Curious about Working with a Dietitian? Here are 6 Things You Need to Know!

Not sure exactly what a dietitian does or how they can help you? If you’ve been interested in working with a dietitian but aren’t quite sure what to expect, we’ve got you covered! Read on to learn who we are, our areas of expertise, and our philosophy. We also answer all of your questions on pricing, services, packages, insurance, and more!

New to dietitian services and not sure what to expect? We’re answering all of your FAQs related to working with a dietitian including our philosophy and how we’re different, areas of focus, our services offered, insurance coverage, and why you might want to consider working with a registered dietitian!

In this blog, we cover 6 key topics that you need to know when booking with a dietitian.

• Who are We?
• Our Philosophy
• Areas of Focus
• Pricing, Insurance & Benefits Coverage
• Difference Between Dietitian & Nutritionist
• How to Work with Us & Results to Expect

If you’re particularly interested in any of the above, just click the link to jump to that section!

Who are We?

Lindsay Pleskot is the founder of LindsayPleskot.com, the Make Food Feel Good Online Course and Group Coaching Program, and the 321 Method and Meal Plans. Lindsay is a Vancouver dietitian with over a decade of experience and has a passion for helping people achieve peace with food and body and confidence in their every day eating. She also dedicates her practice to helping clients save time, money, and energy in the kitchen so they can get back to living a life that is aligned with what’s important to them. Lindsay is also a wife and momma of two wonderful children based in Vancouver.

Lindsay brought Registered Dietitian, Ally Choo, onto her team in 2021. Their story actually started back in 2015 when Lindsay mentored Ally while she was completing her dietetics degree at the University of British Columbia. Given their long history and aligned practice values, adding Ally onto Lindsay’s team was a perfect match.

Ally Choo graduated with honours and completed her dietetic internship with Providence Health Care. She has a focused interest in helping her clients heal their relationship with food, while providing guidance on how to make food feel good, both physically and emotionally. In addition to seeing our 1:1 clients, Ally works as an Eating Disorders Dietitian for Fraser Health. Lindsay and Ally are both in the process of becoming Certified Intuitive Eating Counselors in order to best support their clients. 

Our Philosophy

We believe that food is so much more than just nutrition. It is love, joy, connection and plays an important role in the enjoyment of life! While we’re passionate about how food can be a tool to nourish our cells from the inside out, true ‘health’ requires mindful incorporation of practices for physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.

When we work with our clients, we spend a lot of time on the mindset – getting to the root of what has been holding them back from making confident eating decisions and having a peaceful perspective around their food. We know first hand that when we jump into action without first understanding why we do what we do, these behavior changes are often short lived, and we end up right back where we started. This is why we often focus on unpacking not only what we’re eating, but why and how we’re eating, because once you see it, you can’t unsee it. This is the key to fostering sustainable change and long lasting habits when it comes to our nutrition.

By pulling in mindfulness, which is, simply put, awareness without judgment, we help our clients understand that they are the experts of their own bodies and by listening to and honouring our own body’s wisdom, we can let go of black and white concepts such as good vs. bad foods, clean vs. unclean or the idea that there is one way to eat ‘perfectly.’ In fact, we truly believe eating is highly individual, and while nutrients play a role in our overall ‘health,’ social connection, taking time to listen to and honour what our body needs, and giving ourselves self compassion, goes a long way on the journey to wellness. 

For more information on the mindful and intuitive eating frameworks that inform our practice, check out our posts on:

• 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating – What is it and is it right for you?
• How to spot diet culture
• How to stop feeling guilty after eating
• How to have a healthy relationship with food
• Why am I eating? Understanding the 3 types of hunger
• What is healthy eating anyway?
• 10 healthy eating habits from a registered dietitian 

Areas of Focus

At Make Food Feel Good, Ally is the intuitive eating dietitian who sees our 1:1 clients. While she has a wide variety of clinical experience including Diabetes, Medicine, Surgery, Renal Disease, Oncology, and Chronic Pain, Ally has found her passion in the following areas where she specializes:

• Disordered Eating & Eating Disorders
• Intuitive Eating 
• Plant based nutrition

Ally prides herself in being a weight inclusive practitioner; she believes that health is attainable at any weight, shape or size and includes mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. Ally focuses on health gain rather than weight loss and finds passion in helping her clients find food freedom.

