Nutrition Services
Nutrition Services focuses on delivering high-quality patient nutrition care and supporting the education of dietetic interns.
Nutrition
Also known as Dietary Counseling
Improve your well-being with help from Registered Dietitians
Nutrition Support and Counseling
Nutrition is an important part of health and development. Ensuring your body gets the nutrients it needs keeps it working at its best. If you need nutrition support, the Registered Dietitians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) can help. A registered, licensed dietitian is an expert in nutrition and can help you create a plan that is right for you. BIDMC dietitians have advanced training and certifications to offer comprehensive nutrition interventions.
We have a diverse team of registered and licensed dietitians to meet the needs of our patients and community. We provide outpatient nutrition counseling and inpatient nutrition consultation.
Conditions We Support
Our mission is to provide personalized, leading-edge nutritional care. Every patient at BIDMC can benefit from the expertise of our registered dietitians.
The following conditions may benefit from nutrition services:
- ALS, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease
- Anemia
- Celiac disease, colitis, Crohn's disease, diarrhea, diverticulitis, gout, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), pancreatitis, and acid reflux/GERD
- Cancer
- Diabetes, high and low blood sugar
- Eating disorders
- Food allergies
- Gestational diabetes
- Heart failure, high blood pressure and peripheral artery disease
- HIV/AIDS
- Kidney disease and kidney stones
- Liver disease
- Liver, Heart and Kidney Transplant
- Malnutrition
- Swallowing disorders
- Weight management
More About Nutrition Care
Why Nutrition is Important
Healthy nutrition can help you manage certain conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. It can also promote wound healing and recovery after surgery. Healthy nutrition can improve well-being and quality of life before, during or after treatment for a health condition.
Malnutrition is a lack of proper nutrition. You may be malnourished if you don’t get enough to eat or don’t eat enough of the right foods. You can get nutritional recommendations or a referral to a dietitian from your primary care provider.
Inpatient & Outpatient Nutritional Services
Many of our inpatient registered dietitians are also Certified Nutrition Support Clinicians (CNSCs). They work closely with physicians, nurses and pharmacists to care for patients who need nutritional support such as tube feeding and intravenous nutrition. Our registered dietitians work closely with inpatients with various conditions and educate patients about their modified diet needs before discharge.
We also offer outpatient nutritional support and work together with home care companies. You can learn more about our Nutrition Counseling services, including inpatient, outpatient and Home Nutrition Support Program.
Gastrointestinal Nutritional Care
The Center for Nutritional Health at BIDMC is dedicated to advancing nutritional health and well-being. We provide compassionate care to patients with gastrointestinal and liver-related conditions.
We treat patients with one or more of a wide range of intestinal and liver disorders. Our team includes nutrition experts in GI subspecialties including:
- General gastroenterology and nutrition
- Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity
- IBS and gastrointestinal motility disorders
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Liver disorders including fatty liver diseases
- Neurogastroenterology
- Pancreatic diseases including exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
- Women’s GI health
Patients can have a personal consultation with specialized physicians and registered dietitians. Then, our team works with you to design a personalized nutrition care plan. Our providers use evidence-based medical nutrition therapy to develop their plans. We can answer questions about specific dietary decisions, such as gluten-free or low FODMAP diets. We work with you to create a plan based on your unique situation.
To make an appointment, please contact us by phone at 617-667-2565. You can also request a new patient appointment through the Digestive Disease Center.
Food & Beverage Options at BIDMC
You will find healthy and delicious food options at the medical center’s cafeterias, coffee shops and independent eateries.
