, having that be private, unhurried, and close to home is often what finally makes starting feel possible.

The approach is non-diet and weight-inclusive throughout. Lauren Hofstee is a Registered Dietitian with the College of Dietitians of Ontario, registration number 15869. If you are not sure where to begin, there is a guide to finding an eating disorder dietitian in Ontario.

Common questions

Reading, if that is where you would rather start

Some of the writing people in Smiths Falls find their way to first. No plans, no rules, just honest thinking about food and body.

Read the full journal