FAQs

1. We Are Medical Professionals: All of our counselors are college-degreed, state licensed, board-credentialed medical professionals. We work closely with your doctors and you to craft science-based nutritional therapy plans that meet your unique health needs. From chronic disease management and eating disorders to weight management and digestive health, we can help you achieve your health goals.

2. We Provide Individualized Counseling: We listen to you and look deeper into the underlying causes of your condition. We understand that life events and medical conditions can slow down progress towards health goals. We work with you to understand how those challenges influence your behavior and status. Our nutrition education and plans help you develop strategies to help reduce barriers and achieve successful health management.

3. We Accept Health Insurance: We accept health insurance from several providers. Please consult your policy for nutrition benefit details and exclusions. If your plan requires referrals for specialists, please obtain those prior to your appointment with us.

In addition to RD credentialing, many states have regulatory laws for dietitians and nutrition practitioners. State requirements frequently are met through the same college education and training required to become an RD. States license dietitians have met RD requirements and maintain continuing education credentials.

Licensed dietitians are registered dietitians who have obtained state licensure and have been provided the credential of “LD” or “LDN”

Source: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

1. Health Maintenance: Many individuals are looking to maintain good health, reduce the onset of health problems, and/or improve their performance in amateur or competitive sports. We help many individuals achieve and maintain good health with weight management, balanced diets, portion control, food education, grocery shopping, food preparation, and eating out and on the go strategies. Our athletic clients tend to focus on nutritional changes that can effectively fuel their bodies, improve strength/endurance/agility, shorten recovery cycles, and prevent injury.

2. Chronic Disease Management: A large percentage of our population is struggling with moderate to serious medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, acid reflux, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and other health conditions. We offer a combination of solutions – including dietary education, physical activity guidelines, close monitoring of lab results, and support groups. A variety of strategies are used to help each individual reach their health goals.

3. Special Needs: Throughout life we have special health needs that require specialized medical attention. Circumstances may be related to pregnancy, growth and development, feeding and gastrointestinal challenges, and/or aging. Many unique health considerations can be significantly improved with proper nutrition. We design dietary plans designed that are nutritionally balanced, calorie appropriate, properly portioned, appropriately timed, and easy to tolerate. We also provide strategies for grocery shopping, meal preparation, dining out, and eating on the go.

4. Eating Disorders: Many individuals struggle with emotional or psychological disorders that result in overeating or eating too little. Both can seriously jeopardize health. If you suffer from an emotional disorder, we can help you re-establish a positive relationship with food. We can teach you when and how to eat, and provide you with strategies to help manage the stressors or triggers that led to overeating, binge eating, eating when not hungry, and/or avoiding food. We can also guide you to licensed clinical psychologists who can also help you manage and improve your condition.

Please contact us regarding your condition if it is not listed below.

• Amenorrhea (the absence of menstrual periods)

• Anemia (low blood count from iron, B12, and/or folic acid deficiencies)

• Athletic and sports performance nutrition

• Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder

• Autism spectrum, including Aspergers and other autism-related eating and nutrition challenges

• Bariatric nutrition counseling and education for BEFORE and AFTER bariatric surgery including laparoscopic adjustable gastric band, vertical sleeve gastrectomy, and roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgeries

• Cancer

• Chronic fatigue

• Diabetes, pre-diabetes, and blood glucose abnormalities including insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, type 1, type 2, gestational diabetes, and reactive hypoglycemia

• Eating disorders including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating

• Failure to thrive – adult and pediatric underweight

• Fibromyalgia

• Food allergies

• Food intolerances

• Gastrointestinal disorders: Acid reflux (gastroesophageal reflux/heartburn), gastrointestinal cancers, celiac disease (gluten insensitivity), constipation, colitis, Crohn’s disease, diarrhea, diverticulosis / diverticulitis, feeding and swallowing difficulty, gallbladder disease (gallstones), gastritis, gastroparesis, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, liver disease, nausea and vomiting, pancreatitis • General health maintenance / preventive nutrition

• Gout

• Heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other cardiovascular diseases

• HIV / AIDS

• Hypoglycemia and reactive hypoglycemia (low blood glucose)

• Lupus

• Menopause

• Metabolic syndrome

• Osteoporosis and osteopenia

• Pediatric nutrition – infant, toddler, child, adolescent

• Picky eating

• Pre-Pregnancy, pregnancy, breast-feeding and post-partum nutrition education

• Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

• Rheumatoid arthritis

• Sleep apnea

• Sports performance and fitness

• Thyroid disease

• Vegetarian and vegan dietary counseling

• Vitamin and mineral deficiencies including calcium, vitamin D, B-vitamin, and other dietary deficiencies

• Weight management, including failure to thrive, underweight, overweight, and obesity

Support from family, friends and the community is important. Individuals working to achieve and maintain behavior change benefit from positive reinforcement and social support.

Spouses, partners, children, parents, grandparents, and extended family members may have health concerns that they also want or need to address. Everyone in the family can benefit from medical nutrition therapy, and achieve individual and collective health goals. All are welcome to schedule an appointment.

As part of the “Healthy Lifestyles” Program in association with The Center for Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia, group support is provided for weight management. The “Healthy Lifestyles” Program interdisciplinary team is comprised of licensed and registered dietitians, licensed clinical psychologists, and personal trainers.

Individuals contemplating, preparing for, and accepting of peer support and professional assistance with weight loss after bariatric surgery benefit from monthly meetings. Individual and group counseling services are provided before and after bariatric surgery.

Healthy lifestyles group counseling sessions are held in our Cherry Hill Offices at The Center for Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia – The Atrium Professional Building, 1910 Route 70 East, Suite 7, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003.   Participation is free. Advanced notice is not required but recommended.  Please subscribe to our Newsletter for updates about meeting dates and times.

Referrals and scripts MUST be obtained from your Primary Care Physician BEFORE your first nutrition counseling appointment. Please request multiple visits to avoid frequent requests for new referrals or scripts.

Referrals and scripts have an expiration date and/or a limited number of allowed visits. A new referral or script is required for appointments made after the expiration date and/or if all allowed visits have been used.