When you hear the word dietitian, you’re not wrong to think about healthy food because a dietitian helps you learn how to eat better and understand good nutritional options when it comes to making food choices.
Are you in a position where you want to make better choices for your diet, and you can’t quite figure out where to start? Well, seeing a dietitian is the first thing you should do.
Let’s attempt to answer any questions you may have. Here is a comprehensive guide that helps you understand who a dietitian is, what they do, their qualifications and when and why you should see a dietitian.
Let’s read on to give you all of the information you need.
Who Is A Dietitian?
When seeing a dietitian, you’re on your way to improving your overall health and wellbeing by understanding healthier food choices. This is especially important if you suffer from chronic health conditions such as diabetes.
A dietitian will provide you with a personalised nutritional plan for you to follow and general advice to help you manage your food intake going forward.
What Happens When I See A Dietitian?
To break it down further, when seeing a dietitian, it is likely that you’ll first have an assessment of your nutritional needs and your current dietary habits. A dietitian will also want to know about any health conditions you may have which can impact your food choices.
Understanding what you put inside your body is especially important if you’re unsure about what you should eat. Therefore, any diet-related illnesses must be presented to the dietitian so that they can provide advice on what you need to support your condition.
What Should I Take When Visiting A Dietitian?
When visiting a dietitian, especially if you’ve certain conditions, it is highly recommended that you take your medical history but also express what your health goals are. The dietitian will want to understand your overall food habits and any conditions you’re suffering from. This will be a starting point for the dietitian to begin presenting changes you can make to your diet.
The dietitian would want to see:
- Recent blood test results
- Your history of any health conditions
- Insurance information
The dietitian is likely to ask questions about your general lifestyle as well. You may be asked some questions like this in the form of a questionnaire.
When Would I Need To See A Dietitian?
Of course, visiting a dietitian can help if you want to understand and make changes to your food diet. Although, when visiting a dietitian, they need to understand your health needs and conditions, which can include the following:
- Digestive issues
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Clinically obese wanting to lose weight
- Improvement of athletic performance
- Allergy intolerance
- Seeking general and practical advice
- Advice to support eating disorders
Every dietary plan and support is individual to one’s need. Therefore, being comprehensive about what you need is important to start seeing results.
What Are The Costs Of Seeing A Dietitian?
The dietitian has a variety of services, and therefore, depending on the service you need, this will impact the overall cost. Typically, an appointment with the dietitian can start from $50. You must determine the cost before you turn up at your appointment.
What Questions Can I Ask A Dietitian?
The dietitian will naturally have questions to understand your lifestyle and food habits better. However, you can ask them questions such as:
- Are you certified with Dietitians Australia?
- What Do I Need In My Diet?
- How Many Appointments Would I Need?
- Can You Help Me Identify Any Food Allergies?
- What Foods Shouldn’t I Eat?
- I Have A Budget – Can You Help Me With Affordable Food Choices?
- What Is Your Rate?
- Do You Offer Medicare Services?
Seeking a dietitian is a great starting point if you’re seeking support with your food choices. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our doctors in Brunswick for guidance.
