Accredited Practising Dietitian’s (APDs) are experts in food and nutrition. They can advise patients on the specific nutritional management of many health conditions such as diabetes, overweight and obesity, cancer, heart disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal diseases and food allergies. Timely intervention by a dietitian can reduce the risk of developing chronic disease.

Services

Dietitians offer a broad range services. These may include:

• Community and Public health Nutrition including consultation to residential aged care facilities, child care centres and group homes for people with disability regarding clinical care, staff training, menu assessment and planning and compliance monitoring of therapeutic diets
• Medical Nutrition Therapy (clinical care) with patients including assessment and nutritional education/counselling, enteral/parenteral nutrition monitoring and evaluation
• Food service Management which can be at Community Health centres running nutrition education sessions (such as supermarket tours, cooking classes, diabetes education and cardiovascular education).

Although there are a wider range of triggers for referring patients to a dietitian, key factors include:

• Significant weight change
• Failure to meet nutrition needs
• Recent poor food intake, poor appetite, or difficulty preparing or eating food
• Changes in medication
• Periodic review of medical nutrition therapy.

Our Dietitian

Beatrix Ikeda BSc (Nutrition), MMedSc, MSc, APD Beatrix Ikeda has obtained her many qualifications from the University of Oslo, University of Newcastle & University of Wollongong. Her experience includes working for IAHS, Nutrition Australia, and in private practice. Beatrix has a special interest in weight loss, diabetes, general healthy eating and is a busy mum to 4 children.