Tessa Balish

I am an anti-diet Registered Dietitian at Restored Purpose Counseling seeing clients virtually. I work alongside individuals with a variety of eating disorders and disordered eating, namely ARFID, binge-eating, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and orthorexia. I utilize a Health-at-Every-Size approach and allows me to use a weight-inclusive lens by looking at the whole person. I have experience using exposure-response-prevention to help decrease anxiety and fear with certain foods.

If I had to describe myself in one saying it would be an outgoing introvert. I am a Tampa local and you’ll find me in my free time cooking a new recipe or playing cozy video games with a candle, blanket, and of course – fuzzy socks. My favorite beverage is a Dirty Chai, which I think reflects my personality. Take the excitement from espresso, the warm, cozy flavors from chai, and you get a unique blend.

My passion stems from helping individuals fall in love with food, or fall back in love. I don’t think there is a better way to understand a person’s history or culture without considering the food and their relationship with food that they had growing up. For me, it’s the stories shared regarding food that can
paint a picture. I implore you to get curious, what drives you to eat the food you eat?