Nutritional Consultation

Nutritional Consultation

Nutritional consultation is an ideal way to start losing weight.

What should nutritional consultation include?

• Nutritional analysis and a detailed review of eating habits
• Determining and investigating the causes
• Individual recommendations which do not only suit your everyday life but also optimise your diet. Advising you how to select low-calorie foods.
• Behavioural training
• Offering nutritional advice on diseases such as diabetes and allergies with the help of your GP.
• Individual and/or group work
• An important part of nutritional consultations is developing a physical work out programme.

Qualifications of the Nutritionist:

The job title "Nutritionist" is not proprietary therefore anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. The qualifications of a nutritionist range vastly. Some nutritionist obtain their qualifications from weekend seminars whilst others spend years studying "Nutrition" at university or college. You should always research the educational background of the nutritionist you intend on visiting. An MD (medical doctor) title is not sufficient! Most doctors who do not specialise in nutrition cannot offer a qualified nutritional consultation because nutrition is not taught in great depth at medical school.

Expenses

The expenses of nutritional consultation are subsidized by the health insurance companies (30 to 85%) however only if you are transferred by your GP (e.g. if you have diabetes.) Get all necessary information beforehand from your health insurance company.

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Hungry for Change: Ditch the Diets, Conquer the Cravings, and Eat Your Way to Lifelong Health, James Colquhoun, Laurentine ten Bosch, Mark Hyman

Criteria for choosing a nutritionist:

• Education
• Industry and investor independent (Most nutritionists try to sell diet products! The nutritional consultation ends up being a way of acquiring clients. Avoid diet counsellors who offer and sell vitamin and diet supplements. The aim of nutritional consultation should be to guide and help you plan your diet so that it is healthy and low in calories. For this reason there is no need for supplements of any kind).
• The consultation should not be based on extreme, outdated or one-sided principles! (Avoid nutritionists that demand extreme and one-sided nutrition.)

Nutritional Consultation: Evaluation

Advantages:

• A good nutritionist is able to deal with your individual situation and problems.
• A nutritional analysis highlights the mistakes made in your diet. The consultation will then be based on trying to avoid making these mistakes in the future.
• The regular appointments help to establish a certain social control of your behaviour.

Disadvantages:

• The sessions can cost up to 50 EUR an hour. This would be covered only partially by your health insurance if at all.
• Time-consuming! One single session is not enough. Learning how to create a well-balanced diet takes a long time.
• Group consultation: Losing weight in a group can be motivating, however some people are not comfortable with discussing their personal eating habits and problems in front of other people.

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Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss, Revised Edition, Joel Fuhrman