Behavioral Nutrition & Medical Nutrition Therapy
Behavioral Nutrition Dietitian in Sugar Land, TX
Struggling with emotional eating, stress eating, or a complicated relationship with food? Rawaa Khalil Elabbassi, MS, RDN, LD provides evidence-based behavioral nutrition counseling — in person in Sugar Land and via telehealth across Texas.
Insurance Accepted · In-Person & Telehealth
- Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN, LD)
- BCBS · Aetna · UHC · Ambetter · Curative
- In-Person Sugar Land + Telehealth TX
- New Patients Seen Within Days
What Is Behavioral Nutrition?
Behavioral nutrition is a specialized area of Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) that focuses on the psychological, emotional, and behavioral factors that influence how and why we eat — not just what we eat. It recognizes that food choices are rarely just about nutrition facts. They are shaped by stress, emotions, habits, past experiences, and our relationship with our own bodies.
As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Rawaa Khalil Elabbassi, MS, RDN, LD integrates evidence-based behavioral strategies — including cognitive-behavioral techniques, mindful eating, and habit change science — into individualized nutrition counseling. This is not psychotherapy, and Rawaa does not diagnose or treat mental health conditions. Behavioral nutrition counseling addresses the nutrition and eating-behavior side of the equation, and when appropriate, Rawaa coordinates care with your therapist, psychiatrist, or physician.
Who Behavioral Nutrition Can Help
Behavioral nutrition counseling is appropriate for a wide range of people. You do not need a clinical diagnosis to benefit. If food feels stressful, confusing, or out of control, this work is for you.
Emotional eaters
People who turn to food for comfort, stress relief, boredom, loneliness, or reward — and want to understand and change that pattern.
Stress eaters
Those whose eating increases significantly during high-stress periods, often leading to guilt and a restrict-overeat cycle.
Binge eaters
Individuals who experience episodes of eating large amounts of food rapidly, often feeling out of control, followed by distress. (Note: for binge eating disorder, a team approach with a therapist is often recommended.)
People with food anxiety
Those who feel intense anxiety around food choices, eating in social situations, or fear of 'eating the wrong thing.'
Disordered eating patterns
Chronic dieters, yo-yo dieters, people with rigid food rules, or those recovering from a history of restrictive eating who want to rebuild a healthier relationship with food.
ADHD and nutrition challenges
People with ADHD who struggle with impulsive eating, forgetting to eat, hyperfocus that disrupts meals, or difficulty with meal planning and routine.
People with co-occurring health conditions
Individuals managing diabetes, PCOS, high cholesterol, or other conditions who also struggle with the behavioral and emotional side of eating.
Anyone who wants a better relationship with food
You don't need a diagnosis. If food feels like a source of stress rather than nourishment, behavioral nutrition counseling can help.
Conditions & Patterns We Address
Emotional Eating
Emotional eating means using food to manage feelings rather than physical hunger. It is one of the most common reasons people feel stuck in a cycle of overeating and guilt. Rawaa helps you identify your emotional eating triggers, understand the function food is serving, and develop practical strategies — both nutritional and behavioral — to meet your needs in ways that support your health. This is not about willpower. It is about building awareness and new skills.
Stress Eating
Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which can increase appetite and cravings — particularly for high-fat, high-sugar foods. Stress eating is a physiological and behavioral response, not a character flaw. Behavioral nutrition counseling helps you recognize stress-eating patterns, build a regular eating structure that reduces vulnerability to stress-driven overeating, and develop non-food coping strategies alongside a sustainable nutrition plan.
Binge Eating & Loss of Control Around Food
Binge eating involves eating large amounts of food in a short period, often rapidly and past the point of fullness, accompanied by a sense of loss of control. It is frequently driven by restriction — either physical (not eating enough) or psychological (rigid food rules). Rawaa's approach addresses the restrict-binge cycle directly, building regular and satisfying eating patterns that reduce the drive to binge. For binge eating disorder (BED), Rawaa often works alongside a therapist or mental health provider as part of a coordinated care team.
Food Anxiety
Food anxiety can look like intense worry about eating the 'wrong' foods, fear of weight gain, anxiety around eating in social situations, or obsessive label-reading and calorie tracking. While Rawaa does not treat anxiety as a mental health condition, she addresses the nutrition and eating-behavior side — helping you build a more flexible, less fear-driven relationship with food. When appropriate, she coordinates with your therapist or mental health provider.
