2019
What does a dietitian do?
Accredited Practising Dietitians (APDs) are university qualified health professionals that provide evidence-based dietary advice for improved health outcomes.
APDs have a strong understanding of how diet can influence health and disease. They have the skills to translate their strong understanding of nutrition science into practical, easy-to-understand advice for their clients.
APDs must partake in ongoing training and education programs to ensure that they stay up to date with the most credible source of nutrition information.
What is the difference between a dietitian and nutritionist?
In Australia all dietitians are nutritionists, however, nutritionists without dietetic qualifications cannot say they are dietitians.
The main difference is that dietitians can provide medical-nutrition therapy. This is individualised dietary advice and counselling related to a specific medical condition i.e. Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
The Nutrition Society of Australia defines a nutritionist as “an individual who provides advice on matters relating to food and how it impacts on health.”
Nutritionists work in a range of different settings including research, program planning, nutrition consultants, public health or as food technologists.
What are the main conditions and services a dietitian at Hoys Allied Health + Wellness can help with?
A dietitian at Hoys Allied Health + Wellness can assist patients with a range of medical conditions such as:
- Type 2 diabetes, Type 1 diabetes, Gestational diabetes, pre-diabetes
- Malnutrition
- Overweight/ Obesity
- Paediatrics
- Eating disorders (Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, Disordered Eating).
- Cardiovascular disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Paediatrics (Fussy eating, Failure to thrive)
- Sports nutrition
Other dietitian services offered include:
- Individual or group supermarket tours.
- Individual or group cooking classes.
- Health and nutrition program planning.
- Group nutrition education sessions.
Click here for more information on dietitian services.
What happens in a one-on-one consultation with a dietitian at Hoys Allied Health + Wellness?
- The dietitian will start the consultation exploring your goal or reason for attendance.
- They will then complete a comprehensive nutrition assessment exploring your current medical history, any nutrition-related physical symptoms, medications/supplements, anthropometric measurements such as weight, medical tests, dietary intake, attitudes and beliefs around nutrition, social influences, and physical activity levels.
- Based on what the dietitian identifies during your consultation, they will then provide tailored nutrition advice, education and counselling to trigger dietary and lifestyle change.
- The dietitian will then develop a personalised plan with you to achieve your goal. This plan will involve practical dietary and lifestyle strategies that you can adopt. This may also involve the need to include other health professionals such as an exercise physiologist, general practitioner, psychologist or speech pathologist.
- The dietitian will then discuss plans for future review. Review appointments with a dietitian explore progress and address any barriers identified with achieving your goal.
What else can a dietitian do?
Not only, can a dietitian provide one-on-one dietary advice in clinics and hospitals, they can also work in a food service role where they impact the nutrition of residents and inpatients. Dietitians can also work in research and teaching, marketing and communications, food policy and food supply.
To make an appointment with an Accredited Practising Dietitian at Hoys Allied Health + Wellness contact 02 6652 7355, or view more information on our Dietetics & Nutrition services here
