Why Talking to Someone about Your Nutrition Matters. Have you ever thought about seeing a Registered Dietitian or Health Educator but shied away? I get it, I have too. In college I battled digestive issues triggered by food sensitivities. Instead of going to see a dietitian, though, I was determined to keep limping along. I ended up with a long road of testing, supplements, removing food items, and healing my gut. The process was absolutely worth it and made me fall in love with nutrition, but it definitely could have been a way simpler fix had I gone to see a dietitian sooner.
Let’s break it down
How silly the hesitation to get nutrition help really is. Pretend you have a persistent leak in your kitchen sink. Every time you use it, a puddle forms under your cabinet. You know it’s a problem. It bothers you. In fact, you can see the hardwood floors starting to stain and weaken. The puddle is growing and making you anxious, but you refuse to call a plumber. Maybe you put down some towels to cover the problem or maybe you even try to fix it yourself by looking online. Everything you try seems to not work or to even make the situation worse. By the time you call a plumber, you’re standing knee-deep in dirty water with a floor giving way under you!
Okay, you see where I’m going here. The point is: don’t wait to talk to someone about your nutrition. If something in your digestion seems off, if you can’t keep your weight where you want it, if eating is stressful, or if your family has a history of weight-related disease – talking to a nutrition professional can help. Sometimes, simple tweaks in diet or exercise are all you need to prevent future health ailments. If cost or time is keeping you from getting a nutrition professional’s help, consider this example of a preventative disease:
“People with diagnosed diabetes incur average medical expenditures of $16,752 per year, of which about $9,601 is attributed to diabetes. On average, people with diagnosed diabetes have medical expenditures approximately 2.3 times higher than what expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes” (American Diabetes Association, 2018).
The alternative for those at risk for diabetes: nutrition sessions with a Registered Dietitian or Health Educator. An RD or HE can provide education on the disease and help with blood sugar control and weight management. These sessions cost $0-75 per session depending on insurance coverage. The time commitment is 30-60 minutes every week.
That’s just one example of why seeing a trained nutrition professional is worth it. Reach out for help before you end up knee-deep in dirty water with a floor giving way under you. Take control of your health before it takes control of you.
Source: https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2018/03/20/dci18-0007
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