If you feel frustrated with diets and out of touch with your physical hunger, we can help guide you to gain self-trust and allow your body to stabilize without dieting.
“The freedom to “not diet” is incredible.”
Diets and weight loss plans that leave you feeling hungry or exclude food groups are just plain wrong – a healthy diet includes all foods! We are nutrition professionals that specialize in utilizing a non-diet approach to help you re-claim your self-esteem, boost your body-image, and improve your relationship with food.
A typical session includes an initial assessment where you sit down with a Registered Dietitian and discuss your goals. Together you develop a plan that addresses your needs and fits your lifestyle and schedule. Examples of some tools used during the process:
Individual assessment/plan
Regular meetings based on your schedule & goals
Grocery shopping
Building skills to help you break the diet cycle
Meditation and Yoga
Walk and Talk
Joyful movement is just as important as nutrition to those of us here at Preferred Nutrition so we are encouraging clients to join us in an innovative way to combine their nutrition counseling with the peaceful environment at the beach. Walk and Talk Therapy is sweeping the nation because it gets clients moving, naturally elevating endorphins, or “happy hormones.” So come on, join us for a stroll along the Atlantic and boost your mood, discuss your nutrition needs with you dietitian, and naturally make some Vitamin D all at the same time.
Online Therapy (aka Telehealth ) Appointments
Imagine being able to meet with your dietitian during your lunch break, without leaving the office. Or maybe you would prefer for your individual or family session to be in the comfort of your own home, sitting on the couch. Or perhaps a disability or physical challenge limits your mobility and you would prefer to attend from your home.
We are excited to now be offering online appointments for clients whose schedules or locations do not allow them to attend sessions in the office in Jacksonville Beach. We will use an encrypted program to protect your privacy, and meet online using webcams to give you a similar feel to a “face to face” session. These sessions are available to new and existing clients, as long as they are Florida residents and are fee-for-service. Please call for more information regarding your benefits.
Schedule an Appointment Online
We offer a complimentary 15 minute consultation to discuss your nutrition goals. You can also schedule an initial assessment or for current clients, schedule a follow-up appointment. Click below to schedule online.
Yes, we take insurance!
Patient Testimonials
“I am where I am because of you. People aren’t going to be successful if they don’t have some time with someone helping them deal with the mind issues. People need a lot more time with the nutritionist/dietician before this surgery. I am relying on what I’ve learned almost every day.
I had my blood work done and my cholesterol dropped 100 points.”
“After years of struggling with my weight, I was extremely frustrated and on the verge of resorting to weight loss surgery. I had high blood pressure, blood sugar issues, and reflux issues, and was taking all sorts of medicines to keep it under control.”
“I’d attended a weight-loss surgery support group, during which several individuals who had successfully undergone weight loss surgery were giving their own testimonials. I listened with care, and a consistent message from each person was that once they had their surgery, they were required to eat a sustained low calorie diet, and were exercising regularly. They also talked about the restrictive needs of avoiding sweets because post surgery, sweets consistently made them extremely sick. I had this epiphany that if I were to eat less and exercise daily, I would lose the weight without the surgery. I also was honest with myself that I did not want to have to completely give up sweets for the rest of my life. – – But how to diet, after having felt burned out from years of on-and-off dieting, really left me at a loss. – – I had lost count of how many diets I’d tried. – – Calorie counting…did that for years, and the thought of writing down what I ate would immediately sent me off a diet; Carb-free eating…been there, done that….I was either perfect, or binging, and there was nothing in between. – – After failing at diets for years, I decided to go see a nutritionist for guidance, only to realize I had not failed on the diets…the diets had failed me! – – After a few very supportive meetings with Marilyn Dahl at Preferred Nutrition, I FINALLY got that I did not need to be dieting at all! It was about lifestyle change. I learned that depriving myself of what I enjoy eating would just set me up for binging later. And by saying “I was good today” or “I was bad today” I was setting myself up for failure. It is all about making choices. Realizing that was very empowering. – – Marilyn helped me understand that it was not that I was good or bad, it was that I was making healthful or less healthful food choices! Marilyn helped me learn to listen to my body’s hunger cues, and if I really wanted some junk food, that was fine. It was funny, but knowing that it was no longer off-limits made me not crave it! – – I also worked with a personal trainer to get my exercise habits in order, and the combination of healthful eating and exercise finally brought the sustained weight management that has evaded me for years! To top that off, my blood pressure and blood sugar are well under control and I am off all medications! – – Thanks, PREFERRED NUTRITION! You changed my life!”