Clinical Nutrition - what is it – and how can it support you?
I often get asked what the difference is between a health coach, nutritionist, and clinical nutritionist. The tricky thing here in NZ is that the title of nutritionist is not protected, meaning, yes, many people can simply call themselves a nutritionist.
Which is why it is important to know what qualifications a nutritionist has, who they are registered with and what level of experience they have.
In the year 2024, as a Registered Clinical Nutritionist, I have 10 years experience both in private practice as well as in the retail-supplement industry. I am registered with the Clinical Nutrition Association which is also a member of Allied Health Aotearoa NZ. Having worked with hundreds of individuals as well as many families it has been an amazing journey so far. I love working alongside my patients - helping them to use the food as medicine approach so they can reach their specific health goals.
What or who is a Clinical Nutritionist?:
We are trained health professionals who have at least 3-4 years tertiary education specific to the field of nutritional science. A Clinical Nutritionist is usually in private practice. We are trained to use nutrition as well as holistic lifestyle approaches to support specific health conditions.
The nutritional approach mostly involves looking at the quality, quantity, and variety of food, making sure that nourishment is being achieved through food. Often this will mean looking at blood work to check for deficiencies but also metabolic imbalances. Analyzing blood work, we are also able to detect red-flags for cross referral. As part of our education and training, Clinical Nutritionists have a thorough understanding of lab blood testing, stool analysis and interpretation. However, we do not diagnose conditions.
Clinical Nutritionists also have the education and ongoing training of using targeted supplementation to support an individual’s health condition and health goals. A Clinical Nutritionist therefore suggests both the food as medicine approach but also prescription only (practitioner only) supplements to support the individual’s health journey.
Clinical Nutrition is not about formulating meal plans as our training does not extend to Food Science & Technology. We will of course suggest some basic recipe ideas, based on the foundation of nourishment and what is lacking for an individual when considering what can be seen via blood work (nutrient deficiencies) as well as what the specific long term health goals are.
Some Clinical Nutritionist will advocate for specific diets such as Keto, Paleo etc and this is usually done on the basis of their own ongoing personal education/research as well as what they see to be successful in their own private practice, and will follow evidence-based science.
What about Functional Medicine?:
This can be regarded as an extension to normal medicine, where health practitioners try to work out how a person’s body is functioning overall and how this may impact upon their current health status or long-term health goals.
Functional Medicine is aimed at finding ways to improve a person’s long-term health as well as to address the root cause of their poor health. Functional Medicine is evidence-based, and often involves utilizing different functional tests to look at the biochemistry and science of a person’s ability function optimally. Currently functional testing is done mostly overseas, however in NZ we do have companies that deal directly with these overseas labs and so although not mainstream, this type of testing is available through health practitioners who are experienced in the functional medicine approach.
All around the world the concept of Functional Medicine is becoming more widely searched for. It is an exciting area to be working in as I come across more people who want to dig deeper with their health concerns and find ways to support their journey.
Functional Medicine not only involves nutrition/nourishment but also lifestyle approaches such as exercise, stress management, sleep hygiene as well as normal and integrative medicine.
Who will usually engage with a Clinical Nutritionist?:
I have many types of patients, from toddlers to retirees. Anyone who is wanting to find out how they can use nourishment to reach their health goals. Usually, the person is ready to make changes to the way they eat, or learn about what nutrients they might be deficient in, or possibly ready to look at functional testing as a long-term approach to their health goals.
To be really specific here is a snap shot of the types of people who have looked for my help:
Digestive issues – bloating, constipation, loose bowel motions, reflux, heartburn, nausea
Skin issues – acne, eczema, psoriasis, itchy skin (with or without rash)
Autoimmune issues – Hashimoto’s, coeliac, Crohn’s, rheumatoid arthritis, alopecia
Energy – metabolic (pre diabetes/diabetes), chronic fatigue, post viral fatigue
Brain support – ADHD, ASD, anxiety, depression, memory
Detoxification – mould exposure, lead exposure
If you want to know more, about how I can support you in you in your health journey, make sure to reach out!
Claudia Oxford-Gonzalez Clinical Nutritionist DipNut GradCert. HPN