How To Prepare For Your Dietitian Consultation – The Food Treatment Clinic

Seeing a dietitian can be quite literally life changing if you get the correct dietary advice to suit your needs. Dietitians are trained to extract the vital information that they need from you, but it can still be quite a challenge at times. If the dietitian fails to get all the correct information, they may draw inaccurate conclusions and you will not get the results you want.

So here are a few ways to prepare for your consultation to make sure you are getting the best possible advice.

1. Keep a diary. If you rely on your memory to tell the dietitian what you eat and drink then you will make mistakes. This will lead to an inaccurate assessment by the dietitian. Instead, keep a diary for 1-2 weeks prior to going to the consultation and write everything down including drinks, sweets, bits of the kids food or a bite of your partners deserts.
2. Keep a symptom log. Digestive health problems can be really irregular and so trying to recall their exact pattern is difficult from memory alone. Instead, keep a log of your symptoms including what your stools look like, how often you go to the toilet and if you have any urgency. This may seem like a little OTT but when a client comes in with this information it is far easier to match to the appropriate diet needed.
3. Bring a list of medications. Medications can affect lots of diet related issues and trying to remember a list of long scientific names is never a great idea. Instead, bring in a list of your prescriptions for the dietitian to have a look over.
4. Bring a list of investigations. Many people do not need medical investigations so this may not be relevant. However, if you have had any scans/ cameras or blood tests then bringing a list is very useful. It may be that you need further tests and the dietitian will be able to contact your GP in order to organise this.
5. If you have IBS make sure you have been diagnosed correctly. IBS is a terminology which gets thrown around and actually the symptoms may be something else altogether. If you have not had the correct IBS diagnosis then this will prevent you from going on to the low FODMAP diet. Read this guide to find out what you need to do: https://thefoodtreatmentclinic.com/2016/10/19/how-to-get-an-official-ibs-diagnosis/[spacer height=”20px”]
6. Write down questions beforehand. Often we forget to ask the questions we really wanted to during consultations with healthcare professionals. So make a list and bring it with you.
7. Be organised. Most dietitians (including myself) see back to back clients and so if you are late then your consultation will be cut short. Consultation times are specifically designed for you to get what you need and so the chances are that you may leave feeling rather rushed. Also, if you arrive in a rushed and stressed state then you are far less likely to take in important information.[spacer height=”20px”]
8. Wear Appropriate Clothing. The dietitian will want to take body measurements from you. This will require you to be bare foot for part of the consultation and to remove outer garments (coat/jumper). So probably best avoid wearing short skirts/ tights/ many layers of clothes or shoes which take a long time to put on or take off. All of this will make for a much more relaxed consultation for you.

If you would like to book into my clinic for next week or have any questions about what you have read today please contact me.

© The Food Treatment Clinic LTD 2016. All Rights Reserved.

Kirsten Jackson Consultant Dietitian BSc Hons, RD, PG Cert

Kirsten Jackson is a UK registered Consultant Gastroenterology Dietitian and founder of The Food Treatment Clinic. She has undergone many qualifications to get where she is today, including a UK BSc Honours Degree in Dietetics and Post-Graduate Certificate in Advanced Dietetics. In addition to this, she has FODMAP Training from Kings College London University. Kirsten set up The Food Treatment Clinic in 2015 after first experiencing digestive problems herself. She felt that the NHS was unable to provide the support individuals needed and went on to specialise in this area before opening a bespoke IBS service. Kirsten also participates in charity work as an Expert Advisor for the IBS Network. In addition, she can be seen in publications such as Cosmopolitan and The Telegraph discussing IBS as an Official Media Spokesperson to the IBS Network.