Nutritional Counsellor – Scope of Practice

The services offered by a Nutritional Consultant are grounded in the following principles:

1. Acknowledgement that each person is biochemically distinct and has unique nutritional needs.
2. Acknowledgement that each person is biochemically distinct and has unique nutritional needs.
3. Promotion of whole, locally grown and organic foods, sustainable farming practices, and the necessity of living in a non-toxic environment.
4. Understanding that prevention and self-responsibility are fundamental to any successful health care program.
5. Recognition that supplementation is not a substitute for wholesome, nutritious foods but that it may be helpful in recommended form, dosage and frequency.
6. Respect for clients and their wellness goals, personal tastes, morals, social, and life values.
7. Acceptance of the unique contribution of other health care providers, and the need to work cooperatively with them regardless of whether they are of a holistic or an allopathic background.

The main services provided by a Nutritional Consultant include the following:

a) Document client’s goals, needs, and plans
b) Evaluate client’s food selection, preparation and intake
c) Evaluate client’s lifestyle and overall feeling of well-being
d) Evaluate client’s use of dietary supplements
e) Identify client’s nutritional imbalance(s) and lifestyle habits
f) Work with other health care professionals, if applicable, in order to determine all nutritional and lifechanging needs of the client, including referring client to other health care professionals as deemed appropriate
g) Support the progress of client’s health goals by creating an individualized wellness program which will include the use of whole, nutrient-dense foods; menu plans; natural source supplements; and lifestyle modifications; including the use of non-toxic, environmentally friendly household/personal products
h) Provide further guidance to the client, if necessary, by explaining food labels, and by offering food preparation techniques and shopping tips.
i) Guide client in the implementation of a long-term personal health plan, provide education when necessary, and offer ongoing assessments
j) Monitor client’s personal health plan in order to reinforce participation in the achievement of the health goals
k) Act as a community educator to the public and to other health care professionals by developing
curriculum, preparing manuals, writing articles, publishing books, and teaching
l) Promote health discussions in schools, industry, and community agencies
m) Bring holistic nutrition knowledge, principles, and philosophy to other professions

What can your clients expect from a nutritional consultation?

• An evaluation of their food consumption usually over one week, with particular attention paid to the proportions of protein, fat, starches, sugar and fibre. An assessment of your nutritional excesses and deficiencies.
• Information about the benefits of sound nutrition and how the body can heal itself.
• Recommendations for food selection and preparation
• Recommendations for supplements (vitamins, minerals, enzymes, glandular concentrates, proteins, EFA’s).
• A program designed specifically for them, taking into consideration their age, gender, level of fitness, health goals, food sensitivities, food preferences, and eating habits.

What guides an RNCP’s (Registered Nutritional Consultant Practitioner) wellness philosophy?

RNCP’s recognize that, ultimately, the cells of our bodies are built from the raw materials we eat. The more suitable our food choices are to our specific requirements, the better cell structures we can build. RNCP’s understand that each person is biochemically unique, therefore individual nutritional imbalances and weaknesses must be assessed.

RNCP’s keep up to date with the latest nutritional breakthroughs and make dietary recommendations accordingly; however, they recognize that sometimes food alone cannot solve health challenges. In such cases, RNCP’s are trained to design personal dietary supplement programs.

RNCP’s take into consideration factors such as environmental pollution, metal toxicity, micro-organism imbalances, and food sensitivities when recommending a nutritional program.