Do you ever feel like the amount of information out there about food is overwhelming? Do you feel like the rules about “good food” are always changing? One minute something is healthy for you and the next day there’s an article about how bad it is for you. For example the recent healthy food crises – coconut oil. This article and this article are two conflicting news stories about coconut oil, both from reliable news sources. So who do you believe?
Even if you feel like you’ve got a fairly good handle on what to eat and what not to eat, it can still feel like a lot of work to research and plan your meals. And maybe what you’ve been doing, isn’t even what’s best for your goals. If you want help improving your diet, your athletic performance, and your overall style, maybe consider hiring a nutritionist.
A quick note before we continue. Understand the difference between a nutritionist and a dietician. A nutritionist is a bit broader and less regulated of a term than dietician. While most nutritionists study nutrition in school or have completed other types of educational programs, a dietician typically needs licensing, certifications, and supervised training. Both can help you reach your goals, but it’s up to you to determine which you’d feel most comfortable with.
Here are just a few of the benefits you can get from hiring a nutrition specialist.
Personalized diet plans
A nutritionist’s main goal is to help you improve your diet. The last thing they want to do is give you a cookie-cutter diet solution. When you meet with a nutritionist, they’ll do lots of investigating into your lifestyle—the typical foods you eat, your weaknesses, your health history, and your fitness routine. By taking all this information into consideration, they can use their expertise to give you a diet plan specific to you. They’ll help you take the guesswork out of choosing food.
Effective weight-loss or weight-gain routines
Whether you’re trying to cut weight or put on some healthy muscle mass, a nutritionist can help you achieve these goals. Having trouble losing or gaining weight? Or maybe you’re making progress but it feels like it’s taking forever. A nutritionist will take your lifestyle and goals into consideration when making a meal plan. Many times, they can also help give maintenance strategies like journaling, mindful eating, assisted grocery shopping, or simply helping to keep you accountable.
Help manage and prevent chronic diseases
If you have diabetes (Type 1 or Type 2), Crohn’s Disease, IBS, hypertension or some other disease, a nutritionist can help you manage your symptoms. And of course, they take any dietary restrictions into consideration. If your diet is a main factor contributing to your disease, a nutritionist may even be able to help lessen the severity.
If you’re interested in learning more about nutrition and how it can help you reach your goals faster, you may benefit from a free consultation at Integral Wellness.
