Sarthak | Dietitian | The Balanced Practice Inc | Ottawa, ON

Sarthak Matravadia
He/Him

Registered Dietitian

Credentials: RD, PhD
Language Spoken: English
Location: Virtually Throughout Ontario

My Approach

Clients sometimes feel that mainstream eating disorder treatment approaches don’t align with their unique intersectional identities (e.g., being a person of colour and an immigrant). This can make it difficult to build trust in the therapeutic relationship and for the client to feel hopeful about finding a way forward.

As a registered dietitian, I know that not everything can be learned from a textbook or even from the current research evidence available. Instead, I lead with a person-centred and holistic approach throughout the nutrition care process. I meet clients where they are and use their identities and lived experiences to inform and adapt evidence-based methods.

I aim to create a brave space where folks feel empowered to explore and overcome the deeper challenges related to their relationship with food and body image.

Play Video to Learn More About Sarthank

Challenges I Can Support You Through

Areas of Expertise

Additional Areas of Interest

  • Health-Focused Goals
  • Navigating Food Messaging
  • Food Literacy
  • Parenting and Promoting Healthy Food Relationships in Children

Services I Offer

  • One-On-One Work
  • Group Support
  • Family Support

Clients I Love to Support

Adults, Parents, and Families

Modalities for Nutritional Therapy

  • Nutritional Therapy
  • Intuitive Eating
  • HAES

What Influences My Work

Cultural Identity:
I am interested in the influence of our cultural identity on our relationship with food and body image. Growing up in the South Asian Canadian community, I felt that my cultural foods weren’t “healthy” and that it was normal for friends, family, and even strangers to comment on my weight and appearance. A lot of folks can relate to this, and I have spent years working to better understand this phenomenon. I aim to help clients explore and overcome similar challenges.

Diet Culture:
Before becoming a registered dietitian, I worked in the dietary supplement industry, which allowed me to see the inner workings of a major driving force behind diet culture that is so entrenched in our society. I aim to help clients recognize and overcome the harmful messages they may have internalized to improve their relationship with food and body image.

Parenting:
As a father who also works in the family nutrition space, I am fascinated by the complex familial dynamics influencing our children’s eating habits. I believe this is an important time window where the cycle of intergenerational food and body image trauma can be broken or passed on. I strive to create a safe space to help parents not only explore and unpack their own story, but also put strategies in place in their role as parents.

What I like Most About Working at TBP

The Balanced Practice has a supportive and dedicated multidisciplinary team with diverse lived and professional experiences that ultimately provide the best care for clients.

The Balanced Practice Team | Counselling Service & Therapy | Ottawa, ON

My Experience

Sarthak is a Registered Dietitian and a graduate of the Applied Human Nutrition program at the University of Guelph. He completed his dietetic internship through the Hamilton Health Sciences program with Brescia University College. Sarthak also has research experience and is a graduate of McMaster University, where he completed a Master’s degree in Nutrition and Aging, as well as a Doctorate in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology from the University of Guelph. Over the past four years, Sarthak has worked with various eating disorder organizations, including Body Brave, Sheena’s Place, and the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC), to provide more accessible and culturally safe eating disorder care to members of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) community.

More About Me

  • My favourite sport is soccer, and I am a huge Manchester United supporter.
  • My favourite music genres are house, trance, and old-school hip-hop.
  • I love learning about all things coffee, including social issues, farming, processing methods, roasting, brewing techniques, competitions, and more.

We Look Forward to Hearing From You Soon!

Call The Balanced Practice at (613) 695-0306 to set up an appointment with Sarthak today!

Progress Loader | The Balanced Practice | Ottawa, ON