By John A. Ruibal, RDN, Prowers Medical Center Dietitian

When I came to Lamar this past summer, I noticed a lot of very nice classic cars, big rig trucks and a lot of agricultural tractors and equipment. As a person that loves cars, one thing I have learned over the years is to keep your vehicles running in top shape, you have to keep them maintained and you definitely want to make sure you use the right fuel to keep them running well. Good nutrition and eating right is very similar.  You have to maintain your body with good exercise, rest—and you need to fuel it with nutritious foods to keep it in top shape.

A registered dietitian can guide you to help improve your eating habits, whether you want to simply improve your health or address a medical issue like diabetes, heart disease, or obesity, to name a few. Dietitians can also help you with label reading, cooking techniques, how to eat when eating out and how to stay on your eating plan when the rest of the family is not ready to make dietary changes.

The good news for Prowers County is that you don’t have to travel to Pueblo or Colorado Springs to get this service. Ask your doctor if a referral for medical nutrition therapy provided by a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) is right for you. With a physician’s referral, you can make an appointment to see me, the RDN at your Prowers Medical Center’s Nutrition department.  Appointments are available on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and will increase as needed. Together, we can set nutrition goals to improve your health.

  • Medical nutrition therapy provided by an RDN includes:
  • Review of what you eat and your eating habits.
  • Thorough review of your nutritional health.
  • Personalized nutrition treatment plan.

Your first visit with me as a registered dietitian nutritionist will take approximately one hour. After the first session, we will schedule follow-up appointments to check on your progress and see if changes are needed in your nutrition goals and treatment plan.

Working with a dietitian is a lot like working with your mechanic to keep your vehicles in top shape. He may recommend a different fuel, some simple maintenance or a plan to fix something that requires a little more attention. Similarly, a dietitian may be able to make a few small recommendations if you already follow a good eating plan, but you just need a little fine tuning of your diet.  OR, you may need a few more visits to help with changing some engrained eating habits.  Changing eating habits is not easy and changes can be slow.  A dietitian is there to be your partner, helping you establish lifestyle changes that will stick, ones that will benefit you for the rest of your life.

Let’s partner together to make 2018 the year to get your health and wellness back on track. Come by Prowers Medical Center and say hello! I would be honored to be your dietitian.