How can I find nutritional advice?
The job title of the nourishing advisor is not legally protected in Germany, i.e. that everyone can call itself nourishing advisor and offer different therapies and consultation. Usually one should inform oneself well before choosing a provider. Many health insurance companies offer their insured persons a list of qualified nutritionists. Doctors also usually have contacts and experience with nutritional advice and can make recommendations. Finally, one should also read the topic in order to be able to judge the quality of a nutritional consultation.
How can I assess the quality of a nutritional consultation?
A customer-friendly, comprehensible presentation and self-advertising are proof of the quality of a service right from the start. Attention should also be paid to the training and additional qualifications of the consultant, since the term “nutritionist” is not a legally protected job title. Since the nutritional consultation represents an individual recommendation for the customer or patient, an intensive contact with him or her is a main prerequisite.
The consultant should take time for a detailed conversation and ask the customer specifically about his or her ideas. In addition, the consultation should be customer-oriented, i.e. a plan should be drawn up in mutual consultation. A critical examination of the topic of “healthy nutrition” in self-research can still critically evaluate the content of a consultation. In advance, it is also advisable to obtain feedback from former customers of the provider.Internet research and recommendation portals can also be used for this purpose.
TCM
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is considered an alternative or complementary medicine. It has been developing since the 1st millennium before Christ and is still used today, even in western countries. Some methods of treatment are doubted by the scientific community because of their lack of effectiveness, but they are nevertheless widely used.
The best known application of TCM is probably acupuncture. Nutritional science is also one of the pillars of traditional Chinese medicine and is understood as the basis for health. Some nutritionists have specialized in the application of TCM, and doctors can also take a training course in TCM nutritional counseling.
Food is classified according to its so-called thermal effect, organ effect, direction of action, taste and other characteristics. Recommendations are also given for the division of time using the “organ clock”. In the nutritional consultation the constitution of the customer is intensively dealt with and an individual nutritional concept is set up, which is to promote health and well-being. In general, the ideas of TCM can be covered by the common nutritional recommendations, whereas the concept of Qi is speculative.
