Nashville Nutrition Partners (NNP) is a group practice of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) who provide medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for many conditions and specialties. Factoring in your unique needs and lived experiences, we partner with you to improve your health and well-being. Through nutrition therapy, you can expect to feel confident and empowered in your relationship with food and your body.

A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), also known as a Registered Dietitian (RD) or just dietitian, is a food and nutrition professional who is qualified to practice medical nutrition therapy (MNT). MNT is highly personalized nutrition counseling that can be tailored to medical conditions with the intention of improving health outcomes. In the state of Tennessee, MNT can only be practiced by a licensed RDN (that’s us!).

A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) is a qualified health care provider, and the credential can only be used by people who:

1. Earn a college degree (in 2024, this requirement will increase to a graduate degree)

2. Complete accredited nutrition curriculum (typically ~4 full-time semesters in a university setting)

3. Complete an accredited Dietetic Internship (similar to a residency in medical school)

4. Pass the National Dietetic Registration board exam

5. Practice in accordance with the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s Code of Ethics

6. Maintain their credential through regular continuing education

The titles “certified nutritionist,” “nutritionist,” “certified dietitian,” and “health coach” do not require completion of the above criteria. In other words, a RDN can call themselves a nutritionist, a health coach, etc., but not everyone using those titles can call themselves a RDN. By seeing a RDN at Nashville Nutrition Partners, you are receiving ethical, evidence-based care from a qualified nutrition professional.

A weight-neutral approach means that we are committed to creating a stigma-free environment for all bodies and that our dietitians do not provide counseling for intentional weight loss. The purpose of this approach is to support health and well-being independent of weight status or body shape. It includes individualized, evidence-based tools such as condition-specific nutrition interventions, personalized meal planning support, counseling on relationship with food, and much more. As your behaviors change, your weight may or may not change, but our dietitians never provide a promise of weight change or a restrictive meal plan.

You and your dietitian will focus on changes that can directly improve your health and well-being, regardless of their effect on your weight. For example, you may work on eating consistently to improve energy, adding joyful movement into your daily routine to help manage stress and support physical health, or expanding your coping skills to better navigate life’s challenges and improve your relationship to food. We approach nutrition with dignity, curiosity, and a goal of adding health-promoting behaviors rather than restricting others.

In partnership with you, your dietitian will:

• Assess: get to know you and your experiences to create a personalized care plan. Together you will identify goals that support long-term health.

• Educate: bridge the gap between nutrition science and your body's wisdom.

• Equip: give you practical tools for applying nutrition knowledge to your daily life.

• Empower: support you in building the confidence to navigate nutrition free from restriction or shame.

Examples of topics that may be covered in nutrition counseling at NNP:

• Nutritional adequacy, such as are you getting enough to support basic bodily processes and the activities you engage in?

• Nutritional variety, such as does your eating pattern have a variety of food types and sources?

• Rigidity versus flexibility, such as does your eating pattern allow you to be adaptable to different food environments?

• Relationship with food, such as what roles does food play in your life?

• Intentional movement/physical activity

• Stress management

• Condition-specific nutrition therapy, such as blood sugar management in diabetes or reduction of gastrointestinal symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

• Body image

• Intuitive Eating

• Inflammation regulation

• Food preparation skills

• And much, much more!

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Research shows that:

• A weight-neutral approach produces higher retention rates of diet and exercise behaviors and is also shown to improve dietary quality more than a traditional weight loss approach. 1,2

• A weight-neutral approach has also been shown to result in: lower blood pressure, improved lipid profile, lower levels of disordered eating, no weight cycling, and improved psychological health. 1−3

• Weight loss is ineffective long term and dieting is a predictor for future weight gain. 1,4−6

• Cycling between weight loss and weight regain increases health risk, including increased risk of hypertension, heart disease, mortality, loss of muscle tissue, and chronic inflammation. 7

• Focusing on weight can negatively impact mental health by increasing risk of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and disordered eating. 8

