Frequently asked questions about your appointment
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A Registered Clinical Nutritionsit is a trained health professional who has 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.
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Clinical Nutrition is not about formulating rigid meal plans, because as health goals are dynamic, the approach should also be “flexible” as I like to say.
Rather than prescribing fixed menus, I suggest 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), functional test results, as well as what the specific long term health goals are.
I will guide you on this approach, of using foundational nutrition principles, prioritising food quality, using practical strategies, so that your eating patterns and nourishment start to evolve, allowing you to follow the food as medicine approach so you can reach your health goals of improved energy, vitality, digestion, and overall wellbeing.
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Getting to the root cause of your health issues. Functional medicine looks at your whole health picture to find what’s causing your main symptoms. Functional tests examine digestion, nutrient levels, inflammation, and genetic factors. Individually or together, these tests can reveal imbalances or stressors that may explain symptoms even when standard lab results look “normal.”
This approach extends conventional medicine by assessing how your body is functioning overall and how that affects current and long-term health. The goal is to improve long-term health and treat underlying causes, not just symptoms.
Functional medicine is evidence-based and uses various tests to study your biochemistry and function. Most testing is done overseas, but in New Zealand practitioners can access these labs through local companies. Interest in functional medicine is growing worldwide, with more people wanting deeper answers.
A suggested plan combines nutrition with lifestyle changes—exercise, stress management, better sleep—alongside conventional and integrative medical care.
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It does depend on your policy but yes, as a Registered Clinical Nutritionist, Southern Cross Health Society, Accuro Health Insurance & NIB Health Insurance offer annual benefits on some of their policies which allow you to claim back the visit of a Clinical Nutritionist.
As a member of Clinical Nutritionists Aotearoa NZ, this means you are able to claim for Nutritional Consultations up to a certain amount per calendar year.
If you have more questions around this just check in with your health insurance provider directly or ask me before your consultation.
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Please note that to book the initial consult a $45 non refundable booking is reuqired to secure your appointment. This fee will be applied as a credit to your final invoice.
This fee helps ensure availability and protects against last-minute cancellations. The booking fee will be applied toward your total balance at the time of your appointment.
Online payments via Stripe will be accepted, currently there is an extra % charge for using this form of payment.
Internet banking is welcomed.
Eftpos in clinic is available.
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Standard pathology lab tests before you come to see me helps to jump ahead in your health journey.
Which tests may be helpful depends on your specific symptoms and health goals.
But for the most part, to support metabolic (energy, body composition, blood sugar regulation), immunity (including digestive and skin health), and autoimmune goals, these tests are very helpful:
Vitamin D, Zinc, Copper
Full Iron studies (not just ferritin)
B12 (methylmalonic or active), folate
TSH, Ft3, FT4
Insulin and glucose
Lipid panel
Electrolytes
Liver enzymes
Complete Blood Count
Homocysteine
Anti TPO, RF, or similar (depending on diagnosis)
Please note, that Clinical Nutritionists are not funded for blood tests. In the first instance asking your GP is what I suggest.
Some of these tests are available on www.bodyiq.co.nz otherwise I can organise any of these tests (and more) for you to pay at the lab.
For more comprehensive testing, consider Nutri Path Nutri Stat functional testing.
