Pollen counts are updated daily from February 15 to November 15.
Last Updated:
Food has a large impact on a person’s health. Choosing the right food can help with medical conditions like food allergies and improve your overall health. But knowing what to choose is not always easy. With dietitian services, you can discover what your body needs to achieve your health goals. For people with food allergies, this can be even more difficult. A dietitian can help a person to become aware of foods that they may be allergic to, but more importantly will help you navigate life with food allergies.
A dietitian seeks to improve their patients’ diets. There are two main services dietitians offer their patients: Nutrition assessments and education.
Using nutrition assessments and counseling, a dietitian will assess your overall diet. This includes all foods, beverages, and supplements they consume.
Our dietitian, Raquel Durban, will consider a patient’s food allergies, food allergy education level, and what your body needs. From there, a dietitian will create a treatment plan and recommend food or drink substitutions, supplements, vitamins, and more. They also aid in meal planning to ensure complete optimization of a patient’s nutritional health.
Dietitians want to help their patients understand food, dietetics, and their body, so they also offer nutritional education. Nutritional education can take a variety of forms. One of the most common is related to food allergens. If a patient has food allergies, a dietitian will take the time to ensure that their patient understands food allergen labeling. While you may know what your food allergens are, understanding how to check a nutrition label for these food allergens can be overwhelming. We want to make sure you are equipped with all the information you need to make healthy decisions while food shopping.
Dining out with food allergies can also be a stressful experience if you aren’t prepared. Our Dietician will help you to know what to look for, menu items to avoid, and questions to ask, to ensure your family’s safety, while also making sure you can enjoy your restaurant experience.
Another form of nutritional education is often offered to parents with newborns, and children diagnosed with food allergies. Dietitians outline and explain the foods, vitamins, and nutrients that parents need to incorporate into meals, along with providing guidance on the food allergen safety. For newborns with food allergies, our Dietician can recommend formulas that are safe for your new baby.
Taking care of a child with food allergies can be stressful, but our Dietician is here to lessen that burden. With food allergen education and a plan for food shopping, cooking, eating out, and ensuring you are prepared in case of emergency, this stress can be significantly reduced.
When you go to see a dietitian, you can expect the appointment to last around 45 minutes. During this time, a dietitian will conduct a full assessment. They will get to know you, your food allergies, what your diet is like, what your schedule is, and learn about your overall eating habits. In most cases, patients are asked to keep a food journal for at least a few days prior to their appointment.
After the assessment, you will be given the recommendations and planning tools that you need to achieve your goals.
Follow-up appointments and check-ins are common and are largely based on the needs of the patient. Most often, a person will need to check in with their dietitian every 3 to 6 months.
Carolina Asthma & Allergy Center is Charlotte’s largest asthma and allergy practice. Our team is made up of board-certified physicians who deliver patient-focused care to individuals of all ages. We are committed to educating our patients and improving the quality of their lives.
Schedule an appointment with a dietitian at Carolina Asthma & Allergy Center today!
For more information and resources about living with food allergies, or caring for a loved one with allergies please visit: Apfed.org, Foodallergy.org, fpies.org
A dietitian is a board-certified expert on food and nutrition. These individuals are highly educated in the fields of nutrition and dietetics, which is the science of food, nutrition, and its impact on the human body. Dietitians receive extensive training, schooling, and testing. They practice in many settings, including hospitals, outpatient clinics, research institutions, and more.
A dietitian is a food and nutrition expert that helps a patient to improve their diet, which improves their overall health.
No, you do not have to be referred by a doctor to see a dietitian. You just have to schedule an appointment.
Dietitians and nutritionists both focus on food, nutrition, and its effects on the body. However, dietitians often receive more education and are held to greater legal standards through government regulation. Being a dietitian requires licensure. This means that an individual must pass a rigorous exam and complete a supervised clinical program to serve as a dietitian.