What is Nutritional Counseling? Is it Right For Me?
6 Minutes
Team Curative
Oct 9, 2024
What is nutritional counseling? Why is nutritional counseling important?
Getting your health on the right track can seem like an uphill battle. With so many wellness trends popping up, it’s easy to get overloaded with information.
The truth is, by simply analyzing the foods you eat, you can gain a lot of insight into the state of your health. With the support of licensed nutritionists, you can then make informed decisions that will help you lead a more fulfilling, happier life.
At Curative, we offer nutrition counseling through our affordable health insurance plan. For many, this is new territory. That’s why we’re breaking down this preventive health service so you can decide if it’s right for you.
What is nutritional counseling?
If you want to be on a path to a healthier diet, nutrition counseling is a great way to jumpstart your journey and ensure you’re making the right changes for you. Nutrition counseling involves working with a medical professional to better understand the impact nutrition has on your overall health.
The process of nutrition counseling involves:
Completing a nutrition assessment
Identifying your nutritional problems
Going over your needs and goals
Discussing ways to meet your goals
Creating a game plan
Monitoring your progress
Working through these steps helps to drive behavioral changes needed to reach your nutritional goals. There are many benefits to nutritional counseling. These changes can have a huge impact on the way you feel each day. They can also help prevent or manage illnesses like diabetes or heart disease.
Why is Nutritional Counseling Important?
Based on data from a 2023 Food and Health Survey by the International Food Information Council, the top four reasons people change their eating habits or follow new diets are to:
Lose weight. (43%)
Improve their physical appearance. (39%)
Feel better and have more energy. (39%)
Protect long-term health/prevent future health conditions. (33%)
Nutrition vs. dieting
Many people confuse nutrition and dieting when looking at methods of healthy weight loss — and while they may seem similar, they have some key differences.
Dieting refers to cutting out certain types of foods temporarily to achieve fast results. It’s often seen as a “quick fix” to weight problems, and many people buy into the diet trends that come and go.
On the other hand, nutrition deals with finding the right foods for your body. It’s all about discovering and maintaining a healthy balance of foods, so you’re getting the vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fats that support your overall health. With affordable health insurance plans, you can take advantage of nutrition counseling so you can make informed decisions about what changes to make.
Preventing future health problems
Taking preventive health measures is one of the best ways to ensure you’re healthy and happy in the future. Nutrition counseling is a smart first step in preventing chronic disease and an unhealthy lifestyle down the road.
In many cases, simply losing weight and eating foods right for your body can help reduce your chance of illness. If you’re struggling with your weight or are obese, nutrition is critical. Why? Being overweight can lead to:
High blood pressure
Heart disease
Stroke
Liver disease
Sleep apnea
Certain cancers
Nutrition counseling helps you implement certain practices, like portion control, which will lead to better overall health. It’s also a great way to learn what certain foods do for your body so you can start thinking of them like medicine instead of just meals.
Improving existing health conditions
In addition to preventing future issues, nutrition counseling is a great way to improve the state of your health today. This is especially beneficial if you're currently struggling with an eating disorder, diabetes, high blood pressure, or obesity. Eating the right foods can help you get control of your symptoms so you feel better and can do the things you love.
Nutrition counseling also helps promote other lifestyle changes like exercising more, cutting out alcohol, and stress management – all great habits for a healthy future. These changes not only help improve your existing physical health, but they can also lead to mental health improvements.
What happens at a nutrition counseling appointment?
It’s important to know what to expect before attending your first nutrition counseling appointment. This allows you to ask the right questions and get the most out of the experience. That said, the process is simple and engaging.
You’ll have a one-on-one meeting with a nutrition professional. The meeting can be in-person or virtual. Your counselor starts by asking questions and gathering information about your health, lifestyle, and dietary habits. Once they have enough information, they’ll create a personalized plan that considers your budget, lifestyle, and health requirements.
An important part of your nutrition counseling appointment involves education. You’ll learn important information about things like:
Fundamentals of nutrition
Eating a balanced diet
Portion control
Meal planning
How certain foods impact health
Your nutrition counselor will work with you hand-in-hand to ensure you’re reaching your goals.
Affordable health insurance & nutrition counseling with Curative
Part of your affordable health insurance with Curative involves coverage for nutrition counseling and support to help you reach your goals.
Care Navigator to find a nutritionist
Curative members can work with their Care Navigator to schedule a meeting with a nutritionist. Your Care Navigator will review a list of in-network providers with you and help find the right services to suit your needs.
For members in Texas: H-E-B Partnership
Through a partnership with H-E-B, Curative has made it easy for members to get nutrition counseling. As a covered benefit of our affordable health insurance plan, members can take advantage of H-E-B Wellness Nutrition Services after completing a Baseline Visit within 120 days of the plan's effective date.
This service covers:
Weight management
Childhood and family nutrition
Cancer nutrition support
Food allergy support
Digestive support
Sports nutrition
Cardiovascular health
Texas members also receive a weekly virtual touch-base and weigh-in to ensure the program is working. Learn more about Curative's weight management program options.
About Curative
Curative wants people to get the most out of their affordable health insurance benefits. That’s why we’ve created a plan that actually delivers results. We focus on affordability, engagement, and simplicity - so you’re confident you’re getting the care you need.
No copays. No deductibles. No...really. Curative is changing the way we view health insurance.
Make nutrition counseling part of your 2024 wellness plan and get on a path to better health. Get started today.
See all disclaimers here.
Resources
Vasiloglou, M. F., Fletcher, J., & Poulia, K. (2019). Challenges and Perspectives in Nutritional Counselling and Nursing: A Narrative review. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8(9), 1489. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8091489
Insight, F. (2023, May 26). 2023 Food and Health Survey. Food Insight. https://foodinsight.org/2023-food-and-health-survey/
Medical nutrition therapy for weight loss. (2023, December 14). Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/medical-nutrition-therapy-for-weight-loss
