“Having all my recipes in one place and being able to draw them into meal plans saves me a lot of time”
Danelle Stevens’ work as a Registered Nutritionist in New Zealand has found in NutriAdmin a useful and adaptable tool to make her job easier and safer, both for her and her clients. Just as South African dietitian Claudine Ryan initially told us, adapting the meal planning software to a specific area such as New Zealand, with differences in regulation and dietary habits has been an easy and convenient task during her 18 months as a NutriAdmin user.
How did you become a Registered Nutritionist?
I have always been interested in health and fitness and returned to University as an adult student in 2010. I completed a degree in sport and exercise science, followed by post-graduate diplomas in public health and health sciences (human nutrition). The term “nutritionist” is not regulated in New Zealand, therefore there are many unqualified people promoting nutrition services. It was important to me to gain registration with the NZ Nutrition Society which recognizes me as a registered health professional and acknowledges that I have the qualifications, experience and meet the continuing competency requirements to practice as a recognized health professional.
What areas of nutrition do you specialize in – what kinds of services do you provide?
I specialize in weight management, Type 2 Diabetes and sports nutrition. These are my expert areas, although I also work with digestive issues, food intolerances and adolescent nutrition.
How long have you been working as a Registered Nutritionist in New Zealand?
I gained my registration in early 2017 after completing my post-graduate studies and meeting the requirements for experience.
How do you use NutriAdmin to book appointments and schedule reminders?
I send the NutriAdmin booking calendar to my clients to book suitable times for appointments. I also ensure all upcoming appointments are sent reminders.
What would you say is different in New Zealand for a nutritionist versus other countries like the USA?
There are not a lot of differences in terms of providing nutritional advice and support. NZ is the third most obese country in the world, behind the United States and Mexico. One of the main differences would be the smaller number of registered health professionals in New Zealand, but we still have a major problem with confusion from social media and “health” bloggers.
How do you use NutriAdmin for creating meal plans? What kinds of plans do you typically use?
My meal plans are all individualized; therefore, I always create plans from scratch. It has been beneficial to have the AUSNUT databases available and I use the recipe function a lot.
What would you say are the main advantages of creating meal plans in NutriAdmin when compared with the way you used to do meal plans in the past?
Having all my recipes in one place and being able to draw them into meal plans saves me a lot of time. It is easy to adjust portion sizes to meet each client’s macronutrient needs.
What process do you follow for creating new recipes in NutriAdmin?
I enter my own recipes and start with the name, then entering the ingredients and instructions. I then add a photo. Finally, I double check the macro and micronutrients have calculated correctly. I am currently trialling importing recipes from external URL’s.
What do you do in NutriAdmin prior to meeting a new client? How does the software save you time?
NutriAdmin keeps all my client data in one safe place. Prior to meeting a new client, I send out the pre-consult questionnaire. I have not been using the food diary record unless a client flags specific food intolerances or digestive issues. Generally, in this case, I will have them complete a food and symptom diary prior to meeting with them.
What kinds of information do you collect for clients and how do you store it in NutriAdmin?
I collect all the pre-populated information in the questionnaires and store all reports and information from consults and follow up appointments or contact.
What do you do in NutriAdmin to be able to use local/custom food products into your recipes and meal plans?
I have entered a lot of my own local products, especially ones that I recommend, into the “My Foods” section. I find this really easy and convenient.
If you were to recommend NutriAdmin to another nutritionist, what would you tell them about the software?
The software is really user-friendly, the support is fantastic, always very efficient and using the program saves me a huge amount of time. I also find it stress-free.
Don’t forget to visit Danelle Stevens’ website to see all her work as a New Zealand Registered Nutritionist.
- Do you know how NutriAdmin’s client records work? Check it out here.
- Don’t forget to also visit our meal plans and recipes features.
