Many people think they can’t possibly change their eating and lifestyle habits, but when confronted with the possibility that a person’s eating habits can cause a severe decrease in quality of life or even threaten their health, it can give people the motivation to make meaningful change. But you don’t have to wait until your health is on the line to seek help. Nutrition counselling can help you make important, sustainable changes to your quality of life now and for years to come. As the new year approaches, now is the time to make a resolution to take control of your health and to use your motivation for improvement to make it a reality. Nutrition counselling is your first step to a healthier, longer life and a better sense of self.

How Can Nutrition Counselling Help Me?

You develop your relationship with food from a young age, as you learn what to eat, how much to eat, and how to cook for yourself. Breaking out of these habits that are so ingrained in your life takes an outside perspective from a trained professional. Nutrition counselling will help to:

Teach you what healthy eating is for you. Not everyone needs to eat the same types or amounts of foods. What you need will depend on a variety of factors, including any health conditions or dietary restriction, your level of physical activity, your age, your metabolism, and more. As you explain your lifestyle and medical needs to your nutrition counsellor, they will teach you how to account for this in your diet.
Explain how your body uses different nutrients. Nutrition counselling helps you to understand how the food you eat affects your body and how different nutrients impact your body’s ability to function. They will explain the nutritional content of different foods and teach you how to read nutrition labels so that you can understand what you’re putting into your body and how it will affect you.
Alter your relationship with food. Understanding how food affects your mind as well as your body and realizing the relationship between food and behaviour will help you be able to make sustainable changes to your diet. Nutrition counselling can help you to break habits such as stress eating, overeating, gravitating to fat, salty, or sweet foods, and more.

Why Do People Choose Nutrition Counselling?

There is no wrong reason to start nutrition counselling and begin living a healthier life. Many people choose to begin nutrition counselling to:

Manage Or Prevent Disease
Dietary habits are a consequential cause of many health conditions such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic disease, and more. Many people turn to nutrition counselling when they are told by medical professionals that they are diagnosed with or at risk of developing serious conditions. Other people who live with chronic conditions use nutrition counselling to help them manage pain and symptoms through healthy eating. But anyone can use nutrition counselling to help them begin eating intentionally to take control of their health and lower their future risk of developing disease, therefore extending the length and quality of their life.
Lasting Wellness
Nutrition counselling helps people build healthy, sustainable habits. Unlike fad diets, nutrition counselling teaches you how to enjoy healthy eating and integrate it as a part of your lifestyle. By breaking past habits and building new ones, nutrition counselling facilitates learned wellness without an end date.
Weight Loss
Eating better helps people lose weight and keep it off. Some people choose to lose weight to feel better about how they look in a healthy and sustainable way. Some people choose to lose weight for medical reasons, such as reducing stress on their joints or lowering their risk for weight-related health complications. Others want to lose weight to improve their mental health and self-perception. Whatever the reason, nutrition counselling can help people to reach their goal weight through healthy living instead of through damaging and unsustainable dieting.

Professional Nutrition Counselling To Start Your Year Right

Whether you want to control your weight, manage your health, or learn to eat and live healthier, nutrition counselling can help you reach your goals. At Shephard Health, our nutrition counselling services help people understand how food fuels their bodies and impacts their overall health and wellness. Nutrition counselling helps men and women improve the quality and length of their lives while creating a sense of control over their health. If you want to kick off your new year with a sustainable health plan, contact Shephard Health at 1-403-543-7499 to book a consultation.

FAQ

Q: What does nutritional counselling include?
A: The first step in nutritional counselling is to book your complimentary consultation. After this, when you are ready to start your nutrition counselling journey, there will be follow-up visits where a nutrition counsellor will analyze your food journals and guide you in your meal planning, food shopping, and food preparation. Shephard health also assists you with long-term goal setting, and we encourage and support you along your journey towards better health.

Q: What concerns can nutrition counselling address?
A: Nutritional counselling provides tailored, realistic solutions for any person at any age who is experiencing challenges in their health or eating habits. Shephard Health has developed programs for every member of your family! We utilize nutrition counselling for weight loss and for health concerns such as:

Acne & skin conditions
Food cravings
Depression
Detoxification
Food allergies
Disease prevention (i.e. cancer/osteoporosis/arthritis)
Hormone imbalances
Low energy and fatigue
Sleep issues

Q: I’ve recently been diagnosed with a dietary restriction. Can nutrition counselling help me?
A: Yes, nutrition counselling can help you learn how to eat healthy foods while accommodating your dietary restrictions and allergies. Our nutrition counsellors can help you learn more about your body and how your new dietary restrictions may affect your health. Many people with newly diagnosed allergies or dietary restrictions benefit from nutrition counselling as they learn to adjust their eating.