Why do you need to meet with a nutritionist/dietitian?

As I sat at the dinner table with my 6-year-old daughter, she asked about my day. One of her popular questions for me at the end of my day inquires about how many clients I saw during the day. I will often ask her to tell me about what I do for my job and her reply that night was “you teach people how to make healthy choices.” She then proceeded with an amazing wisdom and said “Mom, you are like a doctor because you see patients to teach them to eat healthy and if they eat healthy, then they wouldn’t get sick and have to go to the doctor.” As you can imagine, I was very proud of her insight and that she really did understand the importance of good nutrition and a healthy balance.

In the field of nutrition, you can see a dietitian for many various reasons including sickness and health. With my years of experience, I have worked with both ends of the spectrum where I have seen patients in the hospital while they were ill and recovering sickness and I have worked with wellness where I am working with individuals trying to keep them from getting sick through good nutrition. I often get asked about why you would need to see a dietitian if you are healthy and visit your physician regularly so I thought I would share some of the reasons you may benefit from meeting with a dietitian even if you aren’t sick. Here are my top 5 answers:

1. To learn more about nutrition from an expert. Maybe you hear stories about what you should be eating from television (one particular Dr loves to talk about it and enlighten us about these “miracle” foods that offer quick fixes) or read about nutrition on the front cover of magazines in the check out lines at the store. Some of these “experts” aren’t dietitians and haven’t had all the training to offer sound, scientific nutrition advice.

2. To help with weight management. Maybe you have tried some of the popular commercial programs or products in the past that haven’t worked for you long-term and you are seeking a more individualized approach. A dietitian can work with you and design an individual plan based on your personal preferences, lifestyle, and medical concerns.

3. To create a well-balanced plan for you and your family. Do you struggle with coming up with new ideas for your meals and snacks? A dietitian can assist you with some balanced meals and snacks that would work into your family’s budgetary and time constraints.

4. Do you know if you are meeting all of your nutrition needs? If you are one of the people that take vitamins and supplements, have you ever wondered if you get ditch the pills and get all the nutrition you need through food first? By meeting with a dietitian, you can learn how you can eat real, whole foods and get all that your body needs more naturally.

5. To help you better fuel your workouts. Food fuels your body and more importantly your workouts whether they are short runs or long distance rides. You can improve your performance with your workouts with the right food choices. A dietitian can assist you with making the right choice to prepare for the workout as well as recover from the exercise.

So, regardless of if you are sick or healthy, there are many ways that you can benefit from meeting with a dietitian. What are you waiting for? Contact Christie RD if you are interested in scheduling your appointment today.

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