Do I need to see a Dietitian?

For some of us, we may ask the question "Do I need to see a dietitian, would it benefit me?'

In many cases people go about their lives without thinking too much about this question or about the nutritional content of their food choices. However, there may be times when good nutrition could help prevent or manage a number of health conditions such as iron deficiency, diabetes, high cholesterol or maintaining a healthy weight.

Everyone eats food, so we all think we are experts when it comes to what constitutes a good diet. For some it may be the quality of the ingredients or choosing to only use organic, minimally processed food. Others may choose to buy locally to ensure food is fresh and to support local producers. Then there is the plethora of diets online promising to address any and all health conditions.

For individuals who may have a specific health condition e.g. diabetes, heart disease, kidney failure, or osteoporosis, then dietary changes will help and speaking to a dietitian is recommended. Dietitians will give advice tailored to your needs and prevent you from going down the internet rabbit hole with 101 suggestions on what to do (most not fact checked).

In the case of individuals who consider themselves healthy and want to know how to stay healthy for the long term, then a good place to start would be to assess your eating patterns. This can be done by taking the below quiz to see how your diet compares to what is recommended by evidence-based research:

Are you eating for health? (Taken from the Australian Dietary Guidelines Summery document 2013)

Take this quick quiz for adults. Give yourself one point for each question you answer 'yes' to:

1. Do you eat at least 5 serves of vegetables every day? (A serve is 1 cup of salad, or ½ cup cooked vegetables.)

2. Do you eat at least 2 serves of fruit every day? A serve is 1 medium piece or 2 small pieces of fresh fruit, or one cup of chopped or canned fruit (no added sugar).

3. Do you have at least 2 serves of milk, yoghurt, cheese or alternatives every day? (for example, 2 slices of cheese, a small tub of yoghurt (preferably no added sugar), 1 cup of milk or 1 cup of soy milk with added calcium).

4. Do you eat mostly wholegrain cereals (such as high fibre breakfast cereal and wholemeal bread)?

5. Do you eat at least a small serve of lean meat or chicken (fat and/or skin cut off) or fish, or eggs or nuts or legumes every day? (Legume examples: lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans and baked beans)

6. Do you drink plenty of water every day and limit drinks with added sugars, such as soft drinks, cordial, energy drinks and sports drinks?

7. Do you limit takeaway foods such as pizzas, commercial burgers, hot chips or other deep-fried foods to once a week or less?

8. Do you limit store-bought cakes, muffins, biscuits, pies and pastries to once a week or less?

9. Do you limit salty foods like processed meats (for example, salami and bacon), crisps and salty snacks to once a week or less and avoid adding salt during cooking or at the table?

10. Do you drink no more than 2 standard drinks containing alcohol on any one day?

How did you score?

4 or less points: It's time to make a change.

4 - 6 points: There is room for improvement

6-8 points: Keep going you are nearly there.

8-10 points: Well done, you are eating for health.

For those who score 4 or less and are unsure on how to make changes then speaking with a dietitian can be a good place to start.

Another more detailed questionnaire to assess your eating habits is The Healthy Eating Quiz.

https://healthyeatingquiz.com.au/

This quiz was devel­oped by Profes­sor Clare Collins and the nutri­tion and dietet­ics research team at the School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medi­cine and Prior­ity Research Centre for Phys­i­cal Activ­ity and Nutri­tion at the Univer­sity of Newcastle.

For more information on the Australian dietary guidelines visit the eat for health website:

www.eatforhealth.gov.au

National Health and Medical Research Council (2013) Australian Dietary Guidelines Summary.

Canberra: National Health and Medical Research Council.