Maybe I’m just vain. I am a dietitian after all and I practice what I preach. Or maybe I’m just realistic. I believe nutrition is more than just eating fruits and vegetables. I think nutrition at its truth includes not only what and how much eat, but our relationship with our food and with our bodies. 

All I was asked was to rate my nutrition and the overachiever that I am said “excellent.” My Primary Care Provider (PCP) didn’t elaborate on the question. He didn’t ask how often I eat, how much I eat, what foods I prioritize. Can I blame him? They spend all of 15 minutes with us and I understand why. But here’s the thing, nutrition is one of the most important factors for our long-term health. I’m talking chronic diseases, disordered eating, and even acute conditions. Things like diabetes, kidney failure, bulimia, and nutrient deficiencies. 

It’s a generic question that most PCP’s don’t ask and I am thrilled that it even came up, but it’s important to ask more. Doctors are the most consistent health care provider that we see; long before we even know that dietitians exist. It’s like waiting until you have already had the flu to get the vaccine. We wait until someone is too sick, has heart failure, or is malnourished to ask about their relationship to food. It takes a few questions, a few extra minutes, and could save lives. 

You might be thinking, Erin do you really want PCPs to give nutrition advice? No, not unless they are educated to do so (fun fact, most doctors are not). I don’t want them to give advice, I want them to give referrals. I want doctors to give patients the tools they need to succeed, and this includes access to a dietitian. 

There are 550,000 new cases of Heart Failure diagnosed every year in the US alone¹. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness². An estimated 30% of hospital patients either are malnourished at admission or will become malnourished during their hospital stay. While these things may be identified at later stages of life, they certainly don’t start then. 

You can’t tell from my BMI or vital signs that my nutrition is excellent. You can only tell by asking the right questions. If your doctor doesn’t ask the right questions, I challenge you to bring them up yourself. 

1. Heart & Vascular:Conditions & Treatments. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.emoryhealthcare.org/heart-vascular/wellness/heart-failure-statistics.html.

• Eating Disorder Statistics • National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://anad.org/education-and-awareness/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/.