DIETITIANS AND SPORT NUTRITIONistS

REAL Dietitians work alongside you to reach your health and performance goals.

This usually consists of a first consultation where we will aim to learn more about you, establish strong clear goals to work towards to then develop a strategy that fits into your life.

We aim for you to leave the consultation feeling more confident, having reduced stress and a clear plan of attack of how to achieve your health goals.

A Dietitian can help and provide support in many areas, primarily focused on food and nutrition.

They include but are not limited to:
– Diabetes (1, 2 & gestational)
– Weight management (gain and loss)
– Cholesterol, LDL, HDL and blood pressure
– IBS, IBD and gastrointestinal dysfunctions
– Blood test analysis and interpretation
– Chronic disease & organ management (Heart failure, kidneys, neurological, pancreatic, liver, respiratory & more)
– Osteoporosis, Elderly, and aged care assistance
– Nutrition deficiency screening and correction
– PCOS, Endometriosis, Hormones & Menopause
– Sport performance & body composition
– Disability and developmental delay
& more conditions, with further information can be found on our services page.

Most of our Dietitians have special interests, for example, Matthew has a passion for healthspan and longevity, while Max has a history and is actively involved in bodybuilding.

Meal plans can be double-edged sword.

Most often we do not recommend meal plans, they may not be what you actually need, and as we ensure our nutrition plans are high quality, satisfying, personalised and nutritionally sufficient with both macro and micronutrients being accounted for, they come at an additional cost.

Meal plans can be useful in certain circumstances, but like all tools, it’s probably not a good idea to start the equivalent of cutting a piece of paper with a chainsaw if all we need are some scissors.

As much as we try to fight the stereotype, Dietitians absolutely help with weight loss. Weight loss makes up ~20% of our clientele at the time of writing, and we commonly support people with this goal.

A REAL Dietitian can help with identifying what has and has not worked for you in the past and tailor a specific strategy to fit into your life (without flipping it upside down). We focus on the highest return on health outcomes with the smallest mental load investment choices first.

We don’t promise miracles. What we focus on is making the hard parts of health easy.

At REAL, we view Ozempic/Mounjaro/ Weygovy and other GLP-1 agonists as a tool that has pros and cons depending on the individual.

The current evidence states that people use these drugs on average for only 1 year. We worry when they are prescribed without dietary and activity support, as they can have similar outcomes as just another yoyo or fad diet, with evidence now supporting that there is long- term metabolic damage that can occur after excessive yoyo-ing with weight (potentially reducing your metabolism).

We view these drugs as a tool that are not often used to their fullest potential.

As of 2024, Dietitians in Australia must have a minimum of a Master’s level of education and are the only nutrition professionals able to work in our hospitals and provide Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) to treat disease.

As an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD), they are additionally held to a high standard set by the governing body Dietitians Australia and have a protected title, meaning there is a legal consequence for impersonating a Dietitian in Australia.

Meanwhile, a Nutritionist has no protected title, meaning anyone can call themselves one, and they cannot legally treat diseases or provide MNT to the same degree as a Dietitian can

No, anyone can see a Dietitian, with or without a referral

However, with a GP Dr referral (EPC/CDM/TCA) you may be eligible for a Medicare rebate (currently $60.35 and up to 5 per year), which can dramatically reduce the costs of your consultation

Additional rebates and support may be available from DVA, NDIS, WorkSafe and private health insurance with additional information on our pricing page

Dietitians can range in costs. Some Dietitians bulk bill, while some charge well above $400 per consultation. Bulk bill consultations are often limited to only 20 minutes long and often do not accompany any communication follow-up.

At REAL, we set our fees as affordable and as high value per dollar spent as possible at $139 for 45 min initials ($78.65 with GP referral) and $89 for 30min reviews ($28.65 with GP referral), both with email follow- ups and a personally tailored nutrition strategy.

Our great prices are due to our dedication to not having cost as a barrier to geat healthcare, thus, we lower our profit margin and pass on the savings to you!

Further information on cost and eligiblity can be found via our pricing guide.

Yes, most health insurance companies have extras for Dietetics/ Dietitian services. If you have private health insurance, the easiest and fastest way we have found that works for our clients is a self-claim, which we are more than happy to assist with.

REAL Dietitians can support NDIS participants by focusing on improving functional capacity, energy and providing Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) for disease prevention and management.

We commonly see NDIS participants with ASD/ neurodivergence, food sensitivities and picky eating/ problem feeding, paediatric development, intellectual disabilities and feeding supports including tube feeding.

Our NDIS services include
– 1:1 Dietitian consultations & health coaching
– Personalised meal planning
– Assessment and goal setting
– Collaborative health approach with other amazing healthcare practitioners

Check out our NDIS nutrition page to learn more about how we support participants.

We want to be a good memory, not a bad smell that won’t go away.

Our goal is to support the development of your independence and for you to not have to rely on us to continually improve your health. How many consultations we recommend will be dependant on our mutual understanding (both client and practitioner) of what your progress is towards your goals.

Sessions may range from one- off’s to ongoing accountability support. We currently estimate an average of 2-5 consultations.

Absolutely. At REAL, we have Dietitians specifically trained in the application and further training of the low FODMAP diet for IBS.

We additionally take great pride in being up to date with published literature and studies related to gastrointestinal sensitivities such as histamine and salicylates intolerance, allowing for a systematic and evidenced- based approach to supporting your gastrointestinal health.

We take great pride in breaking down barriers to amazing healthcare; two major barriers that continue to exist are money and time.

Alongside affordable and high- value consultations, reducing travel time to zero via telehealth services makes it just that little bit easier to get the healthcare you need within your busy life.

We additionally offer in home services for those who find movement difficult, paediatric clients and people looking to restructure their home food environment.

REAL Health & Nutrition services a range of clients all across Melbourne and Australia via telehealth and in person consultations.

For our secure telehealth consultations, all you need is a private environment with either internet or mobile phone access

For our in person clinic in Eltham, we primarily service the following suburbs:
– Eltham
– Greensborough
– Montmorency
– Eltham North
– Lower Plenty
– Research
– Briar Hill
– Diamond Creek
– Warrandyte
– Wattle Glen
– Plenty
– Templestowe
– Doncaster
– Viewbank
– Hurstbridge
– Yarrambat
– South Morang
– Mill Park
– Epping
– Watsonia
– Bundoora
– Mill Park
– Bulleen

Want to know if Telehealth or In clinic is better for you? Get in touch!