Pricing, Insurance & Benefits Coverage

While dietitians in private practice are not covered by the Medical Services Plan (MSP), many extended benefits plans provide partial or full extended health coverage for Registered Dietitian services. In B.C, Registered Dietitians fall under “Authorized Medical Practitioners.” Additionally, some employers provide a health reimbursement/health spending account that can be used by employees to pay for qualified medical expenses, including dietitian appointments. It may be helpful to verify what’s included in your plan with your insurance provider and/or employer to ensure you are taking full advantage of what’s available to you!

Alternatively, if your plan does not cover Registered Dietitian services, you may save your receipt for a non-refundable tax credit. 

Dietitian services can vary in price, depending on what services you are looking for. In B.C, initial assessments can vary between $150 – $190 and may range in time allotted for each appointment.

Difference Between Dietitian & Nutritionist

The terms ‘Registered Dietitian,’ ‘RD’ and ‘Dietitian’ are protected titles across Canada, similar to nurse, physician, and pharmacist. Dietitians have a specialized degree from an accredited university program and have received rigorous and comprehensive training through a hands-on practicum. Like medical doctors, dietitians are accountable to provincial regulatory bodies that enforce the highest ethical and educational standards. Additionally, dietitians must submit an annual professional development plan to ensure our profession upholds the standard of providing the public with the most up to date and evidence-based nutrition information. 

‘Nutritionist,’ on the other hand, is not a protected title in B.C, meaning that anyone may use this term. Unregulated titles can be problematic because they are often used by individuals who complete privately owned training programs that may vary in length, quality, and rigor.

How to Work With Us & Results to Expect

If you’re new to dietitian services, we have you covered. We offer complete initial assessments where we cover your medical and nutrition history, your current concerns and goals, and together we come up with an action plan with tangible steps to take you from where you are to where you want to be. We also offer follow up appointments to help you troubleshoot any road blocks you may be facing as well as provide support and accountability to keep you inspired and moving towards your goals! We are currently able to accept clients who reside in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Through our clinical experience, commitment is needed to get the most out of working with your dietitian. This is why we offer packages to help keep you motivated to get the results you want. 

Our Kick Start Package is perfect for you if you are looking for some support and guidance to take action on those nutrition and wellness goals that have been sitting on the back burner. It includes an initial assessment, Lindsay’s signature 321 Method Meal Plan, and 2 x 30 minute follow ups.

Our Make Food Feel Good Transformation Package is for you if you are looking to tackle both the mental/emotional and habitual aspects of your eating, along with becoming confident in understanding the nutrition that works best for you.  We will get to the root of old beliefs and behaviors that have kept you stuck and support you in creating a feel good relationship with food for life. This package includes a comprehensive initial assessment with 3 monthly coaching calls plus access to our Make Food Feel Good Online Course, Lindsay’s Signature 321 Method Meal Plans, and the private Make Food Feel Good community where you can gain the support you need to follow through on your goals.

With commitment and investment on both ends, the results you can expect from working with us include but are not limited to:

• Understanding what drives your hunger and learning how to honor fullness while getting a hold on your cravings
• Becoming the expert of your own body with mindful, intuitive eating without the fear of losing control, tracking every calorie in an app, or without the guilt or shame from eating what you want
• Learning how to eat for more energy, satisfaction, and enjoyment, without ever spending a dime on a diet again

Ready to get started? Book now!

Now over to you

• Have you ever worked with a registered dietitian before?
• Did you know there was a difference between dietitians and nutritionists?
• Any other questions we may have missed?

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