Nutrition

Assessing Nutritional Needs

As part of personalizing your nutritional guidance, a Laurel Health expert will conduct a thorough nutritional assessment during your initial consultation. They will take your vital measurements to establish a baseline, which may include your height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC). You will also discuss any chronic health conditions you might have (re-occurring or long-term conditions), as these can influence your nutritional needs. 

Your provider may also recommend additional testing to review your current nutrient levels and how well your body is processing nutrients, including measuring organ function for your liver, heart, or kidneys. For example, if you have diabetes, you may have tests to measure your blood sugar. If you have heart disease, you may be asked to monitor your cholesterol. 

A dietary assessment can help you better understand the quality and quantity of the food you eat, your appetite, and food allergies. Your provider may also ask you to:

• Do a 24-hour food recall: During this assessment, you will recall all the food and beverages you had in the last 24 hours. 
• Fill out a food security questionnaire: These questions will assess your access to healthy food.
• Rate your typical stress levels: Stress can impact our physical and emotional health, including our eating habits and how our body responds.
• Discuss your sleep and exercise habits: Determining your level of physical activity and sleep health are also important parts of your initial assessment.

With this comprehensive information, we can offer you customized nutrition counseling and develop a plan to help you meet your health and wellness goals. 

Weight Management

Maintaining a healthy weight has a positive impact on well-being. If you are trying to lose weight, personalized medical guidance can help you achieve your unique weight loss goals in a healthy and sustainable way. 

If you have been diagnosed with obesity, your healthcare provider may refer you to a nutrition counselor. This is because obesity can contribute to severe health problems like stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer. Effective weight management can help improve your physical and mental health. 

At Laurel Health, we don't prescribe impossible-to-follow diets. We work with you to create a custom nutritional plan that's satisfying and sustainable. We also empower you with knowledge about healthy and unhealthy eating habits to help you tackle your goals like:

• Emotional eating: We can work together to assess how emotions affect your personal eating habits.
• Cravings: Learn the best strategies for moderating and managing cravings. If you're craving “junk food,” we'll work together to find healthier-but-still-tasty alternatives that could work for you. 
• Portion control: You'll learn how to fill your plate with the right amount of each nutrient and explore techniques for balancing your portions during meals. 
• Conscious eating: When you're more aware of what you eat each day, it's easier to make healthy food choices. 

Medical Conditions and Nutritional Support

Our nutrition experts are qualified to offer nutrition therapy for a wide range of health conditions. At Laurel Health, we prioritize holistic treatments that look at your health and body as a whole. A balanced diet can help fortify your immune system so that your body can better tackle illness and ward off certain health conditions.

We offer nutritional help for people facing various health conditions, including:

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Eating disorders
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• High cholesterol
• Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
• High blood pressure
• Thyroid disease

Our team offers science-based dietary plans tailored to you, whether you need a heart-healthy diet, low-carb nutritional plan, or another personalized approach. We'll also provide tailored guidance about dietary supplements like calcium and vitamin D to ensure you get all the nutrients you need to better your health. 

Your nutrition counselor will advocate for your wellness when collaborating with the rest of your care team to find the best nutritional solutions for you — taking your medical history, lifestyle, and medications into the big picture to make holistic recommendations for improving your quality of life.

Choose Laurel Health for Nutrition Counseling

At Laurel Health, you're at the heart of all we do. Our team designs our nutrition specialty care services around every individual patient's needs. Staffed by compassionate and knowledgeable experts, we can offer you nutritional services that speak directly to what's best for your health. Call us at 1-833-528-7354 or contact us online for an appointment or more information about our nutrition services.