Registered Dietitian & Nutrition Counselling

Food affects almost everything we do. It’s our necessary source of fuel, but can also affect our mood, sleep, and even how your body feels on a daily basis. However, many of the solutions we pursue for good diets can crash our system or can’t be kept to long-term.

That’s where a Registered Dietitian can help. They have scoured the data and have hands-on experience with people with a variety of needs and what meal regimens actually worked for them. 

In Canada, “Registered Dietitian” is a protected title and registered health profession. Dietitians complete university training, supervised practice, and follow clear standards of practice. When you see “RD,” you can be assured that you are dealing with a registered professional who is ready to support your healthcare in a safe and evidence-based way.

What a Registered Dietitian does

An RD brings their understanding of nutrition science into their clients everyday meal planning. Sessions begin with a thorough medical history, lifestyle analysis, and preferences assessment, which helps the RD to devise the most appropriate plan of action.

The concrete plan they come up with will include advice for each level of meal preparation and consumption: from what to buy, to how to build a plate, to how to handle cravings and eating out, among other concerns. 

It’s not about having the ‘perfect’ diet. It’s about making steady progress and changes to your lifestyle that fit with your situation.

Our counselling style is collaborative and judgment-free. We use proven behaviour-change methods like motivational interviewing and goal-setting, which have been shown to generally improve outcomes.

Who we help

People come to nutrition counselling for a variety of reasons:

• Digestive health: IBS, reflux, constipation, diarrhea, and low-FODMAP guidance
  
  
• Metabolic health: blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides, or blood pressure
  
  
• Weight concerns: weight loss/gain and body image support
  
  
• Sports and performance: recovery, hydration, or sports nutrition
  
  
• Women’s health: PMS nutrition, PCOS, iron deficiency, fertility, pregnancy & postpartum health
  
  
• Family & pediatrics: picky eating, growth concerns, or meal planning
  
  
• Food relationships: emotional or stress eating, binge cycles, building self-compassion
  
  
• Allergies & intolerances: celiac, lactose intolerance, FODMAP modification, and label reading.

Even if you don’t see your goals listed here, always feel free to ask us. We’ll tell you honestly whether our sessions are a useful fit or whether another service in our clinic (or outside it) would serve you better.

How our nutrition care works 

Nutrition counselling takes more than a single session. We do an initial session, then plan for check-ins and modify plans as things change.

1. Initial contact
   You can contact our clinic by phone or online, where you can share your goals, your schedule, and whether you prefer in-person or virtual sessions. From there, we are able to book a session that makes sense for you.
   
   
2. First visit
   This is a detailed conversation about your health history, current eating patterns, symptoms, challenges, and priorities. During this consultation, we look at what ‘better’ would look like for you in daily life.
   
   
3. Personalized plan
   Together we can then set a few clear, concrete goals. These might relate to digestion, blood work, energy, performance, or stress around food. In this early stage, we provide simple steps you can put into practice right away.
   
   
4. Follow-up sessions
   Regular follow-ups let you check in, problem-solve, and adjust. Together, you look at what helped, what did not, and what needs to change. The goal is steady, sustainable shifts, not a short burst of effort that fades out.
   
   
5. Team-based care when helpful
   With your consent, your dietitian can coordinate with other Back To Health practitioners to create a more unified and consistent care plan.

Our nutrition approaches

The dietary plan we create for you is always evidence-based and tailored to your body and preferences. Depending on your goals, your RD may draw from any of the following strategies:

• Medical Nutrition Therapy: nutrition strategies for conditions like diabetes, dyslipidemia, GI disorders, and hypertension.
  
  
• CBT-style skills: practical tools to reduce resistance, build confidence, and make progress on one’s goals.
  
  
• Mindful and Intuitive-Eating-informed practices: notice hunger and being full, manage emotional eating, and build better structures around eating.
  
  
• Sports nutrition: plans specialized for training, competition, and recovery.
  
  
• Meal planning that respects culture and budget: realistic shopping, pantry building, batch cooking, and “backup” meals.

What to expect at your first visit

• 60–90 minutes focused on your story and priorities
  
• A few clear actions to get you started without overwhelming you (not a 20-page handout)
  
• If relevant, we might make requests for labs or notes from other providers (with your consent)
  
• Then, we’ll suggest an appropriate follow-up schedule for your goals (for example, every 2–4 weeks at the start) for support as you build new habits

Why choose Back to Health for your nutrition care?

• Regulated expertise. You’ll work with a Registered Dietitian (a protected title in Canada), so you know you’re getting care from a trained, accountable professional.
• Practical, not perfect. We aim to make a few changes to start, then build up from that foundation slowly, a tried-and-true strategy.
• Whole-person lens. The tailored plans we create for clients respect their culture, preferences, and real-world constraints.
• Team-based support. When needed, we co-ordinate with our osteopathy, massage, and other services.
• Flexible access. Evenings, virtual, and steady follow-ups available for greater flexibility.

What our work is not

Crash diets or moralizing food intake. Nor are we in the business of taking out the joy from your plate. 

If your past attempts left you burned out or guilty, this is often due to lack of support and overwhelming changes the diet requires. Most diets just aren’t practical for most people as they aren’t tailored to the conditions of their lives. Our strategies begin with small steps, steady wins, and a plan that blends smoothly into your life and habits.