Sources

1. Bacon, L., & Aphramor, L: Weight science: evaluating the evidence for a paradigm shift. Nutrition Journal. 2011, 10(9). doi:10.1186/1475-2891-10-9

2. Carbonneau E, Bégin C, Lemieux S, et al. A Health at Every Size intervention improves intuitive eating and diet quality in Canadian women. Clin Nutr. 2017, 36(3):747-754. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2016.06.008

3. Van Dyke N, Drinkwater EJ: Relationships between intuitive eating and health indicators: literature review. Public Health Nutr. 2014, 17(8):1757-1766. doi:10.1017/S1368980013002139

4. French SA, Jeffrey RW, Forster JL, McGovern PG, Kelder SH, Baxter J: Predictors of weight change over two years among a population of working adults: The Healthy Worker Project. Int J Obes. 1994, 18:145-154

5. Mann T, Tomiyama AJ, Westling E, Lew AM, Samuels B, Chatman J: Medicare's Search for Effective Obesity Treatments: Diets Are Not the Answer. Am Psychol. 2007, 62: 220-233. 10.1037/0003-066X.62.3.220.

6. Miller WC: How effective are traditional dietary and exercise interventions for weight loss?. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1999, 31: 1129-1134. 10.1097/00005768-199908000-00008

7. Tylka, T. L., Annunziato, R. A., Burgard, D., Danielsdottir, S., Shuman, E., Davis, C., & Calogero, R. M: The weight-inclusive versus weight-normative approach to health: evaluating the evidence for prioritizing well-being over weight loss. J Obes. 2014, 983495. doi:10.1155/2014/983495

8. Wu, Y. K., & Berry, D. C.: Impact of weight stigma on physiological and psychological health outcomes for overweight and obese adults: A systematic review. J Adv Nurs. 2018, 74(5), 1030-1042. doi:10.1111/jan.13511

Hey, we get it. We don’t expect you to abandon your wish for weight loss after a quick scroll through our website or chat with our care team. If you are at all open to exploring a weight-neutral approach to your health, even if your personal goal of weight loss doesn’t change, then we are confident we can still be a great fit for you. In fact, we love having these conversations and welcome you to discuss weight concerns with your dietitian. Your dietitian’s recommendations will simply be centered on health and quality-of-life outcomes, rather than weight.

If you are only looking for weight loss completely independent from health, then we may not be the best dietitians for you. This would only be the case if you are uninterested in any approach where weight loss is not the focus of your work.

A majority of our appointments are virtual, and we also offer a select number of in-person appointments at our Midtown location.

Have more questions?

Check out our Telehealth Guides here.

Check out where to find us for in-person sessions.

How long are appointments?

Appointments are up to 55 minutes long. To get the most out of your time, please do your best to be in a quiet space and ready to go at the time of your appointment.

How many MNT sessions do I need?

The number of sessions recommended varies based on a number of factors, such as:

• Your goals for nutrition therapy

• Your preferences for frequency and duration of care

• Conditions you may have

• Prior experiences with nutrition counseling and/or exposure to key nutrition concepts

• Scheduling

• Insurance coverage and finances

We typically recommend a minimum of three sessions to allow your dietitian adequate time to conduct a nutrition assessment and for the two of you to cover enough ground to feel like the experience was worth your while. That said, many people require more than three sessions, and some clients participate in MNT on an ongoing basis. Ultimately, you and your dietitian will decide together how many sessions will best meet your needs based on the factors outlined above.

How often will I see my dietitian?

Similar to the total number of sessions you’ll need, the frequency of dietitian visits varies from person to person. Many people start off seeing their dietitian once a week or every two weeks, and then space out their sessions further as they gain more confidence and independence. You and your dietitian will decide together how often to schedule your sessions based on your unique needs, preferences, and availability.

We require 24 hours notice for all cancellations and scheduling changes. In the event that you miss an appointment, you will be responsible for paying the full price of the session. If you cancel with less than 24 hours notice, you will be charged a $125 late-cancel fee.

