If you have never seen a dietitian before, you may be wondering about how the appointments work and what will happen during your sessions. It’s understandable if you have some apprehensions about what to expect which is why we’ve written this guide to help you to work out which clinic is right for you. Read on to find out more about how the Fresh Approach Nutrition clinics work.
Who will I see?
We have specialist dietitians who cover different diet-related conditions including IBS, digestive health conditions, weight management, chronic conditions and eating disorders. Below is an outline of each clinic to help you to understand which would be best suited to you.
- Digestive Health Clinic – This clinic is run by Sophie, our Lead dietitian. She sees individuals in this clinic with digestive health concerns such as IBS, diverticulitis, bloating, constipation, loose stools, and food intolerances. She works with clients in person at the clinic in Redland, Bristol or via online appointments; whichever works best for you. In an in-depth consultation, you’ll discuss your digestive health issues and come up with an action plan for the best way to tackle them.
- Eating Disorder Clinic – This clinic is headed up by Aoife, our Specialist Eating Disorder dietitian. It is designed for those who feel that they have a difficult relationship with food. Aoife is happy to see anyone who feels ready to make positive changes to the way they view food, whether or not you have a formal eating disorder diagnosis. Aoife will help you unravel the complexities of your relationship with food, offering you evidence-based strategies to foster a healthier mindset around food. Just to let you know, Aoife offers online appointments only and slots are limited.
- Weight Loss and Chronic Conditions Clinic – This clinic is run by Rachel, our Registered Dietitian and is for individuals who are looking to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way and/or they have a chronic condition which can be managed through diet such as pre-diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. She also has experience in sports nutrition and nutrition support for cancer so she is extremely knowledgeable. Rachel offers appointments in person at the clinic in Redland, Bristol or via online appointments; whichever works best for you. Rachel will use information about your lifestyle, routines and preferences to provide a tailored action plan that fits into and around your life. She’s all about long term, sustainable improvements to your diet and health so you won’t find any prescriptive meal plans here!
Here’s the lowdown about your appointments
So you think you know which dietitian/clinic is best for you, but you’d still like to know more about what happens during the appointments. Read on to find out:
During your appointment
During the appointment you will talk through what has led you to making your appointment in a bit more detail including information about any medical investigations you’ve had, if relevant, or anything that you’ve already tried to help with your condition. You’ll discuss your medical history, medications and supplements to make sure that your dietitian is up to speed with everything they need to consider as you go through the appointment. You may also discuss your symptoms in a bit more detail, for example if you are being seen in the digestive health clinic you will conduct a symptom tracker which rates your symptoms based on severity and you’ll complete the same tracker at follow up appointments to work out how your symptoms are improving over time.
You’ll then talk through your typical routine in relation to food, fluids and activity levels. You may be thinking ‘I don’t have a good routine, that’s the problem!’ That’s ok, we see that a lot and we’re here to help if that’s a particular difficulty for you.
Once your dietitian has completed the assessment part of the appointment, you will discuss next steps regarding follow up appointments. You may go away with some dietary and lifestyle changes to get started with after the initial appointment but this depends on time and will be discussed with you by your dietitian.
The real work will start at your first follow up appointment where you will start to learn more about dietary and lifestyle management strategies that can help your condition. The key thing you will go away with from appointments is a set of specific goals which are tailored to you, based on the dietary and lifestyle recommendations. Rather than provide you with a prescriptive meal plan we prefer to set goals which feel achievable for you based on your lifestyle, routine and preferences.
How do I book?
If you think you are ready to book, great! You can book via the website by going to the relevant page for Sophie’s Digestive Health Clinic, Aoife’s Eating Disorder Clinic or Rachel’s Weight Loss and Chronic Conditions Clinic Or, if you’re still unsure which dietitian is best for you or you would like to ask any questions, please get in contact with us at info@freshapproachnutrition.co.uk