I Worked With a Registered Dietitian for Vegans

One of the best things you can do for your long-term health is to dial-in your nutrition. But for so many of us, it can feel overwhelming to navigate the (often conflicting) information out there. And here’s the thing: there are certain through lines in nutrition that we know to be true: plenty of fiber from fruits and veggies, whole food protein sources, and avoiding excess sugar, alcohol, and processed foods. But each of our bodies are different, and many of us are also solving for particular goals or managing specific health conditions that really need the guidance of a professional. That’s why working with a registered dietitian for vegans and vegetarians is one of the best investments you can make in your health. And the best news is, it can be covered by insurance – so it doesn’t even have to be a major financial investment.

Through Nourish*, a virtual registered dietitian network that connects people across the U.S. with RDNs that provide clinical, specialized support to help anyone meet their nutrition and health goals, 94% of patients are able to pay $0 out-of-pocket to meet with a dietitian of their choosing.

After completing a round of sessions with my wonderful dietitian, Dominique Olibrice, I am super excited to share my experience with you all. And despite having a certificate in plant-based nutrition, myself, I found it so helpful to work with a registered dietitian whose expertise is in plant-based eating; I learned so much from my sessions with her and found the experience to be highly valuable.

So without further ado, let’s get into my Nourish review.

My Nourish review: the TL;DR

My experience with Nourish was extremely positive; between my kind and knowledgeable dietitian, their fantastic app and user-friendly tracking tools, recipes, and resources, and the fact that they take insurance, it’s an incredible platform that I would recommend to anyone seeking out professional nutrition support. Whether you’re looking for weight loss guidance, to dial-in your sports nutrition, or require dietary guidance for specific health conditions, there are thousands of registered dietitians in Nourish’s network that you can choose from to meet your needs.

For those of my readers that like to get into the nitty gritty, I broke down my experience in detail below.

What to expect working with a registered dietitian for vegans (or any diet)!

Here’s a full Nourish review that breaks down exactly what I experienced during my first three appointments.

Getting set up

First, I put my basic information (name, DOB, insurance carrier) into their coverage search. If your insurance carrier is in-network, you’ll then be brought to a new page with a directory of all of Nourish’s registered dietitians in your insurance network.

From there, you can filter for exactly what type of support you need or preferences you have. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, there’s a filter for that! If you need a dietitian with experience in specific health conditions, there’s a filter for that, too. You can also filter by approaches, identity, gender, and specific credentials or certifications.

I personally was looking for a dietitian for vegans or vegetarians that has experience with emotional eating, and one that takes an intuitive eating, holistic health approach. There were a few dietitians that checked all of my boxes, and I ultimately landed on Dominique Olibrice, a registered dietitian for vegans or anyone seeking an evidence-backed, holistic approach to nutrition. Her profile really resonated with me, so it felt like it would be a great fit. Dominique’s appointment availability was listed right on her Nourish profile, and I was able to quickly select a time that was convenient for me. Once scheduled, I received a calendar invite and Zoom link.

Before the first appointment

Once your first appointment is booked, you’ll be prompted to create a Nourish profile. There’s a desktop and an app version, and both work great. I was asked to complete some intake forms where I shared some more background on what I was looking for, my health history, as well as recent labs and bloodwork. This all helps the registered dietitian have the full picture of a person’s health so they can best treat and support their patients.

I found it super easy to provide my background and upload all of my recent bloodwork through the Nourish app, so the intake process was quick and seamless.

Appointment #1

For our first appointment, Dominique and I got to know each other a bit to establish a sense of comfort and connection, and she shared more about her experience as a registered dietitian for vegans (as well as omnivores/flexitarians). From there, she asked me to share what brought me to seek out an RD, walk her through my nutrition goals and medical background, and anything else I wanted to share that could give her more context on me as a new patient.

From there, we established some short and long-term goals for our work together. For example, something I’ve struggled with off and on is emotional eating and/or stress eating. We identified some practical and behavioral tools I can utilize when stressors arise, and I used the handy Nourish ‘journal’ feature on the app to log my feelings and triggers related to emotional eating as they came up.

Dominique was also super patient with in answering my *many* questions, both in the first appointment and the ones that followed. I had questions around blood sugar, creating more protein variety, ideas for mid-day snacks, and more, and Dominique answered each question with both evidence and practical tools or suggestions I could start implementing immediately.

After each appointment I received an appointment summary, which is super helpful for accountability and just to have as a reference point. Dominique also shared a sample meal plan to help give me some more ideas and variety for when I’m in a recipe rut, which was awesome. She also walked me through how to use the Nourish app to track my food intake (they have an awesome feature where you take a photo of your food and it calculates your macros).

