Dietitian & Sports Nutritionist
Your athletic output is intrinsically tied to your input. Our registered dietitian can help you achieve your health and performance goals, supporting in both general nutrition and advanced sports nutrition for athletes of all levels.
Dietitian & Sports Nutritionist Services Include:
- GRSM Kitchener and Cambridge clinic dietitians are registered dietitians with the College of Dietitians of Ontario
- Help with planning for regular sport performance and high-demand athletics such as tournaments
- Provide nutrition periodization to match training schedules
- Assist with concussion and injury management through nutrition
- Counselling for general healthy eating and chronic disease management (e.g., diabetes)
- Help with body composition changes (weight or muscle gain)
- Dietitian services are not covered by OHIP, but they may be covered by your extended health benefits
Our Kitchener and Cambridge Dietitian/Sports Nutritionist
A Little About Stephanie
Stephanie is our Registered Dietitian and sport nutritionist. She graduated with Honours from the University of Guelph with a Bachelors of Applied Science specializing in Applied Human Nutrition. She then pursued her passion for sport performance nutrition by completing her Masters of Science degree specializing in Exercise, Nutrition and Metabolism at the University of Guelph. Here she was involved in studies investigating the nutritional adequacy of young hockey players and hydration habits of amateur, varsity and elite athletes to name a few. She then completed her internship at London Health Sciences Centre and is currently working there on the Medicine unit. She also has experience working with mental health and eating disorders. She also working towards being a Certified Specialist in Sport Dietetics.
Stephanie spent most of her childhood in the rink as a competitive figure skater, and later was involved in volleyball, track and cross country. During her university years she was drawn to lifting and has continued with this ever since. She is currently enjoying learning the art of Olympic weightlifting. Stephanie believes that every food fits in moderation and truly believes that nutrition has a huge impact on our sport performance and health.
Virtual Appointments Only!
The Importance of Nutrition and Diet
The food we eat has a direct effect on our over all health and wellbeing. Good nutrition habits can help us maintain our energy levels, weight and muscle mass and can lower our risk of certain diseases. Research shows that those who eat lots of fruits and vegetables may lower their risk of colon cancer, people consuming fatty fish and more oils have decreased risk of heart disease and lower markers of inflammation. Higher unsaturated fat (oil and fish) content in the diet directly relates to the composition present in the brain, thus can affect mental health status. A balanced gut bacteria level is important to help with reducing inflammation, can benefit our mental health, and can possibly even help with weight loss and may decrease risk of triggering or severity of autoimmune diseases. Not only that, nutrition can be used to help us heal from a surgery (knee replacement for example), injury or just help us perform the best at our sport.
What is the Difference Between a Dietitian and Nutritionist?
In Ontario, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist regardless of their education background. Therefore, that individual may not have the depth of knowledge or practical experience to help you manage disease states or provide up to date, evidence-based dietary advice. As a registered dietitian, it is guaranteed that we have completed a 4 year bachelor degree from an accredited university, plus either an accredited dietetic practicum program or masters practicum combined program working under various dietitians to gain practical experience and lastly are required to pass a regulatory exam. Registered Dietitians are a regulated health professional which means like your chiropractors, physiotherapists, physicians etc, we are held to the highest standards set by our governing collages to ensure public safety. As such, we are required to conduct yearly self directed learning goals to make sure we are learning and growing in our practice to better help our clients.
How Many Sessions Do I Need with Your Registered Dietitian/Sports Nutritionist?
I often recommend having at least 2 sessions with me, remembering we can’t change everything in 1 session. The first session is an information gathering session where I ask about your overall health and your typical diet intake. From there I will do some diet education and goal setting at the end of the first session, based on what your needs are. The second session is good to follow up and discuss any barriers you faced, and is an opportunity for me to discuss any other changes we can make and provide calorie and macronutrient goals if this is what you need.
Continued follow-ups are recommended for athletes as their training demands and goals will change throughout the year.
If weight loss is what you are looking for, I do tend to find people have better results if they have someone to be accountable for and provide support. The number of sessions you may need will depend on how independent you are, and how much support you need to continue with the changes.
What Kind of Nutrition Topics Can We Help With?
Sports Nutrition
- Team sport tournament planning
- Regular sport performance
- Nutrition periodization to match a training schedule
- Marathon or distance event planning
- Making weight in boxing, wrestling, rowing, powerlifting and weightlifting
- Weight gain/muscle gain
- Concussion management
- Nutrition management post injury (helping decrease inflammation, heal and maintain muscle mass while off training)
- Supplement reviews
- Youth or college age athletes
- Gastrointestinal issues in sport
Regular Nutrition
- Chronic disease management (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, renal disease)
- Body composition changes
- Food allergy planning
- Meal prep/family nutrition
- Auto-immune disease (rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, type 1 diabetes)
- General healthy eating
- Muscle mass loss in older adults
- Optimizing a vegan or vegetarian diet
Need Help?
FAQs
Here are the most frequently asked questions about our Dietitian services.
How do I book an appointment?
Appointments may be made in person or by calling (519) 622-4529 (Cambridge). You can also fill out our online form and one of our staff will call you. Remember: Please give us at least 24-hours notice if you need to cancel, so we can give that time to another patient.
When is the Dietitian/Sports Nutritionist available?
Virtual appointments with the registered dietitian are available Monday from 1:30-6pm, Thursday from 8-10am or 4-6pm and Friday from 1-5pm.
Do I need a referral?
We always encourage involving your family doctor, but you do not need a referral to consult with the professionals at GRSM. Many of our patients call the clinic and make their own appointments while others are referred by their family physicians. A referral may be required by your extended health care provider to receive benefits.
Services
Our mission is to help athletes and active individuals achieve their sports and exercise goals!