A dietitian (RD) is a regulated health professional who believes in the power of food to enhance lives and improve health. Dietitians translate the science of nutrition into terms you can understand. They can empower you to embrace food, to understand it, and to enjoy it.

Dietitians are held accountable to the highest standards of education and ethics, which means they look beyond fads and gimmicks to deliver reliable, life-changing advice. Dietitians are committed and required to staying on top of emerging research, skills, and techniques. They have the knowledge, compassion, and flexibility to help you achieve your goals based on your overall objectives as well as personal needs and challenges.

The biggest difference between dietitians and nutritionists lies in the legal restrictions that each title carries. Dietitian is a protected title across Canada, just like physician, nurse and pharmacist.   Some dietitians have a job title that includes nutritionist such as “community nutritionist”. To be sure you are accessing the most qualified nutrition professional, look for the initials RD or PDt (DtP in French) after the health professional’s name.

Dietitians have a degree in foods and nutrition from an accredited university program and undergo comprehensive and rigorous training, both on the job and in universities. Just like all regulated health professionals, dietitians are committed and required to stay on top of emerging research, skills, and techniques. They adhere to Principles of Professional Practice.

It’s one way you can be assured the advice and information you are receiving is sound. You wouldn’t ask a celebrity how to build a safe bridge, you’d ask a professional engineer. You wouldn’t ask your neighbour who has an interest in medicine to provide you with medical advice. The same thinking should apply for nutrition advice. Dietitians, just like engineers and medical doctors, are accountable to provincial regulatory bodies for the highest standards of education and ethics. These provincial regulatory bodies are in place to protect the public. They also serve as a point of contact for consumer complaints and malpractice. For more information or to verify if your nutrition provider is registered, contact the regulatory body in your province.

Titles like Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Certified Nutritional Practitioner, RONP, RNCP, ROHP, RHN, CNP are not the same as Registered Dietitian and do not indicate the person is a provincially regulated health professional. They are often used by those who have completed privately owned training programs that vary in length and rigor.

Make sure to check the qualifications of any health professional that provides advice on health and nutrition, especially when it comes to children. Getting the wrong advice could be harmful.

The process starts off with an Initial Consultation. During the initial one-hour consultation, Sara will collect relevant nutrition, behavior, and medical information from you. Together you will determine your nutrition/health goals for treatment and how to implement small, realistic changes into your dietary pattern. Basic nutrition education is provided, and a meal plan will be designed, and ready for the next appointment.

*If you are under 18, a parent or legal guardian is asked to attend the initial consultation. Their presence is not required at future sessions unless clinically indicated.

The following appointments will be Follow-Up Sessions. During the half-hour follow-up sessions, Sara will review your eating and behavior patterns since your last visit. The two of you will discuss what went well and where you may have struggled. Strategies along with more extensive nutrition education will be provided to help move you closer to your goals.

During your first visit, you are required to show up 15 minutes prior to your appointment start time to read and sign a confidential intake form. Your dietitian will then come and grab you from the waiting room, introduce themselves, and walk you to the dietitian’s office. You will then discuss with your dietitian your medical history, any health concerns, allergies, food preferences, lifestyle, and goals. This will all be relevant to the customized meal plan you will be receiving.

After your first appointment, you will be required to book a follow-up appointment in order to receive your meal plan and go over it with your R.D. Once this follow-up is complete, you and your R.D. will discuss the frequency of follow-ups required to monitor your progress.

This would depend on the reason for your visit. If the reason for your visit is a medical health concern, usually follow-ups are required more frequently than an individual whose goal is to lose weight. Medical health concerns usually require frequent monitoring, therefore it could range from one follow-up per week or one follow-up bi-weekly. Generally, weight loss visits require bi-weekly follow-ups. Regarding how long, this is again something you would determine with your R.D. The more you follow their recommendations, the more likely you are to achieve your goals!

This question varies on multiple factors. It depends from individual to individual due to genetics, chronic or acute conditions, and your ability to follow the meal plan and recommendations by your R.D. Some individuals achieve their goals within a short period of time while others achieve their goals slowly. Our R.D. will work on you.

Your meal plan can definitely be altered upon voicing any concerns, reactions, or results. It is important to be honest and communicative with your R.D. in order for them to alter your meal plan to suit your needs and your goals. This is the reason to attend follow-ups regularly in order to stay on track and have your meal plan altered should it be necessary.

The initial consultation and meal plan are $220. We also have packages, including Nutrigenomix Genetic Testing and/or personal training programs. A 30-minute follow-up is $75, and a 45-minute follow-up is $100. Any extra services, such as body fat testing, will procure additional charges.

Food allergy testing can be inaccurate most of the time and quite expensive. This is why we shy away from this and instead use Nutrigenomix Genetic Testing in order to determine the foods that work the best with your body according to your genetics. A gentle cheek swab is taken and sent to the lab where dozens of your genetic markers are tested in order to provide a detailed and accurate report on which sources of food works best for your genes. Find out more about Nutrigenomix on our website.