Rebecca Toutant, MA, RD, CSSD, LDN, CEDS, CDCES, cPT
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Rebecca Toutant, MA, RD, CSSD, LDN, CEDS, CDCES, cPT
I have always held deep sense of wonder and fascination with the human body and its interplay with the mind. Watching family navigate chronic conditions highlighted the influence of food and movement on our quality of life. And my own early experiences cemented that as a passion.
Early on, I thought "success" meant pursuing performance at any cost. And that if we did it hard enough, long enough, we would "arrive." That is how I initially discovered personal training and endurance / ultra-endurance sports. I loved seeing how far the human body can go. But I quickly learned that more is not better.
As I diversified my learning over the last 20 years, I recognize that health is a journey, not an outcome. We are never done. The body (and our lives) are not static - they are everchanging. That makes it crucial we align our health behaviors with experiences we value most in our lives.
The paths we take to support our physical and mental health are personal. It is not my job to tell you what values to have. Rather, the work is helping you sort through the noise and discover your own voice in the process - to learn how to eat and move with confidence.
I started Nourishing Bits and Bites, LLC in 2010 as a "side gig" and creative outlet. It was a place to share information, expand perspectives, and inspire new food ideas. I'm thrilled to now fully dedicate myself in this space.
I am a weight inclusive provider. This means care is about helping people explore their relationship with food and movement and reduce fixation, fear, and rigidity around health behaviors. The goal is to move towards seeing the body as an ally - to understand how to work with it, listen to it, and be in relationship with it. That doesn't mean doing whatever the body wants, whenever it wants. But rather knowing when to honor and when to gently challenge.
While there is a science to nutrition, how we apply it is an art. The work goes beyond simply telling people what, when, and how much to eat. Moreover, we are more than a body and its functions. Our mind and mental health are integrated in the experience. Therefore, the pursuit of physical health must be inclusive of mental, social, and financial well-being. Ultimately, that means what is "healthy" is going to look different person to person.
My practice is largely informed by Cognitive Based Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and polyvagal theory. I've also done extensive training in trauma and anxiety. I work to incorporate mindfulness when appropriate. While these practices are valuable, what approach we use is based on the individual and often involves a variety of modalities. Ultimately I help people explore how thoughts, beliefs, and relationships might be influencing their actions around food and movement. It's important to note that while the work is therapeutic, I am not a therapist and am not a substitute for mental health care.
Early on, I worked as a personal trainer and group exercise instructor at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. There I helped athletes, faculty, students as well as those with adaptive needs improve their health and performance. I also worked in California as a trainer / fitness instructor and nutrition coach at a fitness camp for adolescents.
After school, I moved to the East Coast for my dietetic internship and subsequent master’s degree. Along the way, I took on roles through different organizations as a personal trainer, fitness instructor, dietitian, and writer. I also supported CBPR research initiatives through Tuft’s. My master’s “thesis” was an observational study and intervention with the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Celiac Team. It explored obstacles students with celiac disease face going to college. The results were published in the JPGN and a student guide was developed.
The first few years of my career I worked through Mass General Hospital as a research coordinator for the Autism Treatment Network / Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health. Along the way, I started Nourishing Bits and Bites to support families navigating ARFID (avoidant restrictive food intake disorder).
I then took a role at the Cambridge Health Alliance as an outpatient dietitian. I spent the next six years improving my cultural competence and experience in mental health. While there, I became credentialed as a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) and was a “go to” provider around eating disorders in the system. I co-led group medical appointments, taught Harvard residents and fellows, and precepted master’s level students. During this time, I taught online graduate level Health Communication courses at Lasell University.
I moved up within the organization and worked the next 4 years as the Wellness Manager at CHA. I worked closely with organizational development to support employees with their physical and mental health as well as respond to the COVID crisis. As part of that, I enhanced my training in trauma, anxiety, and different mental health therapies.
During this time I published 2 cookbooks – one for those newly diagnosed with celiac disease and another for runners. I developed the nutrition curriculum for PLT4M as well as the program, Fearless Foodies with Waltham Public Schools.
More recently, I shifted my work from community care into specialty care / private practice. For a few years, I had the honor of working as a dietitian at Metrowest Nutrition and Therapy as well as the Female Athlete Program at Boston Children’s Hospital . My work at Children’s involved supporting athletes, ranging from recreational to world class, improve their physical / mental health and performance. I served as the interim research and communications manager and supported the Female Athlete Conference. During this time, I became credentialed as a Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS)
For the ~ 20 years I’ve worked in health and fitness, Nourishing Bits and Bites, LLC has been my creative outlet and “side gig.” It was always my dream to dedicate more time and effort in this space, to allow more folks to have access to my extensive experience in athletics, eating disorders, and diabetes care. I’m thrilled to now be fully dedicated to private practice and work as an integrated affiliate of Birch Hill Behavioral Health.
I live in metrowest Boston with my husband, kiddos, and cattle dogs. We love running, biking, swimming, hiking, and exploring New England.
I grew up actively involved in soccer, cross country, music, theatre, and dance as well as equestrian sports (western seat and gymkhana events)
In college, athletics shifted to solo opportunities to meet the demands of school and work. That's when I started running marathons. That evolved into ultramarathons and triathlons of all distances.
Since then I've completed...24x marathons (multiple BQs!), 4x ultramarathons with a longest distance of 50 miles, 2 Ironman 140.6, and numerous other 70.3, Olympic, and sprint triathlons and road races of varying distances that I've lost track of over the years.