Diet Counselling

A Registered Dietitian (RD) provides dietary and nutrition services to patients based on their in-depth, evidence-based knowledge of food and human nutrition.

Many people associate consulting a registered dietitian with being put on a ‘diet’. Dietitians love to promote healthy lifestyle changes that include great tasting foods that are also very good for you!

Below are some of the few reasons to visit a dietitian:

• Healthy eating and balanced nutrition
• Improving daily energy levels
• Weight loss
• Lowering cholesterol
• Reducing blood pressure
• Managing blood sugars/ Diabetes Management
• Heartburn, kidney stones, and gout
• Celiac Disease, IBS, Crohn’s, Colitis
• Prenatal nutrition
• Reviewing your vitamin/mineral supplements
• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
• Allergies
• Anemia
• Selective Eaters (more commonly known as “picky eaters”)

The Dietitian will work with you to develop a healthier lifestyle plan for your specific health or nutrition concern.

1. Your RD will ask about your needs.

This is your chance to share your concerns so that you and your RD can get on the same page about what to work on.

Your personal needs are important because there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition.

2. Your RD will get to know you and your eating habits.

Your RD wants to work *with* you, so they’ll want to know your likes and dislikes, how your time and budget affect your cooking, and if you’re dealing with any medical conditions or allergies.
Knowing how you currently eat makes a big difference in how your appointments progress: It allows them to set realistic goals that work for you. For example, if you really hate yogurt, they’re not going to spend weeks convincing you to join the Daily Yogurt Club.

3. Your RD will challenge you (but not chide you).

It’s a myth that your RD will immediately tell you to eat nothing but kale, quinoa, and alfalfa sprouts, and scold you for your cookie weakness. FYI, dietitians eat cookies, too (and they’ll be the first to admit it).

Your dietitian’s job is to educate you on the nuances of nutrition and how it affects your goals, and to motivate you to build new habits that get you closer to your goals. They don’t want to be the “food police.” Instead, they will try to share tips to overcome your personal dietary challenges, give guidelines to tweak your diet, and clarify common nutrition myths.

Resources:
Nutrition for Kids: Guidelines for a healthy diet
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/nutrition-for-kids/art-20049335