Meet Caroline Burkholder, Knoxville Nutritionist and Registered Dietitian

About Caroline Burkholder, MS, RD, LD, CEDS

Caroline Burkholder, MS, RD, LD, CEDS is a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified eating disorder specialist in Knoxville, TN. She is the owner of RootED Nutrition and Counseling, a practice licensed to provide services in Georgia, Maryland, and Tennessee. Caroline earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from University of the South, and she went on to complete her Master of Science in Health Science and Nutrition at Georgia State University.

Additionally, Caroline is currently working towards achieving her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Wake Forest University to achieve licensure as a psychotherapist. The combination of nutrition-therapy and psychotherapy training gives her the skills to help you understand the root of your eating disturbances, the patterns that perpetuate them, and ultimately, insight towards recovery.

Caroline became interested in nutrition counseling when she was a collegiate athlete, and her coach consistently shared scientifically unfounded messaging about how to fuel for sport. Most of these messages actually encouraged restrictive and disordered tendencies. It became clear to Caroline how important it was for female athletes to have empirically founded nutrition information delivered in a safe and nurturing format. Caroline continues to participate in athletics; she is a mountain biker and an endurance runner. Her practice is heavily informed by her lived experience as an athlete.

Prior to founding RootED Nutrition and Counseling, Caroline worked in university counseling at Georgia State University, in residential mental health treatment at Skyland Trail, a national leader in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)-based mental health treatment, and in a group practice specializing in the outpatient treatment of eating disorders.

To schedule a consultation with Caroline, please click here.

Nutrition Counseling Background, Training and Specialties

Caroline is a trauma informed, health at every size aligned registered dietitian nutritionist. Her evidence-based work is influenced by intuitive eating, body neutrality, feminist theory, and mindfulness practices. She has undergone specialized training in Eating Disorders, Family Based Treatment (FBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for dietitians, and Radically Open DBT for dietitians through EDRDPro. Caroline holds the rigorous Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) certification, which requires 2500 hours of direct eating disorder experience and ongoing consultation with senior clinicians in the field.

Caroline treats clinical presentations of Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), and Other Specified Eating and Feeding Disorders (OSFED). However, at RootED Nutrition and Counseling, we understand that eating disorders and disordered eating are notoriously under-treated. With this in mind, you do not need to have a diagnosed eating disorder to receive care and treatment if your relationship with food is causing you distress.

Caroline has a special interest in treating individuals with co-occurring mental health diagnoses, including but not limited to ADHD, borderline personality disorder, major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and bipolar disorder. She has also received specialized training in treating athletes with eating disorders, individuals with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), Type I and II Diabetes, and hypertension. If you are wondering if you are a good fit to work with Caroline Burkholder, MS, RD, LD, please visit who is a good fit for non-diet nutrition counseling.

Intuitive Eating and eating disorder treatment involves including all food groups. This is a photo of a balanced meal that meets an eating disorder meal plan.

Nutrition Counseling Treatment Approach

Caroline loves the work she does with her clients. Her clients enjoy the humor she brings into treatment to create a space that is approachable and non-intimidating. Her casual counseling style is warm and exploratory, and she prioritizes honoring her client’s wisdom and lived experience. While Caroline has specialized training in nutrition, she knows you are the expert on yourself. While she will serve as a guide, Caroline will defer to your wisdom when you believe you need to change direction in treatment, or reimagine the treatment focus. Her ultimate goal is to create a space where you feel safe to invite growth and liberation into your healing.

Caroline proudly serves as part of the Project Heal Healer’s Circle, where she is able to provide low-cost nutrition counseling services to individuals struggling to access the care that they need. If you are struggling with the financial obligations of eating disorder treatment, Caroline encourages you to enter the Project Heal application process, where you can specifically request to work with her using their low-cost treatment model.

Caroline Burkholder's, Knoxville Nutritionist, office space.

Credentials and Practice Locations

Caroline offers in-person appointments in her hometown of Knoxville, TN, and she offers virtual appointments to residents of Georgia, Maryland, and Tennessee.

Caroline is a Registered Dietitian through the Commission on Dietetic Registration, with a registration number of 86083287.

Caroline holds her Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) credential through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (IAEDP), with a certification number of 6637.

Caroline is licensed to provide nutrition services in the following states:

  • Tennessee (4272),

  • Georgia (LD004968),

  • Maryland (DX5030).

She may additionally provide nutrition services to residents in the following states through practice reciprocity:

Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Alaska, and Hawaii. If you have questions about whether Caroline can be your registered dietitian nutritionist, please inquire here.

Media + Press

Caroline has been featured in the following media pieces:

For speaking engagements and media requests, please e-mail info@rootednutritionandcounseling.com.