Nutrition counseling with your doctor
Food choices can help with high blood pressure, diabetes, heart health and weight. Our clinicians help you make changes that fit your health, your medicines and the way you like to eat.
- Medicare accepted
- Dr. Ghani and Dr. Gill
- Brookfield, IL
Nutrition counseling at Maple Medical Center in Brookfield is food planning guided by your doctor. It’s built around your conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart health or weight. It also takes your medicines and lab results into account. The goal is small, realistic changes you can keep up.
Food is part of your treatment
What you eat affects your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and weight. For many people, food changes work alongside medicine.
Your doctor already knows your conditions, your medicines and your lab results. That means food advice can fit your whole health picture, not just one number.
Counseling is with your doctor, Dr. Ghani or Dr. Gill, or another of our clinicians.
Nutrition counseling is also part of our weight-management care. If weight is one of your goals, see medical weight loss.
How counseling works
Share how you eat now
If you can, bring notes on a few days of meals, snacks and drinks. There’s no judgment here.
Look at the whole picture
Your doctor considers your conditions, medicines, recent lab results and weight. Your tastes and your budget count, too.
Pick one or two goals
Small, specific changes are easier to keep, such as a lower-salt breakfast or one more serving of vegetables.
Check your progress
At follow-up visits, your blood pressure, lab results and weight show how the changes are working.
Eating for your health
High blood pressure
The DASH eating plan and less salt can help lower blood pressure.
Learn more ›Diabetes
Practical ways to plan meals, such as carb counting or the plate method.
Learn more ›Heart health
More vegetables, fruit, whole grains, fish, beans and nuts, with less saturated fat.
Learn more ›Weight
Steady changes to portions and food choices, with medical support if you want it.
Learn more ›Healthy aging
Enough protein, fiber and fluids, and less salt, to help you stay strong as you age.
Learn more ›The DASH eating plan, in plain words
DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. Hypertension is the medical word for high blood pressure.
DASH is a flexible plan that needs no special foods. It’s built on vegetables, fruit and whole grains. It adds fat-free or low-fat dairy, fish, poultry, beans, nuts and vegetable oils.
It limits fatty meats, full-fat dairy, sugary drinks and sweets. It also caps sodium (salt) at 2,300 milligrams a day. Cutting to 1,500 milligrams lowers blood pressure even further.
Your doctor can help you decide which salt target is right for you.
Eating well with diabetes
There’s no single eating plan for everyone with diabetes. Your plan should fit your blood sugar, your medicines and the foods you enjoy.
Carb counting and the plate method are two common ways to plan meals. Carb counting means keeping track of the carbohydrates in each meal or snack.
If you take insulin, counting carbs can help you know how much insulin to take. Not everyone with diabetes needs to count carbs. Your doctor can help you choose a method that fits.
Timing matters, too. If you take insulin or certain diabetes pills, skipping or delaying a meal can cause low blood sugar. Ask your doctor what’s safe for you.
Healthy eating as you get older
The National Institute on Aging suggests simple changes like these.
- Include protein at meals, such as fish, dairy, beans, peas or lentils, to help keep muscle
- Add fruit and vegetables to meals and snacks; pre-cut ones are fine if chopping is hard
- Choose fiber-rich foods, such as vegetables, beans and whole grains
- Season food with herbs and lemon juice instead of salt
- Drink water through the day, and skip sugary drinks
- Ask your doctor about vitamin B12, or look for fortified cereals
- Pick foods with little added sugar, saturated fat and sodium
- Use the Nutrition Facts label to compare salt and added sugar
Small changes that last
Simple adjustments can go a long way. You don’t need to change everything at once. Try one change until it feels normal, then add another.
Planning meals ahead takes the guesswork out of eating. A shopping list helps you buy what you planned and stay on budget.
If a change isn’t working for you, say so at your next visit. Your doctor can help you adjust the plan.
Food and your medicines
Big changes in what you eat can change how some medicines work, or how much you need. Talk with your doctor first, especially if you take medicine for diabetes, blood pressure or blood clots.
Bring your medicine list to counseling visits, including vitamins and supplements. Your doctor can check how your food plan and medicines fit together.
Tell us, too, if food tastes different, your appetite has dropped, or chewing has become hard. Your doctor can look for the cause.
Insurance and Medicare
Coverage for nutrition counseling varies by plan. Medicare covers medical nutrition therapy if you have diabetes or kidney disease. It also covers people who had a kidney transplant in the last 36 months. A doctor must refer you.
Under Medicare’s rules, that therapy must come from a registered dietitian or a qualified nutrition professional. Ask your doctor whether you qualify.
We accept many insurance plans, including Medicare, but not every plan. Call (708) 485-4050 and we’ll check yours before your visit. You can also visit our insurance page.
Questions we hear about nutrition counseling
Will I see a registered dietitian?
Nutrition counseling here is with your doctor or our clinicians. If you need a registered dietitian, ask your doctor about next steps. That includes using Medicare’s medical nutrition therapy benefit.
Can I still eat foods I enjoy if I have diabetes?
In most cases, yes. You may need smaller portions, or to have some foods less often. Your doctor can help you fit your favorites into your plan.
I live alone and don't feel like cooking. What can I do?
Cook once and freeze extra portions for days you don’t feel like cooking. Some healthy meals take only about five minutes to make. Pre-cut vegetables and low-sodium canned beans make quick meals easier. Sharing a meal with friends or family can make eating more enjoyable, too.
Should I take vitamins or supplements?
Ask your doctor first. Some older adults need extra vitamin B12, from fortified foods or a supplement. Tell us about any supplements you already take, since some can affect your medicines.
Do I need to lose weight to benefit from counseling?
No. Food changes can help blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol at any weight. Some people need to gain weight, or to stop losing it, and counseling can help with that too.
Can food changes help my cholesterol?
They can help. Heart-healthy eating, like the DASH plan, limits saturated fat and adds vegetables, fruit, whole grains and beans. Your doctor can recheck your cholesterol over time to see how the changes are working.
Is the DASH plan only for people with high blood pressure?
No. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute describes DASH as a heart-healthy eating style for life. Ask your doctor whether it’s a good fit for you.
Related care
High blood pressure
High blood pressure rarely causes symptoms, but it strains your heart, brain and kidneys. Dr. Ghani and Dr. Gill help adults and older adults find it, track it and bring it down safely.
Learn more ›Diabetes care
Dr. Ghani and Dr. Gill help adults and older adults keep type 2 diabetes under control. We check your numbers, review your medicines and talk through food choices with you.
Learn more ›Medical weight loss
Losing weight is harder when health conditions and medicines are part of the picture. Our weight-management care is medically supervised, so your plan fits your whole health.
Learn more ›Care for older adults
Health care often gets more involved after 65. There are more medicines, more doctors and more questions. Our internal medicine doctors help older adults and their families keep it all in one place.
Learn more ›Ready to see a doctor who knows you?
Call our Brookfield office and our team will find a time that works for you. We accept many insurance plans, including Medicare, but not every plan. We’ll check yours before your visit.
Important information
This page is general information, not medical advice. Talk with your doctor before big changes to your diet. This matters most if you have kidney disease or heart failure, or take medicine for diabetes or blood clots.