Dietitian

What is a dietitian?

Registered dietitians are health care professionals who use their knowledge and expertise to support people in understanding and applying the principles of healthy eating throughout the entire lifecycle. They are well educated in the science and management of nutrition and dietetics. Dietitians use evidence-based decision-making in their practice and adhere to nationally established standards of practice monitored by provincial regulatory bodies.

What Nutrition Services are Available at Stonechurch?

Our registered dietitian can provide nutrition guidance for:

• diabetes (individual and group)
• heart health (cholesterol, blood pressure, congestive heart failure, etc)
• obesity, weight loss
• gastrointestinal disorders (diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel disease, reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, etc)
• nutrient specific requirements (iron, calcium, potassium, etc)
• renal disease
• cancer
• pediatric nutrition issues (picky eaters, failure to thrive, etc)
  
• food allergies and intolerance (celiac disease, lactose intolerance, etc)
• vegetarians
• healthy eating throughout lifecycle (pregnancy, infants, children, adolescents, adults, and elderly)
• healthy eating on a budget

• many more nutrition related issues!

How is Nutrition Information Delivered to Clients and Health Care Professionals?

• individual client counseling
  
• family counseling
  
• group workshops and self-management classes
• links to community resources and activities related to nutrition
• resident rounds and nutrition management seminars
• mentoring of nutrition, allied health and medical students
  

• case review and consultation

• nutrition assessment and counseling tips
• links to other reliable nutrition resources

How to Access the Registered Dietitian at Stonchurch Family Health Centre?

ROSTERED patients can access the services of the registered dietitian through referral from their health care professional.

Nutrition Links:

• Dietitians of Canada
  www.dietitians.ca
  Nutrition resource centre (tips, frequently asked questions and fact sheets)
• Eat Tracker
  www.eatracker.ca
  (track your eating and activity choices), virtual kitchen, virtual grocery store etc.
• Health Canada
  www.hc-sc.gc.ca
  (click on Food and Nutrition tab) - Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating, Food Labeling and Health or Nutrition Content Claims...
• Healthy Eating is in Store for You www.healthyeatinginstore.ca
  nutrition reading label tools
• Canadian Health Network (Public Health Agency of Canada) www.canadian-health-network.ca (click on Healthy Eating under topics)
• Canadian Diabetes Association
  www.diabetes.ca
  (click on DiebetesNutrition)
• Heart & Stroke Foundation
  www.heartandstroke.ca
  (click on Healthy Living tab, then Healthy Eating) healthy heart diet recommendations, cooking, eating out, DASH diet...
• Health Check (Heart & Stroke Foundation)
  www.healthcheck.org
• food labeling program to help guide healthy food choices
• Caring for Kids (Canadian Pediatric Society)
  www.caringforkids.cps.ca
• Healthy Eating
   Information about healthy nutrition for babies, children and teens
• Mission Nutrition
  www.missionnutrition.ca
  Healthy eating resources and activities for families
• Canadian Food Inspection Agency
  www.inspection.gc.ca
  (click on Consumer Centre, then scroll to Food Facts)
• Canadian Celiac Association
  www.celiac.ca
  information on Gluten free diet recommendations
• Aim for a Healthy Weight
  www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/patmats.htm
  (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute - USA)
  Diet and lifestyle recommendations to achieve a healthy weight
• Weight Control Information Network
  www.win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/for_life.htm#howcanilose
  (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases -USA)
  Information on healthy lifestyle habits to achieve a healthy weight and what to look for when choosing a weight loss program.
• Nuts Combat Unhealthy Cholesterol
• Fortified OJ Works as Well
• Sucralose Doesn't Boost Blood-Sugar
• WIC Program Improves Babies' Birth Weights
  Do pregnant women participating in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program have healthier babies? A new analysis of the nationwide spread of WIC since the first office opened its doors in 1974 finds that pre-natal WIC nutritional assistance is associated with a significant increase in babies' birth weight - important in its own right and as a predictor of later health. The gradual introduction of WIC, which now numbers 8.7 million participants, allowed researchers to gauge its effects independently of underlying trends in infant health. Overall, WIC availability was linked to a statistically  significant average increase in birth weight of 2.7 grams. When the results were adjusted to reflect that only a portion of eligible mothers actually sign up for WIC, the average birth weight improvement jumped to 29 grams, a 10% gain. WIC provides nutritional counseling and vouchers for food and infant formula to low-income pregnant and lactating women and young children. - National Bureau of Economic Research
  
• Lifestyle and Treatment Gains Linked to Lower Heart Deaths
  The world has about 7,500 more Canadians today thanks to heart-healthier lifestyles and improvements in treatment. That's the conclusion of a study that looked at the reasons for a 35% drop in deaths from coronary heart disease in Ontario between 1994 and 2005. During that span, the coronary mortality rate in the province fell from 191 deaths per 100,000 adults to 125. The analysis showed nearly half of that drop could be attributed to lifestyle improvements resulting in lowered risk factors, led by total cholesterol and systolic blood pressure. Reductions in smoking and increases in physical activity also contributed to the improvements. Most of the rest of the drop in heart-related deaths came from advances in medical and surgical treatment. The lifestyle changes went along with a general socioeconomic improvement among Ontario's population - which also had a downside, in the form of increasing obesity and diabetes. Those negative changes partly counteracted the mortality gains, researchers reported. - Journal of the American Medical Association