Sumra Harper-Deas is a Queer & Inclusive Registered Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor

Sumra is the founder and owner of Sumra RD Nutrition LLC, a nutrition therapy service whose mission is to help clients reclaim trust in their relationship with food while finding safety & empowerment in their body. Sumra provides in-person and remote nutrition counseling for families and individuals of all ages using an individualized, relational, and person-centered approach.

Sumra provides medical nutrition therapy for a wide range of health conditions using a non-diet, weight inclusive lens while honoring food preferences and traditions and incorporating intuitive eating principles. Intuitive Eating is an evidence-based self-care eating framework which promotes a healthy relationship with food and body and is especially helpful for clients with a history of chronic dieting, chaotic, emotional, or disordered eating.

About Sumra:

Hi! I’m so glad you’re here. I founded my practice because I care deeply about providing nutrition therapy that is safe, anti-oppressive, and respects your autonomy. Some identities that I carry which inform my work are that I am queer, and have experienced invisible disability and chronic pain/illness. I use she/her pronouns, I am cis-gendered, white, and straight sized. I’m committed to continual growth and I am forever learning from my clients and my community. My goal is to help people reclaim their mental and emotional freedom from food and body worries so they can focus on what truly matters to them. This includes serving individuals who have experienced food insecurity, complex feeding histories in childhood, trauma, are neurodivergent, or a combination of any/all of the above. We will do a variety of work including identifying, validating, & navigating weight stigma and deconstructing beauty/desirability norms both within and outside of LGBTQ+ communities, as well as strategies around regulating nervous systems, calming fight or flight, and somatic-based work to support connection to body cues and capacity for nourishment. I love this work and am looking forward to connecting with you!

I received my B.S. in Dietetics from the University of Vermont and have been a Registered Dietitian since 2013. My work experience includes a fellowship with the Vermont Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Program (VT LEND), coordinating a statewide nutrition and cooking education program for Vermonters on a tight budget; consulting as a community nutritionist for children with special health needs; working as a clinical dietitian in a community hospital; and providing outpatient nutrition counseling for pediatric and adult primary care practices. I have been a solo provider at my private practice since 2022.

I am an insatiable learner. I have explored my professional interests through graduate coursework and ongoing professional continuing education opportunities on topics related to eating disorder care, body image, responsive feeding therapy, resilience and trauma informed practice, intuitive eating, ethics and weight inclusive care, dialectical behavioral therapy for RDs, hormone health in eating disorder care. I have completed a trans cultural competency training on providing comprehensive care to trans and gender-diverse clients with the FEDUP Collective (Fighting Eating Disorders in Underrepresented Populations).

I support my professional growth on a deeper level with consistent clinical supervision with a dietitian who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community and with monthly peer supervision.

I understand that traditional weight loss interventions don’t work and in fact cause harm. I incorporate weight inclusive, anti-diet principles into my nutrition counseling work and am a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor.