Nutrition is a powerful tool for managing and improving health conditions and as preventative medicine. “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” – Hippocrates
Nutrition and Dietetics uses food to manage diagnosed health conditions, so that the individual can live the best quality life. What we eat plays a direct role in how our body responds to illness and using food as medicine can have a dramatic effect on improving health outcomes.
Conditions that can be managed with nutritional therapy include:
- Digestive conditions: IBS, IBD & SIBO, constipation & altered bowel motions, Chron’s disease, diverticulitis.
- Hormonal issues: PMS, irregular cycles, PCOS, Endometriosis
- Fertility issues, pregnancy and post-partum support
- Skin conditions: acne, eczema, psoriasis
- Cardiometabolic conditions: cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance
- Mental health support: depression, anxiety
Consultation Process
- Your first consultation usually goes for an hour or slightly over and involves taking a detailed case history to gain a holistic assessment of your health to identify the underlying causes of your health conditions, and to help your practitioner better understand how best to tailor the nutritional advice that is right for you, given your current lifestyle and health conditions. You are usually given a few simple dietary strategies to put in place, and you may be prescribed a nutritional supplement if needed.
- On your second consultation, your practitioner will review the results achieved from the prescriptive advice given during the first session and make any necessary adjustments to improve your presenting symptoms. During your appointments with a nutritionist or dietitian, there is a large focus on diet and nutrition education, as well as a thorough case taking of your current dietary habits to identify any potential nutrient deficiencies.
- Your follow up consultations are usually where the deeper work may start in addressing the root causes of your health conditions to pave the way for long-term healing and lifestyle modification, and not simply a temporary fix. During your follow up appointments, your practitioner will guide you on how to make small, achievable diet and lifestyle changes that you can implement for the long-term.
FAQs
- How many appointments will I need?
- While every case is different, a minimum of 3 appointments is generally recommended (initial consultation + 2 follow up consultations), with more complex cases often needing regular follow up consultations over the course of 3-6 months. However, your practitioner will always work with what you are comfortable with in terms of appointment scheduling.
- Will I be prescribed nutritional supplements?
- In cases where there is a nutritional deficiency that cannot be corrected by diet alone, you may be prescribed a nutritional supplement. In addition, some nutrients may be prescribed at a higher dose for a short period of time, to help you achieve a particular health outcome or overcome symptoms that are causing you ill health.
- How much does a nutrition or dietetic consultation cost?
- Please send us an enquiry with your desired appointment type and practitioner (e.g nutrition, dietetics) and we will let you know the cost per appointment.
- What is the difference between a nutritionist and a dietitian?
- In Australia there is a distinction made between dietitians and other occupations in the nutrition and food science field, including that of a nutritionist.
- A nutritionist may be a tertiary qualified nutrition professional that has the expertise to provide a range of evidence-based nutrition services related to nutrition, public health nutrition, policy and research, and community health. It’s important to note that the term ‘nutritionist’ is not regulated. Therefore, this title may be used by dietitians, nutrition scientists and nutrition graduates – and also those with very limited qualifications in nutrition. As such, it’s important to check that the practitioner you see is accredited with professional associations in the relative field, as this will ensure the practitioner has received sufficient and credible educational.
- Dietitians are also qualified to provide this range of evidence-based nutrition services, but in addition, dietitians have the expertise to provide individual dietary counselling, medical nutrition therapy, group dietary therapy and food service management. A dietitian has undertaken a course of study that included substantial theory and supervised and assessed professional practice in clinical nutrition, medical nutrition therapy and food service management.
- https://dietitiansaustralia.org.au/what-dietitans-do/dietitian-or-nutritionist
