What is a Dietitian?

Dietitians are health professionals who specialise in human nutrition and meal planning.

Good nutrition can prevent or improve many common health problems.

Dietitians apply scientific knowledge about food and nutrition to individuals and groups in states of health and disease to promote optimal health outcomes within the social, economic, and cultural context of the New Zealand population.

A dietitian is a registered health professional who meets the standards of professionalism required by the NZ Dietitians Board under the HPCA Act 2003. NZ Registered Dietitians have an undergraduate science degree in human nutrition, as well as a Masters Degree or Postgraduate Diploma in Dietetics.

Dietitians provide nutrition support to clients, their family, whānau and caregivers by:

•  explaining the role of food in disease management

• helping clients to make choices about foods to optimise their health and suit their lifestyles.

Inpatient Dietitians - Auckland City Hospital

Your medical team or nurse will refer you to a dietitian if they feel you will benefit from their input. A dietitian will assess your medical condition and recommend a nutritional treatment to meet your needs and preferences. This may also include education for you while on the ward and/ or after you go home. 

Outpatient Dietitians - Greenlane Clinical Centre

Dietitians assess and treat clients with nutrition-related disorders at this outpatient clinic.

Private Practice and Primary Care Dietitians       

If you do not qualify to see a publicly funded Dietitian at Auckland City Hospital or Greenlane Clinical Centre, there are also dietitians working in Private Practice and with some Primary Care GPs and nurses.

Some health insurance policies will cover all/part of the cost of private dietitian appointments - check with your provider to see if you qualify.

A current copy of the 'Auckland Dietitians Private Practice & Primary Care Directory' is available to download below.

Who Should Join You At Your Dietitian Appointment?

We encourage you to invite family, whānau or carers to your dietitian appointment. Interpreters are also available; please let us know if you need us to arrange one for you.

What Will The Dietitian Do?

Explain their role and ask for your consent to provide nutrition assessment and education.

Assessment:
The dietitian will read your medical notes and check your blood results, measure your height and weight or waist circumference and ask questions about your usual meal pattern, food choices and lifestyle. This will allow the dietitian to give you information that will fit in with your life.

Education:
We will work with you and your family/whānau to help you to plan realistic nutrition and lifestyle changes. The dietitian will explain any recommendations made and why they are needed and provide written information or pictures to take away.

Support:
We will provide follow-up appointments as required to reassess your medical and nutritional status, food choices and changes made. With your consent, we may refer you to other services (for instance – Diabetes Nurses) or talk to you and your family/whānau about other groups and health professionals who can provide ongoing support when you no longer need to be seen by the dietitian.

What Do You Need to Do?

Work together with the dietitian by:

• telling us as much as you can about the foods you choose and the amounts that you eat and drink
• asking about things you don’t understand
• trying the changes suggested by the dietitian
• telling us about how the changes are going and if you are managing them
• telling us if you have difficulty understanding the written and/or spoken information

NUTRITION WEBSITES & LINKS FOR THE PUBLIC

   5+ a day; www.5aday.co.nz

• Provides ideas and recipes to use a wide range of seasonable vegetables and fruit

   Alcohol.org.nz; www.alcohol.org.nz

• Safe Alcohol Guidelines

   Diabetes NZ; www.diabetes.org.nz

• Diabetes and healthy food choices (2015)
• Links to supporting information and Diabetes Support Groups

   Health Navigator; www.healthnavigator.org.nz/healthy-living 

   Healthy Food Guide (magazine & website); www.healthyfood.com 

   Heart Foundation; www.heartfoundation.org.nz

• Cheap Eats Cookbook (2019)
• Eating for a Healthy Heart (2019)
• Full o' Beans Cookbook (2018)
• Kids in the Kitchen Cookbook (2016)
• Pasifika Tastes Cookbook (2021)

   Ministry of Health Resources; www. healthed.govt.nz

• Healthy Eating, Active Living - Food and activity advice for adults 19-64 years (2020)
• Babies and Toddlers
• Children
• Young Adults
• Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women
• Older Adults
• South Asian People
• Vegetarians

   Healthy Kids; www.healthykids.org.nz

   Stroke Foundation of NZ; www.stroke.org.nz

• Salt and Blood Pressure

   Vegetables.co.nz; www.vegetables.co.nz