If you struggle with ideas for healthier nutrition, try this: hire a registered dietitian and go for colorful food.

 

Taking the Mystery out of Nutritional Counseling

If you’re like most of my clients then there’s a certain mystery about how to get help for improving your nutrition. There’s finding a good fit with a qualified professional. There’s the insurance piece. And, there’s the difficulty in explaining what you need in terms of counseling. Here is a how-to for taking the mystery out of nutritional counseling and 3 meal plans to get you started with healthier nutrition right now.

Finding a good fit with a qualified professional dietitian. There are a couple of places to find registered dietitians who may be able to help you out. One that I recommend is this: www.eatright.org (find a nutrition expert.) After looking through the list of registered dietitians close to your zip code area, explore and contact them, ask questions, and decide if this may be a good fit for you. My nutrition services, by telehealth, are described here.

The insurance piece. If you have current health insurance then call the Member Customer Service team and ask whether your policy includes benefits for nutritional counseling with a professional registered dietitian. If the answer is yes then ask what exactly your benefits are? This will possibly lead you to other questions you want to have answered. Don’t forget to ask about the in-network or out-of-network status of a registered dietitian in your local area and how that affects your benefits, too.

Explaining what kind of nutrition help you need. There is definitely no ‘one size fits all’ for nutritional counseling. Each individual has unique needs and they include many specifics such as the examples below. The best way to figure out how a registered dietitian can help you most is to ask her/him!

• help with managing blood sugar levels
• help with eating well to lower blood pressure
• help with a diagnosis of celiac disease
• help with slow, steady, and realistic weight loss
• help with new ideas for lunch or dinner
• help with getting organized for more affordable grocery shopping
• help with learning to cook healthier meals
• help launching a healthier eating routine in a busy family

3 Easy Meal Plans to get you going

If you are out of ideas then these 3 easy-to-fix meals are a fresh, new beginning.

1. Egg omelet with grated Parmesan cheese + Half a bagel + Banana smoothie. Quickie Smoothie recipe: Blend together a ripe banana and milk. If you have it on-hand, add a couple drops of vanilla.
2. Tuna, Salmon, or Chicken from a can on salad greens + Tomato & pesto on whole wheat pita + Fresh orange. Quickie Pita sandwich recipe: Spread prepared pesto onto a whole wheat pita bread, top with slices of tomato. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and a little fresh lemon juice.
3. Easy Homemade Macaroni & Cheese + Steamed green beans + Side salad of your choice. Quickie Mac & Cheese recipe is here.

More resources for you. Here are some more ideas and recipes to consider trying as your lifestyle evolves to a healthier one:

• A collection of yummy breakfast recipes are here.
• A collection of plant-based ideas are here.
• A collection of lunch ideas are here.
• A heart-healthy dinner with fish is here.

Jump into a Healthier Lifestyle, forever!

There is no substitute for feeling well day-after-day. And, research continues to show that healthy nutrition plays a big role in how we feel and how healthfully we age. From all registered dietitians in this country and around the world, please call on us to help you appreciate, afford, learn, and put healthier nutrition into practice – forever. We are here to help. I offer a few Mediterranean Meals and Recipes in a free download and look forward to beginning a friendly and professional conversation with you.

Have you met with a registered dietitian and how did it help you?