FAQ

Yes, we are online only, and for a few reasons. First, it allows us to reach a broader audience across Ontario, including patients who may struggle to leave their homes due to mobility challenges, illnesses, or anxieties. We can also assist populations in smaller cities and towns that may not have dietitians or enough social workers onsite. We also feel that this can allow flexibility for our patients to designate their own spaces based on their needs at the time, whether that means a midday quiet hour when no one is home, or a late night session at the office. It can cut down on the noise and stress of traffic and finding parking during peak travel times as well. Finally, it allows our team to be able to comfortably fit not only more sessions in a day, but later sessions as well.

We offer support via email between sessions and are always happy to answer questions, or send resources between visits!

Each practitioner has their own schedule and will work with their clients within their hours. The team always tries their best to be available by phone or email most of the time though, even outside of operating hours. During holidays and vacation, voicemail and emails are updated to ensure all clients are aware of the time away, and who they might be able to contact for help if necessary.

As allied healthcare professionals, our team is bound by strict confidentiality rules under their respective regulatory bodies (registered dietitians and registered social workers). No information you give to us can be shared with anyone–including other healthcare providers–without your express permission. The only exception is if we believe that there is a risk of harm for yourself or others. You can read more about your rights under the Personal Health Information Protection Act [link to PHIPA] as well as our Privacy Policy [link to PP] on how your data is used on our site.

Yes, most private insurance plans cover dietitians, but coverage varies by plan. If you’re unsure, check directly with your provider for details on coverage limits and requirements.

Yes, most private insurance plans cover social workers, but coverage varies by plan. If you’re unsure, check directly with your provider for details on coverage limits and requirements.

Yes, if the plan supports this! It’s best to check directly with their provider to ensure social worker services are included.

Yes, if your plan supports direct billing, then we will happily do this for you. To get the process started, please send us a message with your information and we can find out for you.

We get it, things come up and the agenda needs to be shuffled. As long as you give us 24 hours + notice, there will be no fee. However, if it’s less than a day’s notice, we will charge the full fee for the session. This helps protect our team and ensure our availability is accurate for all of our patients.

We accept e-transfer, major credit cards, and direct billing where applicable.

We do not offer sliding scale payments at this time. However, our dietitians are currently offering discounted packages.

Yes, we do offer meal plans! However, our approach is centered around personalized nutrition because we believe that each individual has unique dietary needs. Our goal is to ensure your nutritional plan aligns with your personal health goals, lifestyle, and preferences. Here's how it works: Personalized Assessment: During the initial assessment visit, we'll gather detailed information about your medical history, dietary goals, lifestyle habits, and food preferences. This helps us understand what will work best for you. Tailored Meal Plans: If a meal plan is deemed suitable for you after our discussion, rest assured it will be crafted specifically to meet your needs. We never use templates; every meal plan is as unique as the person it's designed for. Collaborative Process: Your input matters greatly in this process. You'll have ample opportunity to share your thoughts and feedback on the meal plan. Together, we'll ensure that both you and your dietitian are satisfied with the final outcome.

Every individual who sees us has unique needs and starting points. The number of visits you'll need can vary widely based on several factors, ensuring that your journey to better health is personalized and effective. Here are some of the key considerations: Health Goals: Whether you're looking to manage a chronic condition, lose weight, help your pickier eating child, or simply improve overall wellness will influence the length of our collaboration. Current Health Status: Individuals with complex medical conditions may require more frequent sessions compared to those seeking general nutritional guidance. Lifestyle and Habits: Your current lifestyle—such as eating habits, physical activity level, and stress management—plays a significant role in determining how many visits you might need. If many healthy habits are already in place, we may just need to make a few specific and strategic changes to help you meet your goals. If you are someone who is looking to make many big changes, then our time together would be longer. To accommodate various needs while offering value, we provide discounted packages for clients anticipating more than 3–4 visits. These packages ensure comprehensive care tailored specifically to your personal progress pace and evolving requirements. Feel free to discuss these options during your initial consultation so together we can chart out the most beneficial plan for you!

No! Though some private insurance plans may require a doctor’s note for reimbursement. OHIP also does not cover private dietitian services.

A dietitian is a registered and regulated health profession with the College of Dietitians of Ontario. As registered dietitians, our Tangible Wellness team functions under strict educational and licensing requirements to maintain our titles. Most importantly, we have the training and background to provide medical nutrition therapy for conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and digestive disorders. Our services are also covered by insurance! A nutritionist is not a regulated title with specific educational requirements, so they cannot provide medical advice–but they can offer general wellness advice about eating habits.

Alia has a Master of Science in Food and Nutrition from Western University. Read more about our dietitian team here.

