Medical Issues

Our Unique Process:

• We first determine your food personality type and help you understand the science of food, nutrition, and what your body needs.
• Then, we help you understand what to eat AND how to put it all into action at home and on-the-go for long term success.
• Along the way we also help you understand how to achieve enough fun and flexibility to live a balanced life.

• Professional & Established:  As one of the most established Registered Dietitian practices in Canada, we have pioneered the industry since year 2000. We are located in Calgary as well as serve the global community online. Our top referral source for nutrition counselling is by referrals from respected physicians, psychologists and health professionals that value our approach, professionalism and results. We have a spacious, confidential consulting office that will make you feel comfortable when discussing personal goals and concerns. Our office is centrally located with free parking.Our HIPAA and PIPEDA/PHIPA compliant virtual nutrition counseling services, online education resources, and online nutrition courses allow you to learn globally and seamlessly.
• Customization and Follow-Up: Our services specialize in personalizing plans just for you. Since there are a million and one ways to eat, following a book, internet plan or a group program often will likely not address your own preferences and needs. We believe working one-on-one with each person is the best way to achieve success and ideas you can sustain for the long term.  We also know that in order for you to achieve results a single nutrition counselling session won’t work. Since we have worked with hundreds of people since the year 2000 we have set up our three programs to address your needs.
• Qualified Nutrition Experts: All of our nutrition experts are experienced, credible, and university-trained. As Registered Dietitians (the only regulated and licensed health professionals in the nutrition field in Canada), we are held to ethical standards of practice). We make sure you are getting advice that is current, credible, and scientifically based. For more information on the training and legislation of our profession visit: the College of Dietitians of Alberta.  Note that while the word “Nutritionist”  is a protected title by law in Calgary, Alberta where we are located, this title may not be protected by law in your local area.
• Added Value! Not only do we provide you with personalized nutrition counselling, you can count on us for many other added resources and tools we have developed over the years to facilitate learning. We are constantly updating our resource bank as well as subscriptions to research updates and databases to make sure you have the most current up-to-date information.  We work in a team environment to share best practices, experience and solutions.

A doctor’s referral is not required to book an appointment. If you have complex medical issues it is ideal to have your doctor provide us with a referral note to update us on your medical situation so we can best take care of your needs. With your permission (signed) we can collaborate with your doctor, psychologist, coach or other health professional to ensure we are all working well as a team.

Registered Dietitians (RDs) are the only regulated and licensed health professionals in the field of nutrition in Canada, we are held to ethical standards of practice.

In the province of Alberta where we are located as well as many other provinces in Canada, Dietitians are classified as an “Authorized Medical Practitioner” as shown on the Canada Revenue Agency website. What this means is that you can save your receipts and supply them to your accountant for medical expense tax credit.

Many private medical insurance plans and health spending accounts cover nutrition counselling by a Registered Nutritionist/Dietitian. Check your plan to see what is covered for you. Since every insurance company has different policies, please be sure to check with them regarding coverage per session, per year and per family member. We do not direct bill to insurance companies but will provide you with a detailed receipt that includes our Registered Dietitian practice permit number, description of service, dates of counselling sessions and consulting fee breakdown per hour.

If your plan does not cover the services of a Registered Dietitian:

Employers:

• Talk to your insurance broker and ask for Dietitians to be added to your employee health insurance plan.
• Assess if your employee health benefit plan makes the most of nutrition services by downloading and sharing these resources with decision makers: download employer resources. 

Business Owners:

• For a Professional Corporation or any Incorporation - the most tax efficient way to claim for medical expenses is through a Health Spending Account (HSA) or PHSP (Private Health Services Plan).
• Paying for medical expenses with after tax dollars means you are requiring more pre-tax dollars to pay for these expenses.  An HSA simply allows you to shift the personal burden over to the corporation - the result being a tax deduction to the corporation, and tax free benefit to the employee.
• There are many HSA providers in Canada - in the end they all accomplish the same thing.  Depending on your medical needs the add on features of HSA's is where the differences lie.
• To discuss features and cost differences along with the flow of funds between personal and corporation CONTACT US so we can provide you with a referral to a trusted broker we work with to provide you with a range of options

Employees:

• Ask your employer senior leadership team, union rep and HR director to add dietitian services to your employee health insurance plan.
• We have drafted the following paragraph for you to cut and paste into a letter. We appreciate your support and voice to help with this!

To Human Resources Department or Union Representative:

My health is important to me and I want to benefit from the services a Registered Dietitian can provide. When you are negotiating our company’s renewal for medical insurance coverage for our benefits plan, I would strongly urge you to consider adding coverage for Registered Dietitians who are regulated health professionals under the Health Professions Act. For more information about the profession visit The Dietitians of Canada: https://www.dietitians.ca/employeebenefits  Registered Dietitians (RDs) are the only regulated health professionals in the field of nutrition.  Dietitians are qualified to offer Canadians trust-worthy, science-based food and nutrition advice tailored to their health goals, preferences, and lifestyles.

Thank you for considering this important health issue.

Sincerely,

All Dietitians are Nutritionists (but not all Nutritionists are Dietitians).  

