What Does A Nutritionist Actually Do? (And How We Can Support You In Real Life)
It seems nowadays EVERYONE is a nutritionist, am I right?
And because we have varying degrees (but often not actual degrees) of nutrition “experts,” we get a wide range of information, plans, and programs, which can make it unclear what a degreed nutritionist actually does and how they can help you above and beyond what’s already out there…everywhere.
And that, my friend, is what we’re going to talk about today. Because working with a registered dietitian nutritionist (THAT kind of nutritionist) can make life so much easier…
This is what we do all day, every day.
So here are some things I want to let you know about working with a registered dietitian nutritionist:
1. It’s not about telling you what to eat.
You have plenty of people telling you what to eat.
And while you might think that’s what you want because it sounds easy…where has that gotten you so far?
People that just want to tell you what to eat aren’t asking the right questions about YOU in order to make recommendations that are for real life and that last.
A nutritionist will help guide you nutritionally in accordance to your food preferences, your schedule, your budget, your desire to cook, your health concerns, your culture and religion and your access to food…at least.
There are so many factors that affect a person’s nutrition and there is no one right way to eat, and a nutritionist can help narrow this down and tailor recommendations specifically to you.
2. We help you figure out what to eat (in real life).
As much as we won’t just hand you a standard meal plan, we DO help you know what to eat.
We can’t tell you how many times we have helped someone figure out what to take to lunch for work or to have as snack options and our client has said, “wow, I had never thought of that!”
Here’s the thing, when you talk about food and ideas of what to eat all day everyday with all manner of humans, you collect a lot of great ideas.
And not just great ideas, ones that you have seen really help people. We have a good idea of what works and we can help you find what works for you.
3. We help you break cycles.
Are you frustrated because you feel like “you know what to do, you just don’t do it?”
Well, you are not alone and the reason why “you know what to do but you just don’t do it” is more complex than willpower.
Following a certain way of eating for a time and then getting off track can feel like a personal failure…but what if it’s not?
Perhaps the plan you have been trying to follow is just not right for you.
We help people end cycles of getting back on the wagon then falling off again. We help people end the cycle of weight loss than weight gain.
We help end the cycle of frustration, negative self talk and feelings of failure.
4. We offer support for emotional eating without shame.
Emotional eating is something we all do and we don’t think that is bad.
Food is so much more than fuel and one of the things it can be is comforting and relaxing and joyful and celebratory and fun.
But sometimes people feel that emotional eating becomes a struggle for them, it’s happening more than they are comfortable with.
Some of that is the culture shaming us about emotional eating, and sometimes some of it is because something else needs to be tended to nutritionally.
We can support you both nutritionally and with mindset in a way that reduces your emotional eating experiences.
5. We help you navigate health conditions without giving up foods you love.
Have you ever heard that you shouldn’t have dessert if you have diabetes?
Well, it’s not true.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
People with chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure are often told or made to feel that they have to give up foods that mean a lot to them.
Foods that are part of their culture, part of their religion, or are just part of their life (like birthday cake).
Are modifications often necessary for managing chronic disease? Yes.
But just telling you not to eat something or labeling a food as “bad” is lazy and unnecessary nutrition advice (unless of course you are allergic to it and eating it has really bad consequences - think peanut allergy).
We instead empower you to be savvy and be able to manage chronic disease in a way that is far more nuanced than “eat this not that” and we find this sets our clients up for long term success .
Because you can have your cake and manage your diabetes…and we want to show you how.
6. We offer a place where you won’t be judged.
Do you eat Oreos?
Guess what…we do too. They’re tasty.
We aren’t the food police.
And we aren’t the body police.
We don’t believe you can determine someone’s health or fitness by how fat or thin they are.
We don’t believe eating or looking one way makes your morally superior or a moral failure.
Food and body size has nothing to do with morals.
7. We help you trust your body again
Let’s say we help you with figuring out some ideas of what to take for lunch, when we follow up with you we are going to want to know how it made you feel.
How did it impact your energy levels?
How did it impact your digestion?
How did it impact your satisfaction and enjoyment?
How did it impact how you ate the rest of the day?
Your body is actually a great guide and we use the information you get from it to help us know where to go with future nutrition recommendations.
And we want to teach you how to do this too.
Because your body and its needs are going to change again, and we want to empower you to be able to listen and adjust accordingly.
Despite what diet culture says, your body is wise…and worthy of listening to.
If this resonated with you, it might be a sign that you don’t have to keep doing this on your own. Support can look a lot different than you’ve been led to believe.You can learn more about working with us here, we'd love to help you find a way of eating that actually feels good and works in real life!