There are some topics you need to be competent to handle however. One of them is nutrition.
Well there is no reason that you have to be an EAP professional who is an ignoramus about nutrition any longer. You can now download the official federal government bible on all this stuff! Nutrition, Health, Exercise -- it all in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans
I am talking about having a serious grounding in human nutrition that you can offer to your clients and then be sure you are correct and legally safe in offering those dietary recommendations. You can't get that from a book at Borders. (Well you could, but your risk when offering this advice is reduced when you can reference federal government sources, right?)
I am not saying that you should play doctor, by the way.
For example, in your counseling office, could you intelligently comment on things like offering nutritional recommendations for overweight children, being aware of what pregnant women should be concerned about regarding their diet. What the risks there are in weight reduction for new mothers that jeopardize the weight gain of a nursing infant. Knowing that it requires 60-90 minutes of moderate exercise PER DAY to sustain weigh loss?
There are ton of issues regarding diet that arise in the EAP office, and you are a more valuable contributor to workplace wellness and employee productivity if you have a working knowledge or command of this information.
It's easy to get. Download this "bible" of nutrition information from feds. It's usually about $13 at the Government Printing Office, but yours truly found the federal government download (free) at the following link: http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/pdf/DGA2005.pdf
Check out this outline:
- Background and Purpose of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans
- Adequate Nutrients Within Calorie Needs
- Weight Management
- Physical Activity .
- Food Groups To Encourage
- Fats
- Carbohydrates
- Sodium and Potassium
- Alcoholic Beverages .
- Food Safety
- Eating Patterns
- Eating Plan at 1,600-, 2,000-, 2,600-, and 3,100-Calorie Levels
- USDA Food Guide
- Discretionary Calorie Allowance in the USDA Food Guide
- Food Sources of Selected Nutrients
- Food Sources of Potassium .
- Food Sources of Vitamin E
- Food Sources of Iron
- Dairy Food Sources of Calcium
- Food Sources of Calcium .
- Food Sources of Vitamin A .
- Food Sources of Magnesium
- Food Sources of Dietary Fiber
- Food Sources of Vitamin C
- Glossary of Terms .
- Acronyms
