Should you hire a nutrition coach?

by Jonathon Morgan (Subscribe to Jonathon Morgan's posts)
May 16th 2007 12:32PM

Eating healthy isn't as easy as it looks. There's a mountain of information to process just to understand what's good for you and what isn't -- and then, once you have that knowledge, you have to start looking for food that meets your new standards. And if you have a family, you're also stuck finding food that your kids will actually eat.

Sound daunting? If so, maybe it's time you hired a nutrition coach. While, at first, this might seem superfluous, so did the notion of a personal trainer -- once a luxury for ultra-fit celebrities, and now a common occurrence in every gym across the country.

And it's surprisingly inexpensive. Weis Penngrove, a Wisconsin-based nutrition coach, charges $25-$35 per hour for non-cooking time, and offers a flat fee for menu planning and preparation (four meals for a family of four) of $228. All in all, you could get yourself out of an unhealthy cooking rut for $500.

Given what you'll spend to keep the weight off when you're eating ready-made, unhealthy food, this seems like a bargain.

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Comments (9)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Christine 5-18-2007 @ 7:20AM

Heyy I am still scared if my dad eat spinage.

ali obiyo 5-18-2007 @ 7:51AM

This sounds very nice and maybe for the middle income and above it may be afordable. But in case you dont know the majority of people who eat unhealthy and are at risk, if not already, having food related illnesses are in the low and poverty level income. It is not affordable.

Kelly 5-18-2007 @ 8:22AM

I guess this is affordable for the person writing this article. $500 is not pocket change for the majority of Americans, and most are not making $25-$35 per hour. So, why would the average American pay someone this kind of money for such a service as "menu planning"? I would rather pay a house cleaner to clean my house (generally charging much less) and use the time saved and my own brain to plan my own menus. Maybe the author has a friend or family member in the menu planning business.
Get in touch with your reading audience's reality.

Susan 5-18-2007 @ 8:39AM

Only for people who make six-figure salaries. Waste of time.

Amy 5-18-2007 @ 8:40AM

My husband makes $20.50/hour and a personal meal planner STILL could not be affordable in my home with a 5 -person family. We have no extra's or luxuries, and we live week-to-week like many Americans do. If we could afford something like this, I agree with Kelly....I would pay a house cleaning service first. Reality Check Please!

stephanie 5-18-2007 @ 9:00AM

I took my kids when they were small to this Japanese restaurant where they cook in front of you. They made all different kinds of vegetables. They made zuccini that had the shape of french fries. My son who was 5 then was alittle squrmish with the zucchini. The chef told him they were Japanese French Fries. My son loved them after that.
He is 21 yrs old now and still calls them Japanese French Fries.

Bobby 5-18-2007 @ 9:24AM

It never ceases to amaze me how when people gain weight they need no help, but seem to need help (pity?