Unless they receive notice of cancellation, your dietitian will wait on the video call for 15 minutes after your appointment start time. It is also important to know that insurance companies do not pay charges for missed appointments, thus this will always be an out-of-pocket expense.

Hey, we’re all human, and most of us have probably missed an appointment at some point. We are firm on our cancellation policy not as a punishment, but because we want to ensure all NNP clients receive equitable treatment and all NNP dietitians are compensated fairly for their time.

We are currently in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna (not Cigna Connect plans) and Medicare Part B (not Medicare Avantage plans).

Session coverage varies by insurance payor and policy and is determined by the payor at the time of service. We do our best to accurately verify your benefits before your first session with your dietitian, but it is important to know that insurance companies do not guarantee coverage, regardless of the initial quote they provide us. Your insurance company will often give you, the policyholder, more detailed information than they will give us, which is why we recommend that you call your insurance company to verify your benefits rather than just relying on the quote they provide us. Not sure what to ask when you call? We have a benefits verification worksheet that will walk you through it! Get the worksheet here.

It is important to know that if your insurance company denies a claim, you will be responsible for the full cost of the session. See current session prices here. Our billing team is here to support you in every way they can. You can reach them via email at billing@nnp.clinic.

If we are out-of-network with your insurance:

We have several private-pay options available to anyone looking to pay out-of-pocket. Learn more about our private-pay pricing here.

Your insurance may still cover Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) for out-of-network dietitians. To find out, reach out to your insurance company to ask about out-of-network coverage. Download our insurance coverage worksheet to know all the right questions to ask.

If you have out-of-network coverage, we are happy to send you a superbill (basically a fancy receipt), which you may be able to submit to your insurance payor for reimbursement. It is important to remember that you will still pay for your appointments out-of-pocket as they occur.

NNP collects a one-time, nonrefundable $100 onboarding fee for all new clients. This fee goes towards initial session costs including benefits verification, care coordination and initial session review, and is due at the time of scheduling. This fee is not covered by insurance and would be paid out-of-pocket.

Why didn't you increase the cost of the initial session instead of adding an onboarding fee?

We felt that this would place a greater burden on those who don't have in-network insurance with NNP. Our goal at NNP is to increase access, so while we work to add additional insurance companies to our network, we want to be careful to protect those currently out-of-network. A few scholarships are available for those who are unable to afford the onboarding fee.

It depends! We do not require referrals for all clients, but your insurance payor/policy might. To find out if your insurance plan requires a referral, start the intake process here.

How does my provider submit a referral to NNP?

To submit a referral, your provider will download and complete our MNT Referral Form here and fax your referral to us at 615-334-0867. Once we receive your referral, we will reach out to you with next steps for getting started.

We are able to see people in many states, but not all of them (it depends on your state’s specific laws). If you live outside of Tennessee, go ahead and start the process of getting scheduled with one of our dietitians, and we will check to be sure we can see you in the state you’re in. There will be an opportunity for you to share which state you’re located in during the intake process.

To get started, complete our self-guided, intake form.

If you are new to NNP and have not yet been assigned a dietitian by our care coordination team, please get started with our intake form.

If you are already an NNP client and have established care with one of our dietitians, you can schedule your next appointment through your client portal here. Be sure you select your assigned dietitian when requesting an appointment.

You can access your client portal here. First, you’ll enter the email address you have on file with us, then you’ll click email me a link. Go to your email inbox and locate the email prompting you to sign in to your client portal. Click the link in that email, and you’re good to go! The best part? You don’t have to memorize another password!

Once you’re a client with us, your client portal is your NNP home base. It is a HIPAA-compliant tool that allows you to securely request appointments, find the link to your telehealth video session, access billing documents, pay bills, upload files (like lab work or a picture of your insurance ID card), and communicate with your dietitian. Everything you need to know about your client portal is outlined in the Complete Guide to Your Client Portal. Download the guides here.

The best way to reach your dietitian between sessions is to message them in your client portal. The client portal is HIPAA compliant, which means it should be used for all communications that contain sensitive information about your health.