A Registered Dietitian is more than just a list of meals! 1. We provide evidence-based guidance. Trendy diet fads that permeate the internet can work for some people because of their body type, age, or other variables that aren’t always properly highlighted. Our tailor-made nutrition advice is backed by scientific studies that incorporate you–your health, your lifestyle, and your goals. 2. We are your partners in long-term success. We don’t just tell you what to eat, but how to eat. This can mean conversations about your personal relationship with food, how to build healthier habits around portion control, mindful eating, as well as grocery shopping tips and meal prep hacks that will work for you. 3. We provide medical nutrition therapy and chronic disease management. Living with diabetes, heart disease, IBS, or food allergies can feel like you live in a world of don’ts or can’ts, but we’re here to take the pressure off. Our know-how allows us to create not just safe and effective eating plans, but tasty ones too! We can also work closely with your healthcare team to prevent and manage your conditions. 4. We offer ongoing support outside of our scheduled talks. We are your go-to experts to help troubleshoot challenges and to help you stay motivated and consistent. We are also here to help make adjustments to our original plans with you. We know life can get hectic, and whether that means you need a more flexible plan, or less flexible plan, to meet that demand, we’re here for you! 5. Gut health and digestive support. There are a lot of supplements and general recommendations for bloat control and food intolerances, but our stomachs can be as individual as snowflakes. We can better pinpoint triggers and recommend gut-friendly food strategies to keep you feeling your best. 6. Sustainable weight management. Restrictive dieting is hard, and many people fail at some point and become discouraged. It isn’t about just switching to a different diet, but identifying the behaviour changes that can help us to get to where we want. Questions about emotional eating, or understanding what it means to eat intuitively. Changing what we eat is always helpful, but it’s only half of the overall equation if we don’t study the lifestyle changes that need to be adjusted. 7. Support for athletes, pregnancy, and other major body changes! There’s a few instances in our lives that can result in a lot of body function changes. From gruelling training for an athletic event, navigating pregnancy/post-partum nutrition, or overcoming a health setback. We can provide expert advice for optimal performance, health, and healing. 8. Saving time and reducing decision fatigue. There really is a lot of free information out there, from articles in major magazines, to endless streams of advice on social media. Working with a dietitian allows you to cut through the noise and obtain a tailor-made plan that’s just for you and your family.

Of course! Being able to cook helps, of course, but we can still advise you about which convenient and easy meals fit your dietary needs, or how to navigate your choices in restaurants, cafes, or fast food spots. The goal is to teach everyone how to get balanced meals without feeling so restricted. And of course, if there’s interest, we can help you make your first forays into cooking!

Of course! We help people from all levels of hectic to find practical ways to eat without sacrificing precious hours to prep and cooking.

Your initial chat would be our respective fact-finding call. You can let the Tangible Wellness team know about your overall goals, and any frustrations or limitations. In return, our team will ask you questions to get a better understanding of what you’ve tried in the past, and lifestyle understandings. From there, we will build a plan with your goals and concerns in mind.

First, we would have to ask a lot of questions to understand why diets didn’t help you in the past. Were you working with a coach, or following advice online? Did the diet have recommendations for your body type? What about your lifestyle? It’s difficult for online diets to cover all of these factors, but that’s where our team can step in. We tailor-make our plans to address the many variables that can make them sticky and successful in the long-term. Our plans are also all science-backed to address everything from weight management to metabolism and gut health. And what about when you fail one day, and you’re struggling with the guilt? To our team at Tangible Health, it’s not a failure because we avoid the practice of demonizing foods. There’s nothing to be guilty of because some days are just more difficult than others, and above all, habits are hard to break. We’re here to hear you out, and to help you get back to the plan–it’s normal to have a stumble every now and then. We’re not your food jailor but you’re partner in health.

We can’t speak to what your previous experience didn’t provide you, but we can talk about what we can provide you and hope that reassures you! 1. Our team is personalized, not prescriptive. We take the time to understand you as a whole person, your habits, your challenges, your lifestyle. These factors (and more!) help us determine the best plan for you. 2. We work to find the root cause–treating the surface-level issue is not enough. Some patients come looking for help with their weight or energy levels, but there’s a lot to be discovered to figure out what’s going to have a lasting impact on you, as opposed to helping you feel good in the short-term only. 3. We are supportive and judgement-free! We approach each client with a “team effort” mentality. We’re here to support you, to hear you out. You should never feel pressured or blamed for “not doing enough.” Ultimately, we aim to empower all of our patients with education about food, and your bodies. 4. It’s more than just “what to eat,” but also understanding the why and how. Tackling cravings, binge eating, and our overall relationship with food. Why do we reach for that pint of ice cream when we’re sad? What other food habits have we unknowingly adopted to cope with our everyday stresses? These are important things to identify to help you better manage your choices. 5. We are flexible and adaptable. Life can bring you lemons, and Life can also bring you non-stop travel meetings over the course of the next few weeks. Our team is here to make adjustments, and to plan with you when your life changes drastically. Whether you need more structure or more freedom, we work with your needs. 6. We are holistic in our approach to taking care of your body. Beyond food, how is your stress management, your sleep, your fitness? We work to understand these things to ensure we’re hitting all the boxes in your care.

