What is Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT)?
MNT is a therapeutic approach to treating medical conditions and their symptoms by the use of a specific diet created by a physician or registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). People with a variety of conditions and illnesses can improve their health and quality of life and reduce healthcare costs by receiving nutrition therapy.
Conditions that can benefit include:
- Diabetes
- High Blood Pressure
- Cancer
- Kidney Disease
- Liver Disease
- High Blood Cholesterol and Heart Disease
- Gastrointestinal Diseases
- Such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Celiac Disease, etc.
- Food Allergies
- Such as to dairy products, nuts, seafood, etc.
- Pregnancy
- Overweight/Obesity
- Underweight
What is an RDN?
Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) are food and nutrition experts with a minimum of a graduate degree from an accredited dietetics program and who completed a supervised practice requirement, passed a national exam and continue professional development throughout their careers.
RDNs help people live healthy and active lives through the transformative power of food and nutrition. Many RDNs specialize in areas such as renal nutrition and diabetes education.
Many insurance plans, including Medicare, cover this service. Check with your insurance company to find out if the benefit is covered.
If you would like to meet with a RDN for help to work on any nutrition related condition, ask your primary care provider to refer you.
Renal Dietitian Services
The goal of MNT is to help people with CKD maintain kidney function, slow the progression of the disease, and treat complications. Based upon the patient’s nutritional status and medical condition the Renal RDN will work with the patient to individualize and optimize treatment to support delaying the progression of chronic kidney disease.
Making changes in the foods you eat may help to slow further kidney damage. Certain nutrients such as protein, calories, sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and fluid may need to be adjusted to meet your changing needs.
Ask your nephrologist (a specialist for kidney disease) to refer you to meet with the renal dietitian.
Diabetes Care Services
A diabetes diagnosis will change your daily life. But with proper treatment and support, you can manage your diabetes and start to feel better, sooner. Your primary care provider or endocrinologist (a specialist for diabetes and other diseases) can refer you for diabetes education to learn more about blood glucose monitoring, medications, diet and exercise.
Gestational Diabetes
Your OB/GYN provider can refer you to the RDN for personalized sessions to learn how to manage your diabetes during pregnancy.
Medical Nutrition Therapy
MNT can help you regulate blood sugar, improve eating habits to maintain healthy weight and good health through preventive care. Ask your primary care provider or endocrinologist to refer you to meet with the RDN.
Take the Type 2 Diabetes Quiz
This quiz from the American Diabetes Association helps you learn about your controllable and uncontrollable type 2 diabetes risk factors, as well as your overall risk level.
Please note that this quiz is NOT meant to take the place of a diagnosis or advice from a doctor; however, you are encouraged to share the results with your primary care physician or specialist.
Begin Diabetes Quiz
