It seems everywhere you turn, there is advice on how we should be eating to avoid chronic diseases, have more energy, and do everything we can to live a longer, more productive life. Nutrition experts warn of ultra-processed foods and their threat to our health—linking them to cancer, digestive problems, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and a host of other conditions.
A registered dietitian (R.D.) can be a big source of help in guiding you to eat healthier for overall well-being, gaining control over weight management, and advising on nutrition to treat medical conditions. But this can be a costly expense that gets deprioritized and overlooked. So, when I was offered the opportunity to try Nourish, an online telehealth platform that aims to make finding and seeing a nutritionist more accessible and affordable, I was eager to try.
What is Nourish?
Nourish is a network that offers affordable virtual support with access to over 4,000 registered dietitians in all 50 states. It’s the largest R.D. network in the country, and according to the platform, they have helped over 1,000,000 patients with evidence-based nutrition, backed by science. The goal of Nourish is to guide and educate to live a healthier, happier, and longer life. Their program offers tools to navigate everyday nutrition rather than rules that take away the joy of nourishing. They accept over 100 insurance plans and 94% of patients pay $0.
Getting started is as easy as filling out a comprehensive questionnaire on the website to figure out your particular nutrition needs and goals. Then, you have the opportunity to browse Nourish’s directory of registered dietitians that meet your criteria. You can filter those responses based on dozens of specialties (weight loss, health conditions and diseases, food relationships, allergies, etc), as well as language, age, and gender to find the best fit for you. From there, you can book directly with the dietician that aligns best with your needs.
Nourish also makes some bold health claims, including:
- 80% of patients see health improvements in 30 days, with sustained results at 6-12 months
- 1.6% average reduction in A1C after 6 months
- 31 mg/dL average reduction in LDL cholesterol after 6 months
- 20 mmHg average reduction in systolic blood pressure after 6 months
Here’s what I learned after my sessions.
How Nourish worked for me
My initial meeting with my R.D. was productive. I outlined what I wanted to achieve—lose those last five-ish stubborn pounds, work on lowering my elevated cholesterol and A1C (a blood test that measures average blood sugars over the course of two-t0-three months) below my pre-diabetes diagnosis, and monitor my calcium intake because my last Dexa scan confirmed osteoporosis. Since I was already adapting my eating and exercise routine to combat these challenges, my R.D. suggested I continue to eat and exercise per usual for the week so she can assess exactly where I needed assistance. Based upon my height and weight, she gave me personalized macro goals to aim for as a foundation for my personalized care plan.
Daily goals, ready to be tracked.
The following day, I started to track my food intake in the intuitive Nourish app. It immediately gave me feedback regarding my goals—offering both suggestions and encouragement on how to further improve and successfully meet those goals. There was also the option to shoot a picture of your meal within your journal in the app, and it deciphered the food and all the macros in a matter of a minute or two. Hydration was plotted in the app, and it was a wake-up call for me to see that I was not drinking as much water as I should. I also synced my Apple watch so my exercise activity (daily steps and workouts) could be recorded in the app as well.
In the subsequent weeks, the R.D. and I reviewed and fine-tuned the treatment plan so I could be more successful in each of my concerning areas—weight loss, cholesterol, pre-diabetes, and osteoporosis. It was enlightening to hear fresh ideas that never occurred to me, and I was happy to see a 3-lb. weight loss within a few weeks. Additionally, my R.D. shared several of her favorite personal recipes. It was reassuring to know that in between appointments, there was always the option to get additional support via the app portal.
What I liked about Nourish
All in all, I really enjoyed using Nourish. Appointments were all easy to schedule, and I felt my R.D. was a good match. Mostly because I felt well supported through personalized counseling and actionable coaching, but also I felt that my R.D. genuinely wanted me to succeed. Additional benefits I was surprised by included:
- A fluid treatment plan that was able to be fine-tuned with tracking over time.
- Appointment summaries were posted in the app, which were convenient in refreshing my memory for implementing new tips.
- Online summary assessment goals and progress posted weekly in the app, which was easy to track and see.
- Ease of using telehealth and eliminating the hassle of travel time.
- Easy to find recipes in the Nourish app, and sort by meal type (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack), chronic health conditions (diabetic, heart disease, PCOS), plans (Mediterranean, low carb), dietary needs (vegan, keto), allergies and prep time.
Meal input and tracking.
AI meal notes in the app.
Honestly, there wasn’t much I didn’t like about Nourish. If I had to come up with one thing to change, I would have preferred to log my food on my computer rather than a phone app. However, I mentioned this to my R.D. who said she would pass my thoughts along to their IT team, who encourage feedback.
The bottom line
Nourish is a great option that offers you complete nutritional support yet allows you to still have ownership of your nourishment and lifestyle. If you have been nervous to find a dietician to get started or are intimidated by the potential costs, Nourish could be a great tool for you.
Sign up for Nourish
Read the full article here