What Is Nutrition Counseling?

Nutrition counseling involves the evaluation of diet as it pertains to a patient’s health and well-being. Indeed, today’s hectic pace means many of us may never have had the time to sit down and consider the foods we eat. Is a carbohydrate the same as a starch? What does it mean when a food is labeled “organic” or “natural?” Does everyone need the same amount of macronutrients? How does food affect health? In this blog post, we’ll discuss just what is nutrition counseling so you can better grasp the value of this important natural health service.

How Does Nutrition Counseling Work?

At The Institute of Natural Health, we begin nutrition counseling with an assessment of a patient’s current diet behaviors and his or her understanding of food. We discuss the relationship between food and wellness and how choosing one food or diet over another can affect both mental and physical health. With the help of a nutrition counselor, patients then look at their lifestyle, habits, and resources and identify dietary changes that could be made to improve their level of fitness and provide protection against disease. Together, counselors and patients determine the obstacles that might pose a challenge to these changes and work to find a manageable plan for addressing them. Support is ongoing for as long as the patient feels it’s needed.

Why Nutrition Counseling is Needed

Taking the time to realize how food plays a part in good health vs. disease and identifying the dietary changes that could be implemented in their own lives allows patients to maximize a personal plan for whole-body fitness. Furthermore, because nutrition counseling often involves the exploration of supplements, exercise regimens and/or other services that can amplify a patient’s overall well-being, patients are able to more quickly move towards success. Instead of wasting time searching for and trying certain products or programs — only to end up rejecting them — patients can make use of a nutrition counselor’s expertise, hastening the moment that diet, lifestyle and optimal well-being all collide!

Nutrition Counseling Benefits Everyone 

Proper nutrition ensures that we have enough of the nutrients we need to power our bodies and fight off disease. While it’s obvious sick patients might need nutrition counseling (as a possible way to combat poor health), it’s just as important for healthy people to assess their diet and relationship with food to determine if/where problems exist. Nutrition counseling is always customized to the individual at hand, so everyone has the opportunity to benefit from it!

The Institute of Natural Health Advantage

Quite often patients come to The Institute of Natural Health seeking help for one (or several separate) issue(s) and end up realizing that a more educated understanding of food and nutrition is actually the first step needed for achieving their goal(s). Wellness, after all, is dependent on a variety of factors. Our integrated and functional approach to healthcare allows us to address patient wellness with comprehensive insight. Our patients have nearly instantaneous access to nutrition counseling which means they are better equipped to more quickly see improvement in their health! Please contact us to learn more.