​​Nutrition Consultations are provided by one of our senior practitioners, Leah Dumas (Steenbuck) who is a Clinical Nutritionist, BHSc (Nutritional Medicine).

 

Nutritionists are qualified to provide science based nutritional counselling by assessing each individual's diet and lifestyle practices. This assessment provides nutritionists the information they need to provide suitable dietary advice for each individual. This will usually include a comprehensive dietary plan, educational materials, nutritional supplementation and lifestyle changes.

Leah offers standard adult nutrition consultations, paediatric nutrition consultations, body composition consultations and nutritional genetic testing (nutrigenomics).

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Paediatric consultations:  Nutrition consults for children can be really helpful for kids who are suffering with digestive issues, frequent illness, fussy eating or for general health and wellness. Nutrition consults can also have a positive impact for children who have been diagnosed with Autism or ADHD as working on nutrition can make a big difference to children's behaviour, eating patterns and can also help to work around sensory issues with food. Leah will also assess if there are potential foods that your child may be eating that could be triggering certain behaviours, food cravings or digestive upsets, as sometimes even foods that are considered healthy are an issue for some people who may have the inability to process these foods properly.

Although Leah is not a paediatric specialist, she has undertaken further study to support her interest in helping kids through nutrition, particularly kids who have been diagnosed with Autism or ADHD.​ She has undertaken further study of paediatric nutrition through the Bioindividual Nutrition Institute, taught by Julie Matthews, Autism nutrition specialist and author of Nourishing Hope for Autism.  

Leah also believes in the importance of encouraging healthy eating habits from an early age as those habits transcend into adulthood and can therefore influence health outcomes. 

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An initial consultation with you and your child will be around 1 hour in duration in order to obtain all required information needed to create a holistic picture of health. We will discuss your child's sleeping patterns, dietary habits, any food preferences, intolerances or allergies, digestion, behaviour, appetite and any potential food sensory issues.

Follow up consultations are around 30 minutes duration and will usually be focused on going through dietary plans and/or re-assessing any changes to your child's diet and lifestyle and any associated impact for the child. 

 

Sometimes it can be difficult to keep children engaged or comfortable during a consult and sometimes a telehealth appointment can be an easier way to get through a paediatric consult. This way your child will be in their own environment and can feel free to be relaxed in their own space. Please let us know if you would prefer a telehealth consult. 

 

Nutritional consultations: can be beneficial for anyone suffering with fatigue, sleep issues, high stress, frequent illness such as cold or flu, chronic pain, menstrual issues, gastrointestinal and bowel upsets, weight loss, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, general health and wellness and many other conditions. Many conditions can be caused or triggered by specific dietary and lifestyle practices, and for some people, even foods that are considered healthy can be the cause or trigger of illness or ailments. This can be due to genetic variations, inadequate processing and absorption of particular nutrients, and gut health. This means that a detailed and holistic consult and approach is required to work out the most suitable treatment plan for each individual. During your initial consultation, Leah will discuss many different aspects of your health and lifestyle to create a holistic picture of overall health. Treatment plans can include supplementation, dietary changes, lifestyle changes and sometimes further testing if required. 

Initial nutrition consultations usually take up to 1 hour in order to gather all required information and work out a treatment plan. Follow up consults are usually around 30 minutes. 

 

Body composition consultations: are a quick 20-30 minute consultation using scales that will measure your body composition. The body composition scales will measure total weight, total fat percentage and the percentage in each limb and torso, overall muscle mass and mass in each limb and torso, metabolic rate, metabolic age, visceral fat (fat surrounding organs), hydration levels and bone density. Body composition consults will also include an explanation of results and a copy of the results to take home for personal reference.

 

Nutrigenomics: Nutritional genetic testing, known as Nutrigenomics, incorporates a holistic approach that brings together genetics and personal, social and environmental factors that allow the practitioner to treat the whole person. It allows the practitioner to have a deeper understanding of the possible causes for specific issues that a patient may present with.

Nutrigenomics is not a diagnostic test that determines whether you will or will not end up with a specific illness or disease. Rather, it allows people to discover areas of health they may need to pay attention to, as our genes can reveal key genetic variations that influence our health, provide information to assist with food and supplement and lifestyle interventions which helps to support and improve patient outcomes.

Anyone wanting a Nutrigenomic test must book a standard nutrition consultation as this needs to be included for optimal treatment outcome. 

 

If you would like further information about how a nutrition consultation could help you, or for a free 15 minute phone consultation to see if a nutrition consultation is right for you, please contact us on 0401176079 or at northsidemassagenutrition@outlook.com