When to seek a Nutritionist

 

Nowadays, health and nutrition advice is everywhere you look, it can be difficult to know what is correct and what advice to follow. You might use Google to look up a few symptoms and figure out what’s going on with you, but at the end of the day, you’re better off making that appointment to get examined by a health professional. The same holds true when it comes to nutrition advice. Striving toward better health and wellness, nutrition counseling offers professional insight to identify and change unhealthy habits, which will support a long-lasting healthy lifestyle. Thanks to the world wide web, there are endless sources of information and advice which makes it difficult and confusing to figure out what solutions would best suit you. 

 

What does a Nutritionist Do?

 

When it comes to navigating the endless sources of information about nutrition and weight management, working with a nutrition professional makes this challenging journey more manageable and successful.  An effective way to reach your health goals is to work with a trained professional, like a Certified Nutritionist, who can give you individualized nutrition plans that best support you. Whether you want to lose weight, control blood sugar, manage high cholesterol or blood pressure or address unhealthy eating behaviors, a Certified Nutritionist creates a diet plan as part of a nutrition therapy approach for your specific needs. While you could certainly test and try out the endless inventory of advice and information available on Google and social media by yourself, you’ll find it far more effective to seek the support of a nutrition professional. 

 

Is it Worth Working with a Certified Nutritionist?

 

When setting out to make healthy lifestyle and nutrition changes, seeking a nutrition professional can save you time and money. A Certified Nutritionist can create a plan with recommendations that actually work for you and save you from trying fads and gimmicks that are not sustainable and that promise health outcomes you desire but often fall short. With various drugs and supplements available that claim to aid weight loss, people are understandably drawn to an “easier” solution of taking a pill rather than examining their dietary and physical activity habits and making improvements. While advanced developments of medications that aid in weight loss can have a place in supporting weight management, they don’t replace the need to repair poor nutrition as the foundational tool to create improved health and wellbeing. Supplements and “detox” products only act as temporary and often ineffective ways to achieve weight loss or better health. That’s why nutrition and healthy lifestyle habits are the most effective means to create and maintain better health and wellness. 

 

Time and time again, I see people buy into marketing schemes for supplements that are completely unnecessary and that falsely promise quick and easy solutions. As a Certified Nutritionist, my job is to teach you how to properly fuel your body first with balanced nutrition, hydration and lifestyle. Nutrition should be the focus of nutrition therapy. 

 

What Should I Know Before my Appointment?

 

Before meeting your Certified Nutritionist, it is helpful to have an idea of what your health goals are. Some of the more pressing reasons to schedule a consultation include elevated blood sugar, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, digestive problems, irregular bowel movements, changes in appetite, constant thoughts about food and binge or overeating. Your nutritionist may ask to see some of your recent blood work, they may ask about some of your daily eating habits, cravings, how you feel after you eat certain foods and more. 

 

It’s also important to understand that nutritionists can’t offer quick fixes, and better health through nutrition takes time and patience. While highly sought after, quick solutions are not effective and sustainable enough to provide a long lasting transformation. Dietary and lifestyle changes require guidance as well as accountability and support. A therapeutic nutrition plan along with guided support from your Certified Nutritionist holds you accountable every step of the way to get you to your health and nutrition goal.  

Aida Sadeghi MS,CNS