So that you’re focused on diet teaching?
Nice! It’s a sensible transfer for the correct particular person.
I’ve seen the facility of it firsthand in our On-line Teaching Program, with of us making small diet changes with large outcomes.
However earlier than you go and rent a diet coach, learn this information!
You see, in lots of locations “nutritionist” is an unregulated time period, so not all diet coaches you discover might be equally certified.
So let’s inform you what to look out for and whether or not you even want a diet coach to get began.
Right here’s what we’ll cowl:
Let’s do that thang.
What Does a Diet Coach Do?
Diet coaches information folks’s dietary habits to enhance their well being, physique composition, or athletic efficiency.
To do that appropriately, a diet coach might want to know the science behind:
- How totally different macronutrients (protein, fats, and carbs) have an effect on the human physique.
- Energy, metabolism, and vitality steadiness.
- The nutritional vitamins and minerals present in our meals.
In a nutshell, an excellent diet coach will know how you can correctly nourish the human physique.
They’ll in all probability additionally inform you a bit bit about nuts and their shells!
However being an professional in diet science is just half of it. The opposite half is folks.
Yep, a diet coach additionally must be an professional on of us like us. In any other case, it’s exhausting to assist folks develop new habits.
As a result of certain, a rooster salad for dinner may very well be a sensible transfer.
However how do you make that reasonable for somebody like Mason, who’s constantly working and studying?
That’s where a coach comes in.
To be done well, nutrition coaching needs to include “behavior change,” which enters the realm of psychology.
So a nutrition coach needs to be an expert on two things:
Without the second bullet, you’re just handing out good advice that no one will ever use.
Before we go on, I will mention that through NF Coaching, we not only work on nutrition. But we also help build sustainable workout programs too! The goal is really to come at fitness from every angle, including exercise, nutrition, and mindset. We’ve learned this is the key to making changes that LAST.
If you’d like to learn more about it, you can scope out our program right here:
Okay, let’s talk a little more about how a nutrition coach can help.
How Can a Nutrition Coach Help Me?
There are all sorts of things a nutrition coach can help us with.
For example, a good nutrition coach will provide:
#1) ACCOUNTABILITY
This is one of the top reasons people hire a coach in the first place. When we survey those who join NF Coaching, it’s often the number one reason folks join the program.
That’s because knowing what to do is one thing. Doing it is quite another.
When we’re accountable to someone else, whether it’s a coach or even a friend who’s on a similar mission, we’re more likely to follow through.
Heck, it’s one of the reasons Rebel Leader Steve has a strength coach, despite running a fitness company.
Here’s what Steve says about it:
I know when my coach asks me about my workout, I don’t want to let him down. So I just do the workout.
The same accountability can happen with nutrition.
For example, if we make a plan for meal prep on Sunday afternoon, we’re more likely to do it if we know our coach will ask about it on Monday.
Accountability can often be the missing piece for starting long-lasting change.
#2) A PERSONALIZED APPROACH
It’s really easy to go online and find a bunch of free recipes for healthy meals.
For example, here are 26 such recipes.
While these recipes can be a great starting point, they often won’t help with individual challenges:
- What if we don’t have any time to cook?
- What if we have to deal with food allergies?
- What if we want to eat the same dinner as our family?
That’s where the help of a coach can be a game-changer.
They can offer specific recommendations around our unique challenges (and we all have unique challenges). Plus, they can check in with us to make sure their solutions are working.
If those solutions aren’t working for us – nbd. They’ll brainstorm new strategies we can implement.
This personalized solution can be very helpful if we haven’t had much success with a “right out of the box” approach.
#3) EXPERTISE
I mentioned earlier that a nutrition coach needs to be an expert on human nutrition.
This is helpful, so we don’t have to worry about:
- Is Keto the best strategy for weight loss?
- Why have so many people had success with Paleo?
- How does OMAD fit into this?
While it’s good to be curious about different diets, a nutrition coach can help separate fact from fiction when it comes to healthy eating.
Otherwise, we might get tricked into following some terrible “crash diet” or some social media “fad diet.”
#4) GUIDANCE AROUND “HOW TO EAT”
Most people approach proper nutrition around “what to eat.” Just as important, however, can be “how to eat.”
For example, a nutrition coach can help us develop skills around:
- Eating mindfully and slowly. Our bodies take a while to recognize it’s full. That’s why slowing down and concentrating on our meals can help with portion control. Some skills that might help include using a meal timer, putting the fork down between bites, and eating without the TV or our phone (i.e., no distractions).
