Nutrition counseling

Dr. Mary Balliet offers one-on-one nutrition counseling at the Healthy Life Center: a conversation about what you eat, what your days actually look like, and what small changes are realistic for you specifically. She is in the office on Tuesdays.

The conversation

Most people arrive expecting to be handed a plan and told to follow it. That is not how Dr. Mary works, mostly because plans handed over that way tend to last about nine days.

She starts by asking what you currently eat. Not what you think you should be eating, and not an idealised version. A normal Tuesday and a normal Saturday are more useful than a list of intentions.

From there the questions get practical, and they are usually about everything except food. How much time do you actually have to cook on a weeknight. Who else are you feeding, and will they eat the same thing. What does your budget look like. Do you have a commute, shift work, a kitchen you like being in. Whether a suggestion survives contact with real life depends far more on those answers than on nutrition itself.

What you leave with

A small number of changes, chosen because you can see yourself doing them. Usually it is two or three things rather than a wholesale overhaul, and usually they are specific: a swap at a particular meal, a different way of handling the part of the week that always falls apart.

You can book a follow-up to see how it went and adjust, and plenty of people do. Nothing here is a programme you have to complete, and there is no package to sign up for.

What to bring

Nothing is required. That said, if you want the first session to go further, jot down what you actually ate for three or four days beforehand, including the parts you would rather not write down. Those are usually the useful ones.

If you are taking anything prescribed, bring the list. Dr. Mary will want to know.

What this is not

This is general nutrition counseling. It is not medical nutrition therapy for a diagnosed condition, and it is not a substitute for care from your physician or a registered dietitian.

If you are managing something your doctor is already treating, say so at the start. In some cases Dr. Mary will work alongside what your physician has asked of you. In others she will tell you directly that the right person for this is not her. She would rather say that in the first ten minutes than take your money and get to it later.

Booking

Dr. Mary is in on Tuesdays, and with only one day a week her schedule tends to book out further than the rest of the practice. Call the front desk on (607) 266-4325 to find a time, or to ask what a first session would involve before you commit to one.

Gift cards are available if you are booking this for somebody else. Ask the front desk for details.