My Promise
My mission is to help others live healthier, happier lives without dieting and restriction. The values I strive to uphold are compassion, empathy, honesty, reliability, and autonomy.
I will acknowledge that each individual is the expert of their body, and will work with them to find a sustainable plan that fits their goals and needs.
With my expertise and love of research, you can trust that I will provide evidence-based recommendations at all times.
My Approach
As a non-diet Registered Dietitian, I practice from a weight-neutral perspective using Intuitive Eating and Health At Every Size principles.
Though the title of “Dietitian” may indicate otherwise, I specialize in helping clients improve mental and physical health through improving their relationship with food and body, in addition to improving health behaviors such as sleep, exercise and movement, stress management, and of course, eating a varied, balanced diet that fits your needs and budget — all without trendy diets.
With that being said, I take scope of practice seriously and always encourage building your care team by working with additional health professionals such as a certified personal trainer, physical therapist, therapist, doctor, and others.
Ashley Bent, MS, RDN, CD
Education
Dietetic Internship
Bastyr University
Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics
Bastyr University
Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science, Minor in Sport Psychology
Pacific Lutheran University
Trained on the use of a low FODMAP diet for IBS
Monash University
Credentials
Master of Science (MS)
Bastyr University
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)
Commission on Dietetic Registration
Certified Dietitian (CD)
Washington State Department of Health
Former Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) - Pending Recertification
The American College of Sports Medicine
My Story
As years pass, it seems there is more conflicting nutrition advice to sift through. It makes sense that, with the overabundance of information, many people are left wondering “what can I eat?”. What’s more unfortunate, the multitude of conflicting recommendations often give rise to harmful behaviors in the name of health, all while not truly serving that purpose.
Like many people, I have often felt conflicted and unsure of how and what to eat. Prior to pursuing my degree in nutrition, I cycled through fad diets, restrictive eating, and over-exercising, and endured severe digestive distress among a host of ailments. Achieving weight loss and being “skinny” had always been my objective, though this pursuit was pushing me farther from my healthiest, happiest self, and was taking away from my ability to perform as an athlete. It was years later that I recognized my pursuit of health was making me unhealthy, and that food had the power to be much more than just calories. This realization led me to change the disordered habits I unknowingly built and improve my health, independent of my weight and body size. This journey is what eventually led me to pursue my MS in Nutrition at Bastyr University, where I was introduced to Intuitive Eating, Health At Every Size, and food as a means of healing and connection to body and mind. I grew to understand and adopt these concepts throughout my education and clinical experiences, and today they are the foundation of my practice.
Outside of work you can find me in cozy coffee shops, hiking, lifting weights, paddle boarding, throwing the frisbee around, or playing volleyball.