At Wake Internal Medicine, Lori Bridges, PA-C can provide nutrition counseling services to patients of any age. The goal of nutrition counseling is to determine a patient’s existing habits and subsequently create an individualized nutrition plan.
Services Related to Nutrition and Fitness
Nutrition is all about the food and nutrition that you intake. However, this is heavily linked to weight and fitness. Your food intake can have a direct impact on your outside appearance and weight health. All of these areas of your personal health are difficult to change because they are inherently habitual. A habit is hard to break, especially an unhealthy one. But with the guidance of our nutrition-oriented physician assistant, we can educate you and help guide you to better choices. Our nutrition and fitness services include:
- Guidance on food preparation
- Understanding the purpose of fiber and how it can be consumed
- Education on reading nutrition labels on packaged foods
- Goals when eating out
- Ways to eat less fat
- Exercise and developing an individualized program
- Meal planning
- Understanding how to choose snack foods
- Nutritional help for diabetes patients
- Tracking proportions
Goals for Nutrition Counseling
Our services are not intended to be a one-week diet or an instant result. We advocate for long-term, habitual, and educational choices. We understand how difficult it can be to keep track of your body. Nutritional changes can be emotional, especially without seeing instant results. Ms. Bridges is determined to be there for you as you take this journey toward health! The following is a list of our goals:
- Educate you on healthy habits and foods
- Guide you toward an appropriate diet (particularly important for diabetes patients)
- Empower patients to make smarter food choices
- Depending on your situation, we can focus on increasing fiber intake or decreasing fat, cholesterol, or blood pressure levels
- Improve activity levels
- Lose weight
- Lessen the risk of diabetes
What to Expect
At your first appointment, we will ask questions about your health history and habits. You will need to fill out the assessment questionnaires, which include information about your health history, medication record, medical concerns, socio-economic information related to nutrition, your diet history, and your goals. It is important, to be honest with your doctor. He or she is here to help you and to gain an understanding of what motivates you and how your past attempts at eating healthy have gone. As medical professionals, we are not here to judge you. We are looking at the big picture. Your diet and activity level impact all other areas of your health. The goal is to identify problems and weak areas in order to help you lead a healthier life overall.
Resources for Patients
If you are entering a nutrition counseling program with one of our providers, please check out the following resources. You may have been encouraged to print and fill out these forms before your appointment.
At Wake Internal Medicine Consultants, all of our physicians are board-certified internal medicine doctors. This means that they can diagnose and treat patients of all ages. Internists are certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. To learn more about the services we provide, contact us at one of our two Raleigh locations. We treat patients all over the Triangle area.
