FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT DOES WORKING WITH YOU INDIVIDUALLY ENTAIL?

Our approach to each individual is unique. At our first appointment, we will talk about your health history and your relationship with food and move on to exploring what is presently going on with you and your eating. Then, we will discuss where you are trying to go with your eating goals, body image, relationship with food and what you're overall looking for in terms of quality of life.

Together we will decide what the next right step for you is while taking into account your mental physical health. We will help you see potential dangers with food-related behaviors and thoughts. Healthy eating is not perfect eating and perfect eating is not healthy eating.

There's an art and science to nutrition. You may need help with nutritional education, i.e. the science. Common educational themes in appointments are: talking through metabolism, macronutrients, meal planning, grocery shopping, meal frequency, etc. You may need support with the art of nutrition and may even be already very educated about the science. In those cases, we will dive deep into some of the art of nutrition including: cognitive distortions, intuitive eating principles and recognizing hunger and fullness. Many times individual nutrition therapy sessions are a combination of the art and science of nutrition.

This process guides you through the sometimes confusing world of nutrition and to help you feel confident and self-assured that you have the knowledge and tools to be able to make healthy decisions for you that are sustainable and realistic.

WHAT IS YOUR NUTRITION PHILOSOPHY?

We believe that all foods can fit in a healthy eating pattern. We don't like to contribute to anyone's food fears and will encourage clients to try to see all food as just food, not necessarily good or bad (that idea is called food neutrality). Some foods we eat more of, some foods we eat less of.

Nutrition is an important part of our health but it's not the entire picture. We have to balance mental health, exercise and physical activity, spiritual well-being, personal development, relationships, sleep, etc. in order to truly be "healthy". We incorporate each of the aspects of health that are important to you into our conversations and goals about nutrition.

Any changes we make with eating need to be realistic, sustainable, mentally healthy and tasty. If food isn't enjoyable, change isn't likely going to stick.

Food should taste good and shouldn't run our lives! It's important to understand nutrition and to make healthy choices, but there's always a balance between a healthy concern for nutrition and becoming extreme. We like to help people realize they can be moderate, enjoy life and be healthy all at the same time.

WHAT DO YOU SPECIALIZE IN?

WHAT FORMS OF PAYMENT DOES POSITIVE NUTRITION TAKE?

We are currently contracted with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, University of Utah Health Plans, DMBA , United and PEHP. Full details about insurance can be found here. For self-pay clients, payment is due at the time of service. If we are not contracted with your insurance carrier, your sessions with a registered dietitian at Positive Nutrition still may be covered. We can provide you with documentation called a superbill with proper coding that you can submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement. In the case that you'd like us to give you a superbill, you must provide a physician referral with your nutrition-related medical diagnosis that we can keep on file.

I ALREADY KNOW A LOT ABOUT NUTRITION. SHOULD I STILL CONSIDER WORKING WITH YOU?

Yes! Knowledge alone is often not enough to actually change behavior. Understanding carbs, fats and proteins is great but improving your relationship with food, working on emotional eating or learning how to listen to your body may require the help of a professional. We've worked with registered dietitians, professors, business leaders, medical doctors and various other people who know a lot about nutrition but need that extra help with the art of eating and healing their relationship with food.

DO YOU PROVIDE MEAL PLANS?

In general, we shy away from meal plans. They are often gimmicky, short-lived and not helpful long-term. Rather than dictate every morsel of food you put in your mouth, we'd prefer to help you work through deeper reasons eating and food have gotten off track in your life. We'd rather you leave our office feeling confident in your ability to make decisions about food instead of feeling dependent and reliant on an outside force to tell you exactly what to do.

We hope to instill a sense of confidence and self-reliance in each of our clients to be able to trust their own inner guide as to what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat and to understand why they're eating. When necessary, we may outline ideas for meals and structure for eating, but don't give a one-size-fits-all meal plan to our clients.