Clinical dietitian – what characterizes him/her?

Dietetics is a very broad field, and therefore there are different specializations within it. One such specialist is a clinical dietitian, who is concerned with the diet of people who are going through a disease at some point in their lives. Such a specialist has an in-depth knowledge of how the patient should be fed at a particular stage of the development of the disease, so that the diet supports recovery. It is therefore necessary to know not only the functioning of the digestive system itself, but first of all the relationships between it and other systems in the human body. What else does such a person do?

Clinical nutritionist – what his job consists of?

A person in this profession helps both patients suffering from serious diseases, such as cancer, and those struggling with lighter diseases, but of a chronic nature. At this point, it is worth noting that many ailments require changes in current eating habits, which can be difficult for a significant number of patients. A clinical nutritionist knows how to plan a diet so that it does not contribute to the development of a medical condition.

The visit is based on a dietary interview and determining what health problems the patient is struggling with. In some cases, if symptoms are inconclusive, a specialist may recommend additional testing to confirm or rule out a particular medical condition.

What else is worth knowing about the work of a clinical nutritionist?

Once the type of disease has been determined, the specialist prepares a nutritional plan for the following weeks. In addition, it provides the patient with information on which products should be avoided or completely eliminated from the diet, and which should be consumed more often. Clinical dietitians are most often used by people who struggle with such ailments as insulin resistance, diabetes, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism or Hashimoto’s disease.