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Nutrition

Overview

Yale New Haven Hospital nutrition experts translate the science of food into practical solutions for every day healthy living. Committed to helping people enjoy healthy lives, Yale New Haven registered dietitian nutritionists help children and adults make unique, positive lifestyle changes.

At Yale New Haven Hospital, our registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) at the Center for Nutrition and Wellness offer comprehensive nutrition assessments and a variety of counseling services for children, adults and seniors. RDNs provide information to help you make smart choices about healthy eating, weight management and specialized clinical diets. Individual wellness programs and customized eating plans are based on personal needs, food preferences and lifestyle. Our RDNs offer personalized care and will collaborate with your referring physician to keep him/her up-to-date on your progress.

   
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Areas of expertise

Bariatric surgery or weight management

Are you interested in losing weight, maintaining your weight or in weight loss surgery? An RDN can help you sort through the myths and fads to find a weight management plan that is right for you. If bariatric surgery is in your future, we can provide the required education you need before surgery. Our goal is to help you find a way to eat healthfully and stay satisfied, without feeling deprived. We can also help you problem-solve eating out, workplace temptations and social situations that often make it hard to stick to your eating plan.

Caring for an aging parent

An RDN can help ensure your parent is meeting his/her changing nutritional needs related to age. They can help modify recipes for any health conditions to ensure meals are enjoyable as well as nutritious. They will also identify any food and medication interactions and help ensure proper hydration.

Diabetes

Managing diabetes can be overwhelming. Learn how to take control of your diabetes, eat properly and manage medications. Services at the Center for Nutrition and Wellness include medical nutrition therapy and diabetes self-management training by our certified diabetes educators. If you have pre-diabetes, they also can show you how diet and lifestyle changes may be able to prevent the development of diabetes. The Center for Nutrition and Wellness is an American Diabetes Association Recognized Education Program.

Digestive or gastrointestinal problems

People with ulcers, reflux, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or diverticulosis require very individualized meal plans. An RDN can work with you to:

  • Fine-tune your diet to promote healing and avoid aggravating your symptoms.
  • Document your symptoms, identify culprit foods and suggest substitutions.
  • Start the latest diet plans, such as FODMAPs for IBS, which may have some benefit in reducing symptoms.
  • Teach you what to look for when reading food labels and suggest substitutions for favorite foods, if you are following a restricted diet due to allergies or other medical conditions.

Food allergies or intolerances

A nutrition expert can help with identified food allergies, and design a healthy eating plan for you or your children that includes important vitamins and nutrients you may be missing.

Heart health

Do you have high blood pressure, high blood lipids or cholesterol, or heart disease? Sometimes people think that they will have to give up all of their favorite foods to follow a heart healthy lifestyle. This does not have to be the case. An RDN can develop an individualized meal plan with you to include your favorite foods. RDNs show you how to plan for cooking and shopping. Together, we can change your recipes to make them more healthful but still full of flavor.

Pediatric nutrition

Children may face many of the same nutrition challenges as adults. We offer advice tailored to their special nutritional needs. Our RDNs work with children and families to help them reach health goals. Maybe your child needs to achieve a healthy weight or perhaps your child is not growing as much as your pediatrician would like. Food allergies and intolerances can make eating a challenge for your child. We help you find ways to focus on your child’s needs while also considering your family’s preferences.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a good time to talk with RDNs. They can ensure that you include foods with the proper nutrients, especially in early pregnancy when the baby’s development is so critical. If gestational diabetes or a twin pregnancy is an added challenge, an RDN can guide you through healthy meal planning for you and your baby.

Sports nutrition

Are you a weekend warrior, an avid hiker or an elite athlete? Maybe you want to get in shape, stay active and be well. Our RDNs get it. They are athletes and certified personal trainers too. As experts in improving physical fitness and endurance, they can help you build meal plans with the nutrients to enhance physical performance.

Unintended weight loss or loss of appetite

Is it difficult to eat enough to maintain your weight? Has your appetite decreased? Does food not taste the same as it used to? Many people struggle with unintended weight loss. An RDN understands your desire to improve your strength and stamina. We can help you find ways to sneak in additional calories and protein when cooking and eating, using foods that you enjoy. Supplemental drinks are not your only option.

Wellness and prevention

Healthy choices are essential to feeling your best, but healthy does not have to mean tasteless and boring. Our RDNs can help you create a plan that includes meals and exercise so you can improve your quality of life. A healthier lifestyle may also prevent health complications such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Meet with a nutrition expert

You want to eat smarter, but mastering nutrition basics is hard to do on your own. A registered dietitian can help you sort through misinformation; learn how to read labels at the grocery store; discover that healthy cooking is inexpensive; learn how to eat without ruining your eating plan; and how to resist workplace temptations.

To learn how to make better food choices, consider meeting with an RDN at Yale New Haven Hospital to evaluate your eating habits and goals - especially when faced with any of these situations.

Programs & information

Educational Programs

The RDNs at the Center for Nutrition and Wellness are ready to turn the science of nutrition into practical solutions for area businesses and organizations. Designed to fit within a lunch hour at your office or community group, lunch and learn seminars are a great way to learn more about nutrition and wellness solutions. We can bring the following programs to your location:

  • Seminars on topics such as:
    • Eating on the Run
    • Healthy Cooking
    • Nutrition: Fact and Fiction
    • Smart Shopping
    • Managing Diabetes
    • Building a Healthy Lunch
    • Specialty topics by request
  • Employee health and benefits fairs
  • Cooking demonstrations and recipe development

For more information, call 203-688-2422.

Dietetic Internships

Yale New Haven Hospital offers two internship tracks: the Clinical Emphasis Dietetic Internship and the combined internship and master’s degree program in affiliation with the graduate school at the University of New Haven (UNH).

Learn more about Yale New Haven Hospital’s dietetic internships

Referrals and appointments

Before making an appointment:

  • Ask your doctor for a physician referral for nutrition counseling.
  • Call your insurance provider. Coverage for nutrition counseling varies among insurance carriers. Find out if your plan offers a nutrition benefit and what diagnoses and services are covered.

Payment, including any copays or coinsurance payments, is due when you arrive for your appointment.

Referring providers can fill out this form to refer patients.

Yale School of Medicine

Yale New Haven Health is proud to be affiliated with the prestigious Yale University and its highly ranked Yale School of Medicine.