The mouth is the gateway to the rest of your body, so the foods that you regularly consume have a significant impact. After all, we have all heard the saying: “you are what you eat.” At Murphy Dental Home, we understand the huge impact that food has on overall wellbeing, so we are happy to offer nutritional counseling to our patients to develop healthier eating habits. To learn more about nutritional counseling, give us a call!
What Is Nutritional Counseling?
Nutritional counseling brings together a variety of different services that address dietary patterns and behaviors. Many patients can benefit from nutritional counseling for a variety of reasons. This can include managing medical conditions, completing dietary assessments, getting inspiration for meal options, and more. By understanding the nutritional value of your diet, you can work to adjust it to best promote your over wellbeing and even promote healing.
What Happens During Nutritional Counseling?
Everyone’s experience is a little bit different because each person is unique. During nutritional counseling, you will spend some time with us so we can get to know you, your concerns, and your goals. Here are the main steps.
- Health History: First, we will go over your medical history. We will talk about conditions that you have, medications and supplements that you are taking, food allergies, sensitivities, digestive difficulties, and more. We will also discuss your physical activity levels and your current eating habits.
- The Basics: Next, we will go over the ways that different foods impact your health and the way you feel. We will discuss emotions regarding foods, hunger cues, reading nutrition labels, and your overall relationship with food. If you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to let us know.
- Setting Goals: Taking into account your unique needs, we will discuss the goals you have and help to put together a plan to achieve them. We will show you realistic adjustments you can make without sacrificing your enjoyment.
The Benefits of Nutritional Counseling
There are numerous benefits of nutritional counseling. Here are some of the most notable ones:
- Managing Chronic Conditions: The way you eat can lower your risk of developing chronic conditions. If you currently have a chronic disease, like diabetes, nutritional counseling can help you better manage it.
- Maintaining Healthy Weight: Being overweight increases your risk of numerous health conditions, including life-altering conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea, and more. Nutritional counseling can help you keep your weight within a healthy range, reducing your risk of these conditions.
- Feel Better: By improving your diet, you can increase your energy levels, enhance your sleep, improve your digestion, and boost your mood!
- Develop Healthy Habits: The focus of nutritional counseling is to gradually and realistically improve your eating habits. This will provide you with the tools and knowledge you need to make good choices for life!