Disordered Eating
Disordered eating refers to a range of irregular eating behaviors that do not meet the clinical threshold for a diagnosed eating disorder but still significantly affect quality of life. This includes chronic dieting, extreme food restriction, compensatory behaviors, and rigid food rules. Rawaa provides Medical Nutrition Therapy to help normalize eating patterns, reduce food-related distress, and rebuild a sustainable relationship with food. She does not treat eating disorders as a mental health condition — for clinical eating disorders, a multidisciplinary team including a therapist is recommended.
Building a Healthier Relationship With Food
A healthy relationship with food means eating in a way that nourishes your body without guilt, obsession, or anxiety. It means being able to enjoy a meal with friends, navigate a holiday without dread, and make food choices based on how you feel — not fear. Rawaa uses intuitive eating principles, mindful eating practices, and evidence-based behavior change strategies to help you get there — at a pace that works for your life.
Mindful Eating
Mindful eating is the practice of bringing full attention to the experience of eating — noticing hunger and fullness cues, savoring food, and eating without distraction. Research supports mindful eating as an effective strategy for reducing binge eating, emotional eating, and overeating. Rawaa integrates mindful eating practices into counseling in a practical, non-dogmatic way — no meditation required.
ADHD and Nutrition
ADHD affects executive function, impulse control, and the ability to maintain routines — all of which directly impact eating behaviors. People with ADHD may forget to eat, then overeat later; struggle with meal planning and grocery shopping; eat impulsively; or hyperfocus on work and skip meals entirely. Rawaa provides ADHD-informed nutrition counseling that accounts for these real challenges, building practical systems that work with your brain rather than against it.
Our Behavioral Nutrition Approach
Every session is individualized. There are no one-size-fits-all meal plans here. Rawaa draws on a range of evidence-based frameworks to meet you where you are.
Cognitive-behavioral strategies
Identify and reframe thought patterns — like all-or-nothing thinking and food guilt — that drive unhelpful eating behaviors.
Intuitive eating
Rebuild trust with your body's hunger and fullness signals after years of dieting, restriction, or ignoring internal cues.
Mindful eating practices
Slow down, reduce distraction, and reconnect with the experience of eating to reduce overeating and increase satisfaction.
Habit and behavior change science
Build sustainable eating routines using evidence-based behavior change frameworks — small, consistent steps that stick.
Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT)
For patients with co-occurring conditions like diabetes, PCOS, or high cholesterol, behavioral nutrition is integrated with targeted MNT.
Collaborative care coordination
When appropriate, Rawaa communicates with your therapist, psychiatrist, physician, or other healthcare providers to ensure coordinated, whole-person care.
Working With Your Healthcare Team
Behavioral nutrition counseling works best as part of a whole-person approach. Rawaa regularly coordinates with therapists, psychiatrists, primary care physicians, OB-GYNs, and other specialists to ensure your nutrition care aligns with your broader treatment plan. If you are already working with a mental health provider, Rawaa can collaborate directly — with your permission — to provide integrated support. If you are not yet connected with a therapist and would benefit from one, Rawaa can provide referrals to trusted providers in the Sugar Land and Houston area.
Does Insurance Cover Behavioral Nutrition Counseling?
Many insurance plans cover Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) provided by a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Coverage depends on your specific plan and diagnosis. Sugarland Dietetics accepts BCBS, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Ambetter, and Curative. Medicare Part B covers MNT for certain diagnoses. We verify your benefits before your first appointment so there are no surprises.
Self-pay options are available. Contact us to discuss rates.
In-Person in Sugar Land & Telehealth Across Texas
Sugarland Dietetics serves patients in-person at our Sugar Land, TX office — conveniently located for residents of First Colony, Telfair, Riverstone, Greatwood, New Territory, and surrounding Fort Bend County communities. Telehealth appointments are available for patients anywhere in Texas, making it easy to get consistent, high-quality behavioral nutrition support from home.
Telehealth Available
See a behavioral nutrition dietitian from anywhere in Texas — no commute required.
Schedule TelehealthFrequently Asked Questions
Ready to Build a Healthier Relationship With Food?
New patients seen within days. In-person in Sugar Land, TX or telehealth across Texas. Insurance accepted.