What to Expect from your consultation with a dietitian

Many people believe that a visit to the dietitian includes only a weight check and a diet plan. So, I decided it was time to make an article on what you should expect from your 1:1 consultation with your dietitian.

Firstly, you need to bear in mind that your clinical dietitian has a few goals for you apart from just helping you reach your ideal body weight. Goals like:

• Helping you to address your health-focused goals
• Helping you to achieve optimal nutrition; reaching your recommended daily intakes regarding macronutrients, vitamins and minerals.
• helping you to achieve a healthy relationship with food.
• helping you to eventually achieve an understanding on how you can plan appropriate meals and snacks by yourself

Of course, your consultation might not be exactly the same with the person next to you, as everyone sees a dietitian for different reasons, and everyone’s journey is different!

Your first consultation with a dietitian usually lasts for 1 hour (or even longer for some health conditions), so you will have the time to discuss your health issues and your concerns about your diet. 

Your dietitian will spend time asking you lots of questions and try to get a thorough history of your health, your eating habits and food intake and perhaps about your digestion or any symptoms you may be experiencing (I.e bloating, fatigue, constipation etc.).

But it’s not all about what your dietitian wants! She will also spend time working on what to include in your diet plan. Remember, each person is different and each diet plan should be created based on the individual’s needs, timetable and health factors.

The optimal time-frame for your next follow-up appointment will vary depending on what you have discussed with your dietitian, but an average timeframe would be booking a follow-up consultation in 2-3 weeks.

You may like to book a few appointments in advance – especially if you don’t have a very flexible timetable, to make sure you get a time that suits you!

Eleana Liasidou

Clinical Dietitian- Nutritionist, MSc