Coaching nutricional y motivación para el cambio de conducta alimentaria

Abstract

Most of the areas of the nutritionist’s labor field involve directly or indirectly stimulating, guiding or inducing the change of behaviors linked to food, a process that is carried out through teaching and learning. However, at present, this is often reduced to the transmission of knowledge in a unidirectional manner, where the person in charge of making the changes is actually a passive subject in charge of following directions. On the contrary, nutritional coaching is a process through which the person is active in their change, identifies and overcomes their obstacles, creates the appropriate environment, adopts the attitude and determination necessary to adapt their diet, and, in turn, improves other aspects of his/her person and lifestyle. Thus, it is key to evaluate the degree of motivation of the subject, establishing specific strategies according to the interests and factors that motivate their behavior change, in order to favor therapeutic adherence and a real change in health behaviors.