- Recognizing hunger and fullness cues. Sometimes, we eat just to eat. Maybe we’re more bored than hungry. Maybe we’re stressed and find ourselves emotionally eating. To help fight this, we can keep a “Hunger and Fullness Journal.” With our journal, we rate our hunger from 1 to 10 before eating anything. If it’s less than 6 or 7, maybe we pause for 30 minutes or so and check back in later. It’s the same idea for our fullness. We’ll pause during the meal so we can ask “How hungry am I still?” If our hunger has subsided, maybe we save the rest of our food for later. The goal is to get to know our body’s hunger signals again.
- Creating a schedule for meals. Most people do best with eating on some type of routine. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner at roughly the same time. Our body will pick up on this and naturally get hungry at the times we normally eat.
In our Online Coaching Program, we’ll often assign missions to work on a “how to eat” skill for the week:
- “This week, how about we put down our fork between bites?”
- “What if our next mission is to eat without the TV on?”
- “How do you feel about having dinner at the same time this week?”
These missions are discussed and built between the coach and client, so we can custom-make the best plan for you! After a few months of this, it can be surprising just how different our eating habits look.
#5) TOOLS FOR BUILDING HEALTHY HABITS
One of our head coaches is fond of saying “The secret to our program is we build long-term healthy habits together.”
Sure, it’s great if someone can work out 2x a week and eat healthy lunches every day for a month.
But it’s even BETTER if they can do it for the foreseeable future.
The difference between the two?
Making them long-term habits.
A habit is something we do all the time, without much thought. Like bruising our teeth in the morning or showering at night.
We want our healthy eating behaviors to join this mix.
If a year from now, we’re still practicing the actions our nutrition coach recommended, then we’ll call that a major win.
Hiring a nutrition coach can absolutely be worth the investment if we continue our healthy habits after our time together is over.
Next, let’s talk about what separates a dietitian from a nutritionist.
What Is the Difference Between a Dietitian and a Nutritionist?
The big difference between a “dietitian” and a “nutritionist” is the formal education required and the regulations that govern the use of the title.
While they both have their time and place, it’s important to understand the difference between the two:
- Dietitians treat disease through nutrition and will often work within hospitals. For example, they might prescribe a diet to a patient with diabetes to help manage blood sugar levels. They’ll likely hold the title of Registered Dietitian (RD).
- Nutritionists work with the general population to develop healthy eating behavior, often to meet a client’s personal goal. You might hear them referred to as a “Nutrition Coach.”
Throughout most of the world, the title of “dietitian” is regulated by a governing body, like the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in the United States.[1]
Whereas some states and nations do regulate the title of “nutritionist,” the necessities are sometimes far much less rigorous.
Right here’s one other manner to consider it: all “Dietitians” can seemingly name themselves “Nutritionists” however not all “Nutritionists” can name themselves “Dietitians.”
To turn out to be a dietitian within the US you want to:
- Earn an accredited bachelor’s or grasp’s diploma
- Full an internship
- Go the Fee on Dietetic Registration (CDR) examination
- Acquire the suitable state license
- Keep mentioned state license
What does it take to turn out to be a nutritionist?
Properly, relying on the place you reside, it may very well be nothing.
Yep, you would print a enterprise card with “nutritionist” on it and get to work.
Now, clearly, there’s an enormous distinction between calling your self a nutritionist and truly serving to folks.
Yeah…
Nevertheless, that doesn’t imply a diet coach can’t be useful.
Because the barrier to entry is decrease, it’s typically extra reasonably priced to rent a nutritionist or diet coach.
Plus, a diet coach will typically work alongside a dietitian, serving to to facilitate their prescription.
A lot the identical manner an orthopedist would possibly work with a bodily therapist.
Subsequent, let’s chat about some certifications we are able to look out for if we wish to search out a well-trained diet coach.
What Certifications Ought to a Diet Coach Have?
There are fairly just a few certification packages on the market for diet.
Some are nice!
Some are…not so nice.
Let’s chat about among the legit ones.
Listed below are some certifications to search for if we’re going to rent a diet coach:
#1) PRECISION NUTRITION CERTIFICATION LEVEL 1 (PN1)
One of the well-respected certifications for diet comes from Precision Nutrition.
In reality, once we rent coaches, it’s one of many {qualifications} we glance out for!
PN states there’s “no finest weight loss plan for everybody” and as a substitute believes coaches ought to assist their purchasers discover the individualized diet plan that works finest for them.
They’re among the finest within the enterprise, and their curriculum has had a big effect on Nerd Health Teaching.