Appointment #2

In our second appointment, we got more into the nitty gritty of things like specific nutrient goals. For example, I was looking for some expert guidance on what my fat intake should look like, and together we established that for my height/weight and goals, that 59-63g of fat would be my sweet spot. She also reminded me how essential healthy fats are for organ function, in addition to brain health (which is usually what I associate healthy fat benefits with). That said, in the food journal pictured above, I saw that I was consuming a bit more fat than I realized, and this was really useful information to have.

We also established some more long-term goals, including optimizing my nutrition to support my strength training workouts, increase lean mass while maintaining my current weight, and reduce sugar cravings, in addition to the goals we’d established in my first session.

We also delved a little deeper into my emotional eating triggers and tendencies, and Dominique offered some practices I can easily use so I can re-wire these patterns. We talked about using breathwork or even just counting to ten when I feel the urge to stress eat when I’m not actually hungry, and to really utilize the Nourish journaling feature as a tool as another way to pause and see what’s really coming up for me in these moments so that I can work through what’s coming up for me in a more habitual, but thoughtful manner.

Appointment #3

For our third appointment, I wanted to talk about some of my earlier history of stomach sensitivity and the bloating that I still experience with certain foods – particularly beans and cruciferous vegetables. Dominique recommended that when eating these foods, I chew them very thoroughly and alternate between that food and others on my plate (ideally a healthy starch and a protein) to avoid an overload of that food. I hadn’t heard of that approach before, and I tried it out afterwards – I was pleased to see that it actually helped!

We also talked about seed oils, and she pointed out how important context is here. As a registered dietitian for vegans, she brought a really grounded perspective: she said that if you’re someone that has high cholesterol or other health issues where fat intake should be reduced overall, reducing seed oils – or any food that is high in fat – is of course going to be very important. But if you’re at a healthy weight and normal cholesterol range, seed oils in moderation are perfectly fine, and many of them contain heart-healthy fats. She also recommended that I start integrating flaxseed oil, which offers a nice dose of omegas. Finally, we talked about how as a vegan, I’m inherently avoiding high fats coming from animal products, and that it’s perfectly healthy to supplement with healthy, omega-rich fats.

Following that appointment she sent me a low-FODMAP food list so I could have a more in-depth refresher on foods that should be easy on my digestion, as well as an overview on omega-3 fatty acids that delved into all of its benefits (heart health, brain health, reduced inflammation, eye health), the recommended consumption amounts for specific age groups, and the foods that have the highest amount of omega-3 content (flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, soybeans, tofu, spinach, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower were all of the plant-based sources on the list).

FAQs:

How do you know if Nourish takes your insurance?

It’s super simple. Just enter your information into the Nourish coverage calculator to see if your insurance is accepted. Once it’s established that your carrier is in their network, they’ll share an out-of-pocket estimate (but the vast majority of Nourish patients pay $0 out-of-pocket). You’ll never be charged more than your estimate for any appointments, and once your actual cost is confirmed, you’ll be notified via email. They verify your insurance coverage before your first appointment, and the best part is that they handle all insurance claims on members’ behalf.

Do Nourish really have registered dietitians for vegans?

Yes, they really do! When I was using their dietitian search function, in the “cuisine/diet” section I selected “vegan,” and I was happy to see that they had a ton of in-network registered dietitians from me to choose from. My dietitian, Dominique, is plant-based, herself, so we had a ton of fun nerding out on vegan recipes, and I learned a lot from her as she takes both a evidence-based and holistic approach to vegan nutrition that I really appreciated.

What does Nourish cost?

It depends upon your insurance carrier and the specific plan you have. Some members have a co-pay, but 94% of Nourish patients pay $0 out-of-pocket, which is pretty awesome. If your insurance isn’t accepted by Nourish, you are still able to do private pay.

How does the Nourish app work?

My experience with the app far exceeded my expectations. The Nourish app is available for members on both iOs and Android, and has an incredible suite of features to help support your goals. Features include:

• Appointment scheduling and management
• Chat feature to continue a dialogue with your dietitian
• Macro tracking with AI-powered meal logging
• Hundreds of recipes tailored to your goals and preferences
• Tools to measure and track your health and nutrition progress, including an Apple Health integration
• Insurance claim status

Are dietitians the same as nutritionists?

No, they are different. A “nutritionist” is not a protected or official title, and you don’t have to be a licensed professional to call yourself a nutritionist. All Nourish providers are Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN), which means they must have completed a Bachelor or Master’s degree in Nutrition, pass a national exam, and complete a number of ongoing continuing education credits every year.

Ready to start working with a registered dietitian for vegans (or whoever)?

I hope you found this Nourish review helpful! If you’re ready to start leveling up your health and nutrition, head to nourish.com to start receiving personalized, virtual support from a registered dietitian.

*Sponsored

There are affiliate links and sponsored content elements in this article that will enable you to get a discount while I’ll earn compensation or a commission. I only accept content sponsorships from brands I’ve personally tried, vetted, and will vouch for. These collaborations allow me to run this blog and keep my in-depth content free of charge for readers like you who want to learn more about vegan living.