HOW CAN A
DIETITIAN IN FITZROY HELP WITH YOUR NUTRITION?

In Australia, dietitians are qualified in nutrition however also undertake an additional course of study (usually a Masters degree) that includes substantial theory and supervised and assessed professional practice in clinical nutrition, medical nutrition therapy & food service management.

Dietitians use medical nutrition therapy to help treat a wide range of conditions including malnutrition, diabetes, heart disease, cancers, gastrointestinal diseases (such as IBD and IBS), food allergies, food intolerances, disordered eating as well as overweight/obesity and much more.

If you’ve never seen a dietitian before, you may be a little apprehensive about being judged about your eating habits/lifestyle. Dietitians are often referred to as the 'food police’ but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Your dietitian will consider you as a whole person, with no judgement – that is, your unique profile, such as your medical history, as well as your needs, goals and lifestyle. Your dietitian will also assess the body of scientific evidence, and will be flexible with the advice and support they will offer, on a case-by-case basis.

Only if that’s what you’re after or if that’s the best way to treat your condition.

Meal plans are just one of the tools dietitians have in their toolkit to help you create a balanced diet. Dietitians will always be guided by their patients, so if you’re after a meal plan, your dietitian will certainly provide you with one. However these will never be forced upon you. In fact, contrary to popular belief, dietitians don’t always like meal plans. We love giving our patients the tools they need to create a well balanced and sustainable diet that works for them well beyond the timeframe of a usual meal plan.

Referrals to dietitians are accepted but are not required. Medicare provides rebates for visits to dietitians who are treating chronic health conditions (such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer) under a care plan coordinated by a general practitioner. Visits to private practising APDs may also be covered by most private health funds.

Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS is characterised by abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and/or diarrhoea as well as excessive gas.

You should not diagnose yourself with IBS. This is because the symptoms of IBS often overlap with the symptoms of some more serious conditions, which your doctor will work to rule out first. Once your doctor is satisfied that IBS is the cause of your symptoms they will diagnose you with IBS and will likely refer you on to a dietitian for help to manage your condition.

FODMAPs are a group of sugars that aren’t absorbed properly in our gut. This leads to extra water and gas being drawn in to the gut, which can trigger symptoms in people with IBS. FODMAPs are found in a wide range of foods and will only produce symptoms in those who are intolerant to them i.e. people with IBS.

You should only follow a FODMAP diet if you have been medically diagnosed with IBS. The FODMAP diet protocol temporarily results in a decrease in fibre and also quality of life and so should not be undertaken unless medically indicated.

The aim of the diet is to identify what FODMAPs you are intolerant to and the level to which you are intolerant to them. The FODMAP diet is a 3 stage process. The diet begins with a 2-6 week period of high restriction and then transitions to a more relaxed diet where certain foods are gradually reintroduced and then in the final phase, your dietitian will personalise your FODMAP diet based on the results from the reintroduction phase.

Dietary restriction of poorly absorbed FODMAPs is a specialised area of nutrition. It is highly recommend that individuals with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) seek the guidance of a dietitian with experience in this area.