3 Ways to Avoid Giving Bad Nutritional Guidance

You know that good nutritional guidance is key to healthy living. 

With food (and information about food) being so abundantly available in the United States, one might assume that Americans eat nutritious diets. And, yes, statistics like lower stroke mortality and higher rates of cancer screening in America stand out from peer countries, Health Policy Correspondent Selena Simmons-Duffin writes for NPR.

What’s the problem with abundance?

Widely available as it is, not all this nutrition advice and food is good. But many Americans either can’t tell the difference between high and low-quality nutritional guidance, or they don’t have access to more nutritious options. And bad nutrition is making people sick.

According to an article by health journalists at STAT News, nearly half of Americans die from diseases associated with poor diet and dietary education, like insufficient fruit and vegetable intake and excess intake of sodium (the “quiet pandemic”). In a Cleveland Clinic survey, 20 percent of Americans reported not knowing how to cook nutritious food, and 10 percent reportedly thought fast food is heart healthy.

That’s where you come in. Nutritional guidance specialists like you are responsible for not only instilling healthy nutrition habits, but also dispelling the dietary misconceptions bombarding your clients.

3 Nutritional Guidance Tips

To present yourself in the best light and avoid contributing to the not-so-savory and bad advice out there, here are a few nutrition coaching tips to consider.

1. Stay within your scope.

Brad Dieter of the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) explains that your clients may confuse nutritionists and nutrition coaches with registered dieticians and licensed physicians. This can be especially confusing since nutritionists and dieticians work in similar spaces, Grand Canyon University states in their article. As a result, clients may ask you to provide services that are inappropriate or even illegal for a nutrition specialist to provide.

A nutritionist’s scope and regulations vary from state to state, as this map by NutritionED.org shows. Therefore, if you move to a new state, don’t assume it’s business as usual. Failing to understand who can legally give nutrition advice in your new state could have repercussions, as one health and nutrition coach learned in 2017. 

2. Educate and guide—don’t prescribe.

You or your clients might’ve wondered: Can a health coach give nutrition advice? Can a nutrition coach make meal plans?

Drawing the line for your scope can be challenging at first. Dieter’s suggestion for nutritional guidance coaches: Remember you are there to educate and guide, not prescribe.

Generally, you can’t recommend nutrition-based treatments for illnesses or give medical nutritional counseling–even if clients ask you to. Therefore, avoid prescribing any particular supplement or dosage, Dieter says. Don’t prescribe detailed meal plans for clients’ medical goals, either. 

So, how do you give nutritional advice from a non-dietician or physician’s perspective? Advice from nutritionists should include evidence-based ideas and educational tools to support healthy lifestyles and overall wellness, Precision Nutrition Co-Founder John Berardi suggests in his informative guide for non-registered-dieticians.

For example, you wouldn’t design a detailed meal plan to “treat” a client’s diabetes. You might, however, explain how nutrition generally affects blood glucose. Also, you might share recipes she can use to structure her own meals, Berardi suggests. You would not, however, prescribe diets for balancing her blood glucose. Unless you have formal dietitian certification or licensing, nutritional guidance coaches should focus on dietary education.

Meanwhile, don’t shy away from referring clients to the right specialists, Dieter writes. In connecting clients with additional resources, you’re still acting as a valuable resource yourself.

3. Avoid blanket statements and Band-Aid solutions.

When interviewed for a University of Florida News article, registered dietician Michelle Cardel says blanket statements are a huge red flag in the nutrition world.

Nutrition coaches work with clients across a spectrum of nutrition needs. The nutritional needs of a 35-year-old pregnant woman will differ from those of an 80-year-old woman, for example. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to a healthy diet, Cardel tells University of Florida News.

Don’t give advice in the form of blanket statements or fads, and don’t imply a single diet can provide the same results for two different clients, she says. Otherwise, you run the risk of spreading dietary misconceptions and getting unhappy clients. 

Alternatively, study up on your knowledge and your coaching skills, Berardi recommends. Coaches who know their stuff and articulate nutrition advice with clarity and confidence will make the biggest strides in helping clients achieve their wellness goals.

Band-Aid insurance solutions? Not here.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to nutrition. 

Here at WellnessPro, we believe the same applies for your insurance coverage. Whether you provide nutritional guidance, life coaching, personal training, or a combination of the three, you need specialized protection for the unforeseen liability that comes with specialized wellness services like yours. 

Curious how WellnessPro can secure your peace of mind? Allegations of bad nutrition advice or otherwise, we’ve tailored our coverage options to your needs. Learn more here.