#2) INTERNATIONAL SPORTS SCIENCES ASSOCIATION’S (ISSA) NUTRITIONIST CERTIFICATION
ISSA is an schooling firm that does certifications for private coaching and energy teaching.
In addition they supply a Nutrition Certification that’s fairly effectively accomplished.
#3) THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SPORTS MEDICINE (NASM) NUTRITION CERTIFICATION
NASM is one other title well-respected within the health business.
Whereas they primarily certify private trainers, in addition they supply a complete diet certification.
Now, these three firms aren’t the one organizations that do good work with diet certifications. However this could begin to give us an thought of issues to look out for when searching for out a diet coach.
Indicators of a Good Diet Coach (and Indicators of a Unhealthy One)
Not all diet coaches might be created equal:
- A good coach will work with us to develop a more healthy relationship with meals, specializing in habits that may assist us attain our targets.
- A dangerous coach will simply inform us to eat extra broccoli (thanks Coach, tremendous useful).
Exterior of the credentials we mentioned within the final part, listed here are another indicators to look out for:
#1) They ask us plenty of questions
A great diet coach will wish to study us earlier than they advocate something.
They’ll ask us questions like:
- What are your targets?
- What’s been your earlier expertise with weight reduction or achieve?
- How do you usually eat at present?
- What’s your schedule like?
- What different priorities do you’ve got?
With out this data, it’s very tough to assist somebody.
If a diet coach doesn’t ask us a bunch of questions, that’s an enormous large pink flag.
#2) They’ll work with us to create an motion plan
The secret right here is “long-lasting change.”
To do this, habits have to be created TOGETHER.
If our coach simply tells us what to do, with none enter from us, it would fall flat.
For instance:
- If a coach tells us to batch cook dinner on Sunday, however we don’t know how you can work an oven, this received’t fly (right here’s how to cook some easy meals btw).
- Let’s say we want to eat dinner with our family. Well, our coach’s advice to eat the same thing over and over might cause our kids to revolt (“Chicken AGAIN…gag”).
If a coach creates a plan that never addresses what we can do or what we want to do, it’s destined to fail.
#3) They’ll monitor our progress
Any halfway-decent coach is going to check in frequently for a status update.
As they say, that which gets measured gets managed, so a good nutrition coach will gather data on things like:
- Body Measurements. How much we weigh, waist circumference, etc.
- Strength. If we’re trying to grow strong, our coach might check to see if we’re increasing in weight with our resistance training.
- Lab test results. Maybe we have some health metrics, like cholesterol levels, we’re trying to change.
- Compliance. Let’s say we have a goal of eating a vegetable with every dinner. Are we actually doing it?
- Confidence. Our confidence levels can often be a good indicator of how we’re doing in a program.
If a nutrition coach doesn’t check in on how you’re doing, consider that another big red flag!
#4) They’ll base their recommendations on outcomes
A good nutrition coach is like a scientist.
Their recommendations are almost like experiments. They’ll ask themselves questions like:
- Did my clients perform their assigned tasks?
- Is it helping them with their goals?
- Are they enjoying themselves?
Like any good scientist, they won’t judge the outcome.
If under certain conditions an experiment catches fire…well…we now know what will set the experiment ablaze.
“Day 9…still catching fire.”
So a good nutrition coach will constantly reflect on what our feedback means:
- Scenario – “After working on it all week, my client still doesn’t have enough time to make breakfast.”
- Possible Solution – “Perhaps we should propose making a protein smoothie the night before?”
- Scenario – “Despite the changes we’ve made, my client hasn’t been losing weight.”
- Possible Solution – “Maybe it’s time for a food journal, so we can both see how many calories they’re eating?”
- Scenario – “My client easily obtained protein with every meal last week.”
- Possible Solution – “Maybe we should scale this up, and include a vegetable with every meal now too?”
That’s why a good nutrition coach is constantly changing their action plan, based on the outcomes they see and record.
#5) They know when to refer out
There are some things a nutrition coach can’t help us with.
That would be any kind of medical intervention.
If we need someone to “prescribe” a diet to treat any kind of disease (Crohn’s, Hashimoto’s, etc.), we’ll need an actual Registered Dietitian or other medical professionals to do so.
While a nutrition coach can help with the implementation of that treatment (“Here are some ways to get more iron in your diet”), the actual treatment needs to come from someone properly qualified.
Plus, a good nutrition coach will understand this. They’ll recognize their own lane and know when it’s time to refer out (and might even have some recommendations if you don’t know who to talk to).
How Much Does a Nutrition Coach Cost?
The cost of a nutritionist is really going to be variable.
