Primary Care | Preventive Care

Diet Counseling



diet & nutrition counseling in jacksonville fl


What Is Diet Counseling?

Diet counseling is one approach to improving your nutritional intake that will help meet your physical, mental and emotional needs. At Emed we use the latest approaches in research, clinical experience, and problem-solving to help you find a lifestyle that works for you long term.

To eat healthy, be sure to get plenty of:

  • Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products
  • Seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, beans, peas, seeds, and nuts

It’s also important to limit the amount of:

  • Salt
  • Added sugars – like white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrups, and honey
  • Saturated fats, which chiefly come from animal products like cheese, fatty meats, whole milk, and butter, and also processed plant products like palm and coconut oils
  • Transaturated fats, which can be in high concentrations in stick margarine, desserts, & coffee creamers
  • Refined grains from foods like cookies, white bread, and certain snack foods

Benefits of a Healthy Diet

A healthy diet is important for long term health benefits
Eating healthy is essential for your overall long term well-being. Making smart diet choices can also help you manage your weight and lower your chances of getting certain chronic (long-term) diseases like diabetes.

When you concentrate on eating healthy foods – and limiting unhealthy ones – you can reduce the risk of:

  • Heart attacks
  • Diabetes
  • High blood pressure
  • Certain types of cancer
  • Osteoporosis

Small changes can make a big difference for your health.

Keep a food diary.
Keeping track of what you eat now will help you figure out what you want to change.

  • When you’re eating
  • What and how much you are eating
  • Where and who you’re with when you eat
  • How you are feeling when you eat

Learn to Shop Smart

Shop smart at the grocery store.
The next time you go food shopping:

  • Make a shopping list ahead of time. Only buy items on the list.
  • Don’t shop while you are hungry – eat something before you go to the store.

Use these tips to buy healthy foods:

Read the Nutrition Facts label.
Understanding the Nutrition Facts label on food packages can help you make healthy choices.

First, look at the serving size and the number of servings per package – there may be more than 1 serving!

Next, check out the percent Daily Value (% DV) column. This lets you know if a food is higher or lower in certain vitamins & nutrients. You can look for foods that are:

  • Lower in sodium and saturated fat (5% DV or less)
  • Higher in fiber, calcium, potassium, and vitamin D (20% DV or more)

The picture below shows an example of a Nutrition Facts label.

To learn more about the Nutrition Facts label:

Read the list of ingredients
To reduce added sugars in your foods, you can make sure that added sugars are not listed in the first few ingredients. Names for added sugars include: sugar, corn syrups, fruit juice concentrates, maltose, dextrose, sucrose, honey, and maple syrup.


Have A Healthy Support System

Be a healthy family
Parents and caregivers are important role models for healthy eating. You can show kids how to choose and prepare healthy foods.

Eat healthy away from home.
You can make smart food choices wherever you are – at work, in your favorite restaurant, or out running errands. Try these tips for eating healthy even when you are away from home:

  • At lunch, have a sandwich on whole-grain bread instead of white bread.
  • Drink water instead of soda.
  • Choose foods that are steamed or broiled, not fried.
  • On a long drive or shopping trip, pack healthy snacks like fruit, unsalted nuts, or low-fat string cheese sticks.

If you need help adjusting your eating habits, talk to a doctor or dietician.
If you need help making healthier food choices, your doctor or a registered dietitian can help. A registered dietitian is a health professional who can help you change your diet for the better.

If you make an appointment to talk about your eating habits, be sure to take a food diary with you to help start the conversation.

What about cost?

The ACA (the health care reform law passed in 2010) requires health plans cover diet counseling for those at a higher risk for chronic diseases like diabetes.
Depending on your insurance plan, you may be able to get diet counseling at no cost to you. Check with your insurance company to find out what’s included.

To see what else is covered by the Affordable Care Act, visit HealthCare.gov here.


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