The Food and Life Clinic

About Me

I’m a dietitian who cares deeply about helping people feel at ease with food and confident in how they nourish themselves.

Before studying dietetics, I explored a few different career paths—so I understand what it’s like to navigate eating without specialist knowledge. That lived experience helps me bring empathy, flexibility, and curiosity to the work I do today.

What I love most is hearing people’s stories—how food fits into your life, your routines, your challenges, and your values. My greatest aim is to help you understand your own unique needs and feel empowered with the knowledge and confidence to nourish yourself in a way that supports your well-being—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

I have specialist training and experience in eating disorders, neurodivergence, mental health, and gut health. These areas often overlap in complex and personal ways, which is exactly why I’ve developed my expertise across all of them—to offer care that’s informed, compassionate, and holistic.

I’m also a woman in midlife, navigating the wild ride of perimenopause while raising two teen kids, managing a household, running a small business. I had a late diagnosis of ADHD, and carry a real fire in my belly about the way people in larger bodies are treated — too often with judgement, bias, and shame.

It’s one of the many reasons I founded The Food and Life Clinic - to provide a space for people and families to talk about their eating experiences, knowing they will receive respectful, person-centred, stigma-free care.

Kelly Cooper - Accredited Practising Dieititian

Credentials

Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician (CEDC)

Australian & New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders

Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD)

Dietitians Australia

Core training

Master of Dietetics

Deakin University

Bachelor of Nutrition Science

Deakin University

Other training

Multiple training programs for neurodivergent care

Mentoring for neurodivergent care

Sensory Feeding Australia

The Essentials: training clinicians in Eating Disorders

The Essentials: Community Training for Dietitians

Inside Out

Low FODMAP Diet for IBS

Monash University

First Peoples Health - Yuwahn Wupin

Griffith University

Youth Mental Health First Aider

Mental Health First Aid Australia

First Aid

Colbrow Medics

Other work

Dietitian mentoring

I offer mentoring support for other dietitians, in particular graduate dietitians who are just starting their career.

Group education

I work with other health organisations and like-minded fitness organisations to deliver education and training on health related nutrition. Sometimes these are bespoke and specific to a need (e.g. people with osteoporosis or people with ADHD) and sometimes it is broad (eating to nourish your body, mind and soul).

If this is something that interests you or your organisation, please reach out!

Research

I have been involved in several research projects for Deakin University on the clinical guidelines for the management of overweight and obesity, and parent focused nutrition programs to improve children's healthy food intake and health outcomes.

I am also the Chair of the Stakeholder Panel at University of Sydney's "Eating Disorders In weight-related Therapy (EDIT) Collaboration", and the Chair of their Weight Stigma Working Group.

https://www.editcollaboration.com/