Dietitian-nutritionists in 2025

Diets such as the ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting, the paleo diet, low-carb diets and many others are generally fairly strict eating programs in which certain foods and sometimes even entire food groups are restricted. Often, the benefits are seen in the short term, the so-called honeymoon period. However, due to their restrictive nature, they are generally short-lived. Unfortunately, they often end up doing more harm than good. Following a diet of this kind, we often regain all the weight we’ve lost and even more, we may have dietary deficiencies and our metabolism may have suffered due to a prolonged period of undernourishment.

Unlike a diet, a dietitian-nutritionist always aims to make recommendations tailored to the client’s needs so that they are able to apply them in daily life. In other words, the aim is to modify a person’s basic diet with the goal of improving their eating habits for better long-term nutrition.

Food plans can be useful for very special occasions. For example, in major sporting competitions where there are several events in a short amount of time, eating plans can be very relevant to ensure adequate energy reserves and optimal hydration. However, eating plans, which are often requested for weight loss purposes, are not recommended, as they are difficult to customize, not very flexible and often not feasible in the long term.

It’s true that dietitians-nutritionists promote a balanced diet. However, foods that are often perceived as “bad” for your health, such as fast food and desserts, are also part of a balanced diet. Certain cognitive restrictions stemming from the dieting culture, which categorizes foods as “good” or “bad”, are a habit we aim to break in nutrition follow-ups.

This perception that a food is “bad” makes us want to eat it more often, and can lead to feelings of loss of control, and guilt after eating it. This can create a vicious circle of disordered eating behavior.

Dietitians-nutritionists promote a mostly unprocessed diet, which contains the majority of essential nutrients. However, in many contexts, supplements may be recommended. This is the case for people with heightened needs (e.g. athletes), food allergies or intolerances (e.g. celiac), or major losses (e.g. diarrhea), to name but a few. On the other hand, the word supplement implies that it is an addition to the diet, and cannot replace a good diet in general.

Canada’s Food Guide is a good resource for the general public to learn the basics of good nutrition. Dietitians-nutritionists take a much more personalized approach. The first step is an initial assessment to determine the client’s specific needs. Following the assessment, we work in partnership with the client to develop the dietary changes needed to achieve their goals. It’s also with the help of nutrition follow-up that these changes can be more easily integrated into daily life. The dietitian-nutritionist uses the knowledge acquired about the client to find strategies adapted to their lifestyle, tastes and needs.