In much the same way as we visit a doctor for a physical check-up, many people visit their dietitian to get routine nutritional check-ups.

These begin with an initial meeting to discuss your medical background and assess your health risks, concerns and goals. The dietitian looks non-judgementally at what you are eating, and recommends science-based, practical suggestions for optimizing your eating patterns. These recommendations are tailored to your health goals, and are sensitive to the factors that influence how and what you eat - including your budget, restaurants, and daily schedule.

Together, you and your dietitian discuss strategies you feel you can reasonably incorporate into your daily life. Your dietitian then meets with you periodically, as often as you wish, providing coaching and support to help you sustain your healthy changes long-term and continuously improve your wellbeing. More and more North Americans are expanding their personal health care team to include the expertise of a registered dietitian (RD).

At your request, your dietitian will work with the rest of your health care team to ensure coordinated care. It is estimated that every $1 spent on nutrition counselling saves $12 on future health care costs. Clearly, nutrition education is a worthwhile investment