Registered Dietitians (RDs) are the only regulated and licensed health professionals in the field of nutrition in Canada, we are held to ethical standards of practice.  In some provinces including where we are located in Alberta, the word Nutritionist is also a protected title.  To be sure you are accessing advice from the most qualified nutrition professional, look for the initials RD or PDt (DtP in French) after a health professional’s name. 

Seeing a Registered Dietitian is one way you can be assured the nutrition education you are receiving is credible.  You wouldn’t ask a celebrity interested in home construction how to wire your basement, you’d ask an electrician. You wouldn’t ask your child's soccer coach who has an interest in health to provide you with medical treatment.  Apply this same thinking when it comes to nutrition advice.

Just like electricians, engineers and medical doctors, Dietitians are accountable to provincial regulatory bodies for the highest standards of education and ethical practice. Provincial regulatory bodies protect the public and serve as a point of contact for consumer complaints and malpractice. 

Titles such as Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Certified Nutritional Practitioner, RONP, RNCP, ROHP, RHN, CNP are not the same as a Registered Dietitian and do not indicate the person is a provincially regulated health professional. These are often used by those who have completed much less intensive privately owned training programs that vary in length and rigor. 

To ensure your nutrition care provider is a Dietitian, look for RD or PDt (DtP in French) behind their name. Dietitian is a protected title across Canada, just like physician, nurse and pharmacist.  Nutritionist is also a protected title in Alberta, Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Please help us to maintain the operation of our business on sound principles so that we may assure you and other clients uninterrupted service. Once you have made an appointment, this time is reserved for you, therefore AT LEAST 24 HOURS NOTICE on business days (Monday to Friday) must be given if rescheduling is absolutely necessary – otherwise the session will be counted in your program or you will be charged a cancellation fee.

We have a variety of payment options available to accommodate your needs. Contact us for more information.

All professional services are CHARGED DIRECTLY TO THE CLIENT (we do not direct bill insurance companies). We prepare a detailed receipt with all the necessary information you will need when submitting a claim for reimbursement from your health spending account or health benefits with your insurance company.

Methods of payment include: cheque, debit card, MasterCard, and Visa. We also have online debit, MasterCard and Visa available on our secure website.  There are no refunds for services purchased.

Services purchased are non-transferable, non-refundable and expire after 12 months of the date of your first session in a program/package. The date of expiry cannot be extended should you not be able to complete your services and sessions. It is your responsibility to ensure you book your appointments and services within the allocated time you have to complete your program.

Yes! We use a paid version of Zoom known as Zoom Healthcare for telehealth videoconferencing. It’s stable, private and a highly secure HIPAA and PIPEDA/PHIPA compliant type of technology used by hospitals and healthcare workers.

Even if you are inexperienced with computer technology you will be surprised how easy it is to use. All you need is a web camera on your computer. At the beginning of your appointment, all you will need to do is click on the website link we’ve provided you with to access our private Zoom room. Then at the start of your appointment your nutrition educator will permit access to begin the videoconference. We can provide you with a demo to show you how easy it is to use. You’ll love that you can see us on video and that we can share notes resources just like you were in our office.

Important: All our nutrition educators are registered with the College of Registered Dietitians of Alberta. This means they carry a license to work as a Registered Dietitian in the province of Alberta. With this license we are permitted to provide virtual dietetic practice as a Registered Dietitian in all provinces throughout Canada except BC, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and PEI where an additional specific license is also required. To help accommodate this requirement some of our Registered Dietitian team members also have registration with the College of Dietitians of Ontario, Saskatchewan Dietitians Association and the College of Dietitians of British Columbia.

IF YOU ARE FROM QUEBEC, PEI, MANITOBA OR OUTSIDE CANADA READ BELOW CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU SIGN UP FOR OUR SERVICES:

For the following provinces in Canada (Quebec, PEI and Manitoba) as well as other global territories while we can’t see you as a Registered Dietitian, we can still work with you to provide nutrition education services that would not be considered medical nutrition therapy (MNT) and that would be provided for information purposes only. Please note that insurance providers may have different policies/criteria for reimbursement if the service is provided through virtual practice or by a nutritional specialist who is not licensed and registered to practice as a Dietitian or Nutritionist in the jurisdiction where you reside. Be sure to confirm your insurance coverage requirements prior to booking services with us.

We offer nutrition counselling appointments between 8am to 5pm MST Monday through Friday.

Our HIPAA and PIPEDA/PHIPA compliant virtual nutrition counseling services, online education resources, and online nutrition courses allow you to learn globally and seamlessly. Learn easily from anywhere in the world.

Our address:

• Suite 200, 5800-2 Street SW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2H 0H2.
• Our office is located in Calgary in a central location across the street from Chinook Centre mall (just off of Macleod Trail on 58th Avenue and 2nd Street).
• Please note that our office is on the second floor and is accessible only by stairs.
• PARKING:  We have 2 FREE parking spots at the back of our building (spots #13 and #14 ONLY please) and there is FREE 2-hour parking on the streets in front of and beside the building.
• TRANSIT: Our office is a few blocks (10-minute walk) from Chinook C-Train Station.
• Download Our Office Location and Parking MAP
• View our location on Google maps

Our friendly Dietitian team can give you a hand.  To ask a question drop us an email or phone our office.