the Price of a Nutritionist

Per the strong advice of my doctor, I made an appointment with a registered dietitian. I was advised on general nutrition and we reviewed my weight and body mass index to help us project an intelligent plan for food consumption. Many reference materials were available, both academic and government sponsored. There was a plethora of sample plastic food items all around to give a realistic reference for appropriate portion sizes of one serving, which is tiny. Recipes and Vitamin C drink mix samples were freely available, which was very nice.

The appointment can only be categorized as a failure. Yes, there were extensive resources, visuals, handouts, equipment, etc. However, I went to an expert because I needed a tailored plan in response to a conflict between my need for a low-protein diet due to chronic acute gout and a need for low-carbohydrates due to diabetes. This conflict required expert nutritional problem solving skills, and this level of service was not available.

I would advise anyone going to a professional nutritionist to have a preliminary set of qualifying questions to have answered in order to determine the breadth of specialization and problem solving skills available to the nutritionist. We can all research government guidelines and food pyramids; we all know to eat more nutritionally dense food and less empty calories. But someone should be able to answer the hard to figure questions, even if it means ignoring all local nutritionists and finding a distant one online capable of the service you seek.