About Nutrition Consulting

Confusion over what to eat and when is the basis of the billion-dollar diet industry. Consumers are inundated with books, infomercials and so-called experts selling the latest ideas based on the latest research. The best source of proper, proven nutrition is often a nutrition counselor or dietitian. A few sessions with a nutrition counselor can lead to safe-and-sane dietary practices that last a lifetime.

What is Nutrition Counseling?

• Nutrition counseling can be done by registered dietitians, nurses, doctors or even the layman armed with a good source of information. The best bet for consumers for proper information, however, is the registered dietitian. The registered dietitian's only focus for the client is the food the client consumes. Armed with the knowledge of what vitamins and nutrients foods are composed of, the dietitian is able to plan a nutrition program based on the client's needs according to his health, disease process and current needs.

What Can I Expect at a Counseling Session?

• A nutrition counseling session may begin before the client actually sees the nutrition counselor. Frequently a 72-hour food diary is kept before the client's first appointment with the counselor. When the client arrives for their appointment, the nutrition counselor will then critique the client's diet, identify places where the client's diet falls short of the ideal, and then with the client set goals for the client to undertake based on nutritional needs and ability to follow a plan. The client's favorite foods, prepared in a nutritious way, will be included in the plan to have a greater chance of success that the plan is followed.

Where Do Nutrition Counselors Work?

• You may find nutrition counselors in a variety of settings. Many work in hospitals as registered dietitians planning menus for patients with specific needs. These dietitians may visit with the patients to talk about their disease or illness and teach the patients how their needs have changed based on medications their doctor has prescribed. These dietitians also perform a vital role when a patient is under-consuming food and a calorie count may have to be undertaken to determine the patient's exact intake.

  Nutrition counselors may also work independently or as part of a team of medical professionals in a private setting. Nutrition counselors are found at spas or gyms as part of a full-service the facilities offer for their members. Nutrition counselors are also very often hired by professional athletes as they train for the Olympics. Sports teams, more often than not, have a nutrition counselor on staff to monitor the weight and diet of the athletes.

Isn't Eating a Variety of Foods Enough?

• Although eating a variety of foods is important, most of us consume our favorite foods, prepared the favorite way, again and again. The body becomes accustomed to getting the same nutrients all the time and any deficiency created only gets worse over time. If a consumer wants to see where his diet is lacking and understand more about how a nutrition counselor can help fill in the gaps, a free trial of diet tracking software may be found at: http://nutrigenie.biz/download.html. A consumer may download a free trial of many different nutrition trackers based on the diet the client needs or is following. After using the trial version, many consumers are shocked at how imbalanced their nutritional intake truly is and usually find their diet is severely lacking in one or more nutrients and too high in others.

What Else Do I Need to Know?

• You should not expect to walk away from one session with a nutrition counselor and know all that you need to know about diet and nutrition. It may take several sessions of learning and relearning new habits and understanding what old habits do not work and why. After a few sessions, your counselor should suggest you try your newfound habits out for a few months and return for a follow-up appointment to check your progress. After a few months, clients will feel they have more energy, their face may appear to be brighter and younger looking and they probably will have either gained or lost a few pounds depending on their needs. Whatever the case may be, clients will have learned more about nutrition than they ever thought there was to know. The more knowledge they have, the better the food choices they can make for the rest of their lives.