But you can expect to pay $50 to $150 for a one-hour session with a nutrition coach.[2]
Observe: Insurance coverage will usually not cowl a diet coach or nutritionist except they’re a registered dietitian.
This results in one other query…
How a lot does a registered dietitian price?
Once more, it’s variable, however you may count on to pay someplace between $100 to $200 for a one-hour session with a dietitian.[3]
This would possibly be lined by insurance coverage, however normally solely when there’s a analysis that requires diet counseling.
If the price of a nutritionist appears too excessive, it is perhaps value contemplating…
Do We Even Want a Diet Coach? (or The best way to Simplify Diet)
Earlier than we exit and rent a diet coach, it is perhaps value asking ourselves a few questions:
Am I making this tougher than it must be?
Might I profit from making diet tremendous easy?
As Coach Staci explains within the video above, overcomplicating diet may appear to be this:
- Weighing all our meals.
- Calculating the right macronutrient break up.
- Each day fasts.
Now, there’s a time and place for all this. However there’s additionally a time and place to disregard it.
Coach Staci has had purchasers completely satisfied they needed to weigh their meals to shed weight.
They’ll begin out good, weighing all the pieces they eat. This usually solely lasts for every week or so, as a result of they shortly develop irritated on the overwhelming quantity of labor concerned!
So that they give up.
As a substitute of this, possibly we begin off smaller and less complicated.
To enhance diet, strive these three issues:
- Have a glass of water with each meal.
- Have a lean supply of protein at each meal.
- Have a vegetable with each meal.
That’s it! Let’s simply do these three issues.
Don’t fear about Keto, Paleo, or Plant-Based.
Just make sure to drink enough water, get plenty of protein, and eat lots of veggies.
Then we can worry about all sorts of complicated nutrition stuff.
Is a Nutrition Coach Worth It?
Ultimately, the question of whether or not a nutrition coach is worth it will come down to a few things:
- Our goals
- What we need help with
- What kind of coach is available to us
If it can be done on our own, great!
I’ve seen all sorts of Rebels grab a map and make their way to Mordor.
But, I’ve also seen lots of Rebels who’ve benefited from their very own Gandalf.
Someone who knows the way, and has helped people achieve similar goals.
A good nutrition coach can 100% be this…if we find the right one.
Remember, “nutritionist” isn’t always a regulated term, so do a little research before jumping in.
Here’s something else to consider: some personal trainers ALSO offer nutrition coaching.
Many coaches are combining traditional personal training services like programming workouts alongside nutrition counseling, since the two can often be dependent on one another.
That’s more or less the basis of NF Coaching. Our coaches customize exercise routines, plus help our clients build healthy habits around nutritious eating (done all online).
We’ve found that lasting success often combines BOTH diet and exercise, so we don’t ignore either.
Plus, it’s often a better value to bundle both services together.
If you’re interested in seeing if one of our coaches can help you adjust your nutrition ( while also growing stronger), you can see if we’re a good fit for each other right here:
How to Hire a Nutrition Coach (Next Steps)
So you’ve decided you want to hire a nutrition coach?
Sweet!
Here’s what to do:
- Determine goals. We don’t want to start this process blindly. Figure out some goals and write them down. Any good coach is going to ask us about them right away.
- Formulate the scope. Do we need a medical professional for a prescribed way of eating? Or can a more generalized approach work? Do we want to meet someone in person or online?
- Compare qualifications. Anyone can throw the word “nutrition coach” on their resume. So look at their qualifications. Are they certified? Do they have a track record for helping people? Don’t hire the first nutrition coach found. Do some research!
- Determine what “success” looks like. How will we know if we’re on the right track? Is it eating more vegetables? Losing 10 pounds? Ask what a successful result will look like.
- Get started. Write out some goals, do your research, and then act! Hiring a nutrition coach isn’t like getting married – we can always leave our coach after a month or two. Don’t let the search for the “perfect coach” prevent us from getting started.
That should help with hiring a nutrition coach.
Alright, I want to hear from you now:
Are you considering hiring a nutrition coach?
What behaviors do you need help with?
Any tips for hiring a good coach I’m missing?
Let me know in the comments!
-Paul Aguilar
PS: Make sure you check out The Nerd’s Guide to Healthy Eating for tips on how to make small tips on how to improve your nutrition.
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Photo source: In 2015, the first woman coach was hired by a Major League Baseball team., ©Ekaterina Minaeva/123RF.COM, Four Bricks Tall, Not All Heroes Wear Capes, Mr. Bundit Chailaipanich/123RF.COM, ©rosinka79/123RF.COM, ©Lightfieldstudios/123RF.COM, bicycle
