Medical Nutrition Therapy With a Nutrition Expert Can Help You
Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT), also called nutrition counselling, is an individually tailored plan to treat or manage a disease through nutrition. A nutrition expert or dietitian, often working with your other medical professionals, will help you to improve your health and quality of life through the food you eat.
A Registered Dietitian will conduct a nutrition assessment and then make recommendations to improve a condition, illness, or injury affecting you. You can see us for Medical Nutrition Therapy online or at our clinics.
What Conditions Can Medical Nutrition Therapy Help With?
Medical Nutrition Therapy is evidence based nutrition guidance to treat a range of medical conditions, injuries or diseases. Below are some of the more common issues we see, but there are others including osteoporosis, cancer, post-surgery and after bariatric surgery, celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, liver disease and more.
Using Medical Nutrition Therapy To Treat Diabetes
The focus of using MNT to treat type 1 and 2 diabetes is often on blood glucose/blood sugar levels, meal planning and carbohydrate counting.
Type 2 diabetes management and control is greatly impacted by your diet and is one of the more common conditions to treat with nutrition therapy. Your doctor may encourage you to explore working with a Registered Dietitian at the first signs of diabetes. This can help you to get ahead of the condition and manage it and is often the first step before prescribing medication.
It can also be helpful in helping to stabilize patients with Type 1 diabetes.
Nutrition Counselling for Gastrointestinal Disorders
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn's Disease, colitis, leaky gut, and many other disorders that directly affect our digestive system could be treated using medical nutrition therapy.
This is another common area of focus for MNT as what we eat passes through our GI tract. Patients with these disorders learn that a tailored approach is needed to treat and manage these conditions so they can feel comfortable.
An approach may be using low FODMAP foods, reviewing fiber intake, fluids, and movement.
Heart Disease Through Diet Counselling
Heart disease is often linked to high blood cholesterol and the focus for MNT is often on prevention. Diet counselling will often include management of blood cholesterol, including limiting saturated and trans-fats in the diet to improve LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol levels.
Nutrition Expert Help with Hypertension or High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure increases the risk for stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease. The focus of MNT will be around limiting salt/sodium intake and increasing potassium rich foods. Your dietitian or nutritionist may recommend the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet or other nutrition strategies.
Treating Kidney Disease Through MNT
Treating kidney disease is complex. The intake of protein, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and fluids will be carefully regulated and reviewed for optimal results. There are a variety of factors that will play into the treatment of kidney disease including the progression or condition, age of the patient, and other factors related to diet.
Nutrition Counselling to Help With Obesity
A nutrition expert will help with portion control, caloric intake, balancing nutrients, behaviour modification and exercise, and support. Nutrition interventions can help with weight loss and long term weight management. You may also explore your relationship with food and nutrition, lifestyle habits, and eating habits for a personalized nutrition plan.
Getting Help With Food Allergies and Intolerances
Some of the most common food allergies include eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat and soy. Symptoms or reactions to a food allergy can range from mild to severe. A nutrition professional can help with learning to avoid the food, cross contact and contamination, and label reading.
Medical Nutrition Therapy for Dysphagia or Difficulty Swallowing
When you have difficulty with chewing or swallowing food, a diet counsellor can help you learn how to modify your diet for appropriate textured food and fluids type for safe swallowing, adequate nutrition and weight maintenance.
Your dietitian will look at ensuring that you have adequate nutrients from food and provide individualized dietary recommendations of suitable modified texture consistency to meet your calorie and protein requirements. You may also receive some recommendations on nutritional supplements.
What Are The Benefits of Nutrition Therapy?
There are many benefits in working with a nutrition expert. Working with a Dietitian you may see:
Improved Health
Achieve and maintain a more healthy body weight
Reduce the risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes
Protect against some forms of cancer
Increase your energy levels
Improved mental well-being
Better Digestive Health
Improve bone density
Manage diabetes
Enjoy healthy eating
Improving Your Appetite and Food Intake
FAQs on MNT and Nutrition Counselling
I don’t Live in Abbotsford or Chilliwack - Can I Meet with The Dietitian Online?
Yes! Absolutely. We offer virtual appointments with our Registered Dietitian for those living in remote areas, have difficulty getting to our clinics, or for time management. Whatever your reason, you can book an appointment for online nutrition therapy.
Is Online Nutrition Counselling The Same as In-Person
Meeting with your Dietitian online offers the same benefits as meeting at our clinic. You’ll want to make sure you have a secure internet connection and a quite confidential place where you are comfortable.
Is Medical Nutrition Therapy Covered Through Insurance?
Typically, when working with a Registered Dietitian, such as Vanessa on our team, most extended benefit insurance will cover this cost. Check with your employer or your employee benefit plan to check on coverage.
Book Nutrition Counselling Online, in Abbotsford or Chilliwack, BC
If you’re ready to see how nutrition therapy can help you to manage your condition or with prevention, contact us to book an appointment in Chilliwack or Abbotsford. You can also book with our Dietitian online.
