The PCN’s skilled team of registered dietitians provide many services to support your health, working closely with you to help reach your nutritional goals. PCN registered dietitian Mikaela Jahrig answers some common questions about a dietitian’s job, how she can help with health concerns and how to balance nutrition when life gets busy.
“If you try to balance most meals with fibre-rich foods, protein sources, healthy fats and carbohydrates sources, that’s a great foundation. There’s no need to aim for perfection.” -Mikaela Jahrig, PCN registered dietitian.
A dietitian’s role is to help people make sense of complex, scientific nutrition information and translating it into practical advice that is easy-to-understand and based on evidence. Our team at Calgary Foothills PCN focuses a lot on chronic disease management and we provide personalized nutrition information to patients based on their health needs and nutrition goals.
We often support patients living with conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol — concerns that benefit from ongoing care, rather than urgent or emergency issues. We also help people with weight management, allergies, digestion and gut health, as well as disordered eating.
Every person who comes to us is at a different place in terms of their relationship with food. Our goal is to meet them where they’re at and help determine what healthy eating means for them — there can be a lot of noise in our society around food, nutrition and eating habits. I believe healthy eating is subjective and there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
When eating or nutrition starts to feel confusing or overwhelming, or if you’re getting mixed messages from the internet or even friends and family, making an appointment with a dietitian can help.
If you’re feeling unsure, hesitant, or anxious about how food affects your body — or if you just have questions you’d like answered — a dietitian can help you make sense of it all and feel more confident about your choices.
Life can be very busy — convenience is not a bad thing. I would suggest trying to establish a regular eating schedule and include various whole foods at mealtimes in addition to convenient grab-and-go items. Sometimes we get too caught up with concerns around processed and pre-prepared foods, but it’s OK to lean into those sources to help strike a balance.
For example, a pre-cut veggie tray or a pre-packaged salad can help to increase your vegetable consumption — the same goes for things like rotisserie chicken and canned tuna. These are nutritious and convenient foods that can help reduce the burden of meal prepping. If you like to go out to eat, try to reduce the number of times you’re ordering out each week — even a small change will make a big difference.
I think often a lot of people want to go from zero to 100, but it’s important to strike a balance so that you’re more likely to stick with it.
If you are struggling with a chronic illness or simply want to understand more about your diet, Calgary Foothills PCN has resources to help you through your journey.
The PCN offers free online workshops to help you explore healthy eating:
Learn more about how a PCN registered dietitian can set you on the right path and how to book a one-on-one appointment or register for a workshop.