The only way to ensure that we don’t set you a plan that’s too restrictive is communication. Our team will check in with you every time we make a plan, just to make sure that it sounds not only doable for you, but comfortable. If you find that, partway through it, you’re really struggling to meet the goals, just let us know. We can change things to make sure you feel happy on your new food journey!

We deliver all plans for you written out in an email for ease of reference. Our team will track your progress with you in your follow-up appointments, which is also a great time to check in to see how you’re feeling about the plan so far.

Yes! We welcome those new to it, as well as the well-versed looking to expand their horizons.

Absolutely. Managing food allergies can make you feel so limited, but we’re here to provide a helping hand. From grocery shopping and label reading guidance, to dining out and travel strategies, we’ve got you covered.

Yes! As registered dietitians, we help diabetics, chronic diseases, heart health, as well as paediatric and child nutrition. You can check out our Services page for the full list of common health concerns we work with. If you don’t see your concern on the list, this doesn’t mean we can’t help you, so please feel free to reach out to us to find out.

Yes, and yes. We love working with children of all ages. Our team’s educational background as registered dietitians means that we’ve covered the topics of nutritional needs for all ages. And just like adults, some children or babies have special needs, and we can certainly help in that regard as well.

We can! It can be a struggle if only one family member is on a special plan. Having a shared experience can help everyone stay consistent and cheer each other on.

Our dietitian, Manya, can assist you in English, Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu.

This is a great time to talk about what your goals are with therapy, and what issues are of highest priority. Our team can then talk about their therapy styles as well as their experience and education.

Social Workers have a bachelor’s or master’s in social work. They can provide counselling and therapy for individuals, families, and groups, working with mental health, life transitions, trauma, and systemic issues (like poverty, housing, and domestic violence). Social workers can often work in hospitals, schools, as well as private practice. A therapist can refer to a registered psychotherapist, a psychologist, or a counsellor–each of these have their own education requirements. Both roles offer mental health support and there is a lot of overlap. The differences come down to specializations and settings. A psychologist, for example, can provide formal mental health diagnoses for conditions like ADHD, autism, or learning disabilities, while social workers cannot. There is also a cost differentiation, with social workers being the more affordable option that is still covered by insurance. To find out if our social worker team can assist with your concern, you can book a complementary 15 minute chat.

The first session is commonly one where we spend a lot of time listening to you. You will spend the time providing as much information and background as you can to help our team gain some initial context about your concern. From there, a plan of treatment will be developed to help you heal.

Our counsellors are registered social workers. Click here to learn more about our team.

In terms of evidence-based practices, our team utilizes the following: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Narrative Therapy Solution-Focused Therapy Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) In terms of therapy topics: Childhood and adolescent stress Perinatal and parenting stress Relationship and family problems Life transitions Grief and bereavement Depression Anxiety

A therapy session is 50 minutes each.

That answer depends on you. There’s no set time for anyone because everyone has a different path to overcoming the issue that they came in with. But in the end, the end date can be up to you. Our team will not prescribe a set date as they will continue to work with you until all parties feel satisfied that a resolution has been found.

The change can be subtle at first, but your healing can take on a few forms. You might start challenging your negative thoughts instead of immediately believing in them. Or you’ll find that you’re coping with your stress or depression better than before. There are many other ways your healing can be manifesting, so feel free to ask your social worker as a touch base if you’re unsure!

Our social worker team loves helping people of all ages, but especially children and teenagers. You can read more about her here.

Because of availability, we try to help as much as we can. Our team can be reachable by email, and can also send you resources for crisis centres if they deem it necessary.

No, social workers cannot prescribe any type of medication. They can, however, work with your healthcare team to discuss medication options and ensure your treatment plan aligns with your needs.

Our social worker team assists with many concerns: Childhood and adolescent stress Perinatal and parenting stress Relationship and family problems Life transitions Grief and bereavement Depression Anxiety You can review our services page for the full list or book a free 15 minute consultation if you’re still unsure.

Our team likes to approach each patient with respect for diversity, and authenticity. You’re encouraged to be your true self, and this is facilitated by making sure you feel confident that you’re in a judgement-free zone when you’re speaking with our social worker. Expect collaboration and open dialogue if you choose to work with Tangible Wellness.

Yes! Please feel free to bring anyone you would like to support you during your appointment.

Yes! Our Social Worker is fluent in Spanish, Italian as well as English.

We don’t organize group counselling at this time. But we do have family counselling.