Frequently asked questions
All dietitians are nutritionists, but not all nutritionists are dietitians.
A dietitian is a university-qualified allied healthcare professional that provides a range of evidence-based nutrition services, which also included individual dietary counseling, medical nutrition therapy (or disease or condition-specific nutrition), group dietary therapy and food service management – as per the Dietitians Association of Australia.
A nutritionist may also be tertiary qualified and can provide evidence-based nutrition services for public health, policy, research and community health. However, not all nutritionists are university-trained and it can be tricky to know what qualifications have been completed, so always check! You can be sure an Accredited Practising Dietitian has completed 4 years of relevant training and undergone supervised practice according to a Code of Conduct.
If you are overseas, dietitians are typically referred to Registered Dietitians or RDs, this is the Australian equivalent. There is no higher qualification in Australia in nutrition than APD.
APD stands for Accredited Practising Dietitian. All Accredited Practising Dietitians have undertaken a minimum of 4 years of university and 20 weeks of supervised placements and are committed to undertaking a minimum of 30 hours of continued professional learning each year to maintain membership to the Dietitians Australia.
Each consultation type has a different duration:
Express Prenatal Supplement Consults – 30 minutes
Initial Consults – 90 minutes
Fertility Nutrition Intensive – 2 hours
Review Consults – 50 minutes (allow 60 minutes)
We pride ourselves on longer consultation times so we can assess your needs, goals and requirements thoroughly and answer all your questions too!
The general types of questions that may be asked in your first consultation will include: why you are interested in seeking dietetic advice, your expectations of working together, a bit about yourself, weight history and update your measurements (this is completely optional), reviewing recent and/or past bloodwork, looking at your medical history, family history, medications, supplements, bowel habits and any other issues you are experiencing surrounding food. This is then followed by a comprehensive history of your day-to-day diet, a bit about your activity levels and anything else that may be relevant. We then work on some options that may work for you and you can decide which path fits you best, which is the beauty of a person-centred approach.
You can read more about what an initial consultation involves here.
We can recommend supplements in the context of a consultation based on your unique requirements, we take into account your medical & family history, medications, other supplements, diet, lifestyle, preferences and body size to devise a bespoke supplementation plan for you.
We will let you know where you can achieve more of these nutrients in your diet too!
We provide specifics on the brands, dosage, timing during the day and where you can purchase these products from too, to make it as simple as possible for you!
Depending on your situation, we may use practitioner-only supplements due to their quality, concentration or other reason, and we can connect you to purchasing these through our practitioner supplement platform after your consultation.
Please note: our consultation fees do NOT include the cost of any supplements or products that we suggest to you, this is at your own expense.
We do not arrange private blood testing. We can write back to your referring doctor and/or specialist and request certain measures to be considered, however, it does warrant a trip back to your doctor for the pathology request to be initiated. There are limited cases where we may recommend private testing, which is completely optional and we can connect you with relevant providers to action these.
We do offer evidence-based omega-3 blood testing through a private laboratory called OmegaQUANT for a small fee, this is to get a better understanding of your omega-3 status which is important for conception, pregnancy and breastfeeding as well as general health. Ask us in your next consultation for more details about omega-3 testing.
If you would like to come prepared, please get in touch with us via email and one of our practitioners can provide some guidance as to what testing may be appropriate in your situation before attending your initial consultation based on your history. Please note, you MUST have an active booking for us to respond to these enquiries for pathology request suggestions.
Private: If you have private health insurance, depending on your policy and level of cover, you may be eligible for a rebate on your dietitian appointments. Please check with your insurer directly if you are covered and how much you will get back, as this varies from person to person.
Medicare: You may be eligible for Medicare rebates for up to 5 allied health (including dietitian) appointments per calendar year under a Chronic Disease Management Plan or Team Care Arrangement Plan. These plans can only be generated by your GP and you must meet certain criteria for you to be eligible. Speak to your GP about this scheme and whether it is right for you.
Rebates must be claimed manually using the receipt issued to you via email at the end of your appointment.
For Australian Clients only
No! A referral is not mandatory to see one of our dietitians. If you are an Australian resident, you can claim with your private health insurance if you have dietitian cover.
Alternatively, if you are eligible to claim a Medicare rebate, you will require a form from your GP, this can entitle you to up to 5 allied health consultations per calendar year if you have chronic disease, require team care for the management of your health. These forms are called Chronic Disease Management Plan (CDMP) or a Team Care Arrangement Plan (TCA).
Alternatively, if you have a diagnosed eating disorder, you can qualify for an Eating Disorder Care Plan (EDCP) which entitles you to up to 20 dietitian consultations per year.
Please ensure you send us a copy of your referral via email or fax to us prior to attending your consultation, to ensure we have all the necessary information to process these for you and avoid delays in receiving your rebates.
Please note, we are NOT a bulk-billing practice. We require your payment for the consultation fee in full at the time of booking, we can then process your Medicare rebate on your behalf which will then be sent to your linked bank account with Medicare.
Or you will be issued with a receipt to claim with your private health fund via their app, website or relevant system. Every health fund and policy provides a different amount back, please contact you provider for details.
Please note, you cannot claim private health and Medicare on the same consultation due to differences in the codes.
If you have further questions about accessing rebates, please contact us at [email protected]
We are a virtual practice, we do not offer any face-to-face consultations. Don’t fret! We do offer one-on-one Zoom consultations. We know from the latest research and through feedback from hundreds of clients that virtual consultations are just as effective in terms of results. Plus, they are more convenient for YOU! No more travel time, finding and paying for a car spot or getting stuck in traffic!
Please note: our Chippendale address is for mail purposes only, our team does not operate from this address.
We understand life can get busy or perhaps you are doing so well and no longer need our services (incredible!), we appreciate as much notice as you can provide us, so we can make this spot available to the next person waiting.
If you need to reschedule or cancel, you can click into your appointment confirmation email and select “Change/Cancel Appointment” and you can find another date/time that works for your schedule 24/7. Alternatively, you can contact us via email at [email protected] or via phone (02) 8000 0045 between Monday-Friday 8am-4pm.
At a minimum 48 hours notice is required to avoid fees and allows us the opportunity to fill the spot from our waitlist for another person who is waiting for assistance, just like you.
Cancellation or reschedule requests made within 24-48 hours of your scheduled consultation time may incur a 50% of your scheduled consultation fee charge.
Cancellation or reschedule requests made with 24 hours notice or less, including no-shows, will incur 100% of your scheduled consultation fee being charged.
Nobody likes cancellation fees, including us! Please make contact as soon as you know you won’t be able to attend so we can avoid unnecessary fees and ensure other clients waiting can be seen too.
You can read our privacy policy here.
Still have questions?
If you cannot find an answer to your question in our FAQ, you can always contact us, and we will be with you shortly.