Appreciate the impact a dietician can bring to your health, from management over chronic diseases to perfecting daily nutrition. Know how these diet and nutrition professionals meet your needs.
How Can a Dietician Help You?
For general health and just bettering your overall health and well-being, or perhaps needing help on how to make improved eating habits, a dietician is one of the best-placed people to offer tailored advice towards meeting your goal.
This page will take you through each detail that involves what a dietitian does, how they can help you, and what to expect from them if you ever needed one. It will also educate you on the crucial role dietitians play in management for your health and nutrition.
What Does a Dietician Do?
A dietitian is a health care professional in the field of nutrition and management of diets, with an aim at preventive health care. He or she can carry out nutritional assessments to be able to determine individualised eating plans and give dietary counseling through the management of diseases for good health.
This is how:
Medical Nutrition Therapy
Dietitians enable the most respected approach to the management and prevention of diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, among others, by undertaking individualised dietary strategies.
Weight management
Provides plans and support on the management of weight to acquire and lose weight based on individual metabolic need and individualised lifestyle.
Sports Nutrition
For athletes, dieticians design nutrition plans to enhance performance and recovery.
Pediatric Nutrition
Assisting children in meeting their dietary needs, whether an allergy-prone diet, overweight diet, or diet related to other diagnoses.
Geriatric Nutrition
Assisting older adults in maintaining their health and managing age-related dietary issues.
Community Education
A lot of workshops and seminars are being carried out under the supervision of dieticians in order to make the public aware of how to develop healthy eating habits and awareness about nutrition.
Why Consult a Dietician?
Visiting a dietician isn't only for those with medical conditions. Here’s why seeing one might be beneficial:
Personal Nutrition Advice
As a registered dietitian, Cherry Lam gives advice according to your health status, lifestyle, and nutrition needs, rather than generalised guidelines.
Encouragement and Accountability
These keep track of the achievement of your set goals in health through an encouraged and necessary accounted environment.
Evidence-Based
This means that with all advice, dietitians use the latest research and clinical guidelines to ensure the information given to you is current and accurate.
Lifestyle Adjustment
They help integrate healthy eating into your lifestyle to make sustainable changes that improve long-term health.
What to Expect in a Dietician Consultation
Generally, the road with a dietitian starts at the assessment stage, which is quite comprehensive and includes gathering information about eating habits, health issues, and lifestyle. Here's how it would typically go:
Initial Consultation
Discuss your health goals, medical history, and eating habits.
Dietary Assessment
A detailed look at your typical meal patterns, preferences, and nutritional intake.
Goal Setting
Together with your dietician, you’ll set achievable health goals.
Plan Formulation
You'll receive a personalised nutrition plan tailored to your needs.
Ongoing Support
Follow-up appointments to monitor progress and make adjustments as needed.
How to Prepare for Your First Visit
To make the most out of your first dietician visit, consider the following:
Get an EPC or GP Management Plan from your Doctor
If you are eligible, this will entitle you to 5 Allied Health visits with a Medicare rebate applied, each calendar year. Generally, this you will need to have a chronic or terminal medical condition with or without complex care needs to be eligible for the EPC.
You will need to provide a copy of the EPC to our Receptionists at Brisbane Livewell Clinic before your first consultation.
Collect Medical Records
Please bring any medical reports of medical history, results of laboratory tests, and medications that are presently being taken.
Food Diary
Keep a record of what you eat for a few days before the visit to help the dietician assess your habits.
List of Questions
Prepare any questions or concerns you may have to ensure all bases are covered when consulting.
Related Content
Here are some related articles you may find interesting:
- Understanding Medical Nutrition Therapy: A Deep Dive
- The Fundamentals of Weight Management: Strategies and Successes
- Nutrition Tips for Peak Athletic Performance
- Healthy Eating for Children: Building Blocks for a Healthy Life
- Nutrition Over 60: What Changes and Why
- Workshop Wonders: Learning from Community Nutrition Programs
- Decoding Diets: From Keto to Vegan
- The Science of Supplements: What You Need to Know
- Navigating Food Allergies: Safe and Healthy Eating Strategies
- The Power of Hydration: Water's Role in Your Nutritional Health
Last Updated on 13 April 2024 by Brisbane Livewell Clinic
