Pregnancy Nutritionist

Pregnancy is a truly wonderful time of life as we look forward to welcoming new life into the world.

Naturally, any mum-to-be looks to optimise her health, both for her own good but also to ensure the best of starts for her beautiful baby

Increasingly, many are using the services of a pregnancy nutritionist to ensure they are maintaining a healthy diet that is suited to the unique challenges of pregnancy.

Rachel Clarkson RD is a leading dietitian, who can offer fully individualised dietary and nutritional advice for pregnant mums to be.

She has the almost unique advantage of being an expert and advocate in Nutrigenomics, this truly individual advice that is based on your own DNA and genetic make-up.

This level of nutritional advice ensures you and your baby will receive the nutrition you both need and in the correct form.

Food intolerances that you would otherwise be unaware of are also picked up, this ensuring you remain in the best of health through your pregnancy.

In this post, we will outline key information about finding a pregnancy nutritionist and also a word of caution for what to be watchful for.

Expert Pregnancy Diet Advice

It is worth noting as an expectant mother that almost anyone can offer dietary advice, but relatively few have the qualifications to do so.

A key difference lies in the terms nutritionist and dietitian.

Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist – think of a snappy name, set up a website and you too can be a nutritionist. You could offer mums-to-be dietary advice, regardless of whether it is actually of benefit.

Dietitian is a protected term. You can only use the term dietitian if you are qualified to a high level and overseen by the regulatory body.

Dietitians work in medical settings, they can work with other healthcare professionals to ensure any patient or client receives dietary advice that is also balanced with their overall health. A nutritionist works in isolation.

There are of course nutritionists who work to a high standard and provide well-thought-out advice, but, unlike with a dietitian, there is no guarantee the advice is based on anything other than a whim.

The Benefits of Bespoke Pregnancy Dietary Advice

For any woman who is pregnant, or for a couple who are hoping to have a child there is of course no necessity to seek out specialist dietary advice from a dietitian.

The basics of eating a healthy diet and exercising will always be an excellent starting point.

What you avoid is important too – cutting out alcohol, stopping smoking and cutting back on those fatty foods and sugary treats as much as possible.

We all know the adage that ‘you are what you eat – and given that baby is completely reliant on the nutrients received from Mum, then they are what you eat too.

By seeing a professional with a specialism in pregnancy dietary advice, you benefit from:

Peace of mind.

For many mums-to-be this alone is a huge advantage. Working with a dietitian they have an expert assessing their diet and also offering advice and suggested meal plans.

The Mum no longer worries that she is getting it wrong, wondering if she’s having enough of this nutrient, or that. Is she eating too little or not enough?

It can be a wonderful feeling just to know that, yes, you are eating well.

Issues identified.

Any issues can be identified and solutions found. It may be that you have symptoms of which you are aware – feeling tired or lacking energy, maybe an issue such as Morning Sickness.

Other issues might be identified by the dietitian, on chatting to you about your eating habits they may feel that some adjustments need to be made to ensure you and baby are receiving their nutrients you both need.

It is an obvious truth that the earlier you see an expert during your pregnancy – or prior to your pregnancy – the sooner they can ensure your diet is enhanced.

Advice that is tailored to your lifestyle.

There is a huge amount of advice online about what you should and should not eat – however, there is a problem with all this general advice. They don’t know you, they have never met you.

Some of the advice is suitable for all – clearly staying hydrated is to be recommended, so too cutting down on unhealthy, fatty processed food.

However, the advice will then struggle to be more specific or go beyond the basics. The page has to apply to mothers of all ages, all body types and all lifestyles. Some mums-to-be train for marathons during their pregnancy, others (most!) are somewhat less energetic.

Just because two women might both be pregnant, it is not accurate to say they will have the same dietary requirements.

On this page we have not provided specific dietary advice for this very reason – it is necessary to discuss someone’s lifestyle and to study their medical history to then be able to provide bespoke advice.

You will feel healthier and happier

Pregnancy is wonderful -but also hard work! There is that extra weight to carry, the need to eat for two and, at times, it can feel very tiring.

Unfortunately, no dietitian can promise that the pregnancy won’t have any impact, but they can ensure you remain as fit and healthy and energetic as possible

You will eat well.

Seeing a dietitian does not mean having to eat awful food with no flavour or, worse still, flavours you’d rather not have to experience.

A dietitian will always work with you, they aren’t looking to impose a diet on you, they are looking to find one that works for you.

There is no point suggesting foods that you simply won’t eat, or giving advice that will only be followed for a week or two.

Honesty is essential – if you are open and honest with the dietitian then they can work with you to create a dietary plan and advice that fits in with your lifestyle and also your food preferences.

The key aim is to help you improve healthier eating habits for life, both through arming you with knowledge, but also ensuring any solution and plan can be followed.

Pregnancy Diet Advice Based on Your DNA

All dietitians can work with you to ensure you are eating healthily before, during and after pregnancy.

There is, though, a modern branch of dietary work that builds upon the services of dietitians, enhancing them to make the insights even more individualistic.

Rachel Clarkson is one of a small number of UK experts in Nutrigenomics, this a form of dietary advice whereby all recommendations are tailored to your unique genetic profile.

This is achieved through the taking of a sample, that is then sent off for lab analysis.

What is returned is a detailed breakdown of how you react and interact with food.

The analysis will show any food intolerances, however minor – these intolerances that would have been otherwise impossible to detect and yet which contribute to you not being quite at peak help.

The analysis will show how much of each form of nutrient you require and in what form – for instance what percentage of your energy consumption should come through proteins, or fats, or carbohydrates.

The full report – as can be seen in the sample – contains a level of detail that would be overwhelming to those without training. This is where it combines with the skill of a dietitian who has specifically also trained in Nutrigenomics.

View example report

The nutrigenomics, which is FDA approved and was developed by world-renowned professors adds extra nuance, it ensures the dietitian has more information so as to tailor the diet that bit more and make it truly bespoke.

Diet and Fertility

Diet and nutrition is every bit as important for those seeking to become pregnant.

Rachel’s services as a dietitian are equally useful for anyone at this stage, she can ensure your diet gives you the very best chance of getting pregnant, while you will then have the added advantage of already having dietary adivce and so knowing how to continue on maintaining optimum health for you and baby.

As with pregnancy itself, the advice offered by any dietitian will be hugely beneficial, but Rachel’s expert knowledge in the field of nutrigenomics also ensures that the impact of any allergies or other issues that may be impacting your ability to get pregnant are minimised.

Free Initial Consultation

As a leading dietitian with experience of working with many pregnant mums, Rachel Clarkson – the DNA Dietitian – is ideally placed to provide advice that can ensure you and baby get the nutrients you both need.

However, Rachel is also aware that it is important for any potential client to find the right person, someone they feel comfortable with, someone they will enjoy working with as they look to tailor their diet.

Rachel therefore offers a completely free initial introductory call, this is a perfect opportunity to chat to her and see if she seems right for you.

The call is completely without obligation – simply have it and then decide post call, at your leisure whether to book in any sessions. Sessions can be virtual or in person at Rachel’s London clinic, allowing you to take advantage of a top pregnancy nutritionist wherever you are based in the UK.

Book a free discovery call.

About Rachel Clarkson, the DNA Dietitian 

As the DNA Dietitian, Rachel Clarkson is at the forefront of the move to genetics-based dietary advice.

She has universally five star reviews and two of her most recent testimonials state:

“Rachel helped me change my eating habits and have much more awareness of what I put into my body. My digestion has completely changed and I am very grateful! I feel so much more knowledgeable now and would recommend her to anyone not only wanting to help with the loss of weight, but also to have a healthy approach in life”

“Would highly recommend Rachel to anyone seeking to improve their health! I found my genetic analysis to be an empowering and motivating tool to make healthy changes using Rachel’s techniques. In just 3 sessions I feel more in control of my health and feel like I have the knowledge to filter through all of the poor nutritional information I hear so much in the media!”

If you want to see if Rachel is the dietitian for you, why not book a free 15-minute discovery call?

This will be an opportunity to chat with Rachel, discuss your requirements and also find out more about  DNA diets and their benefits for you.

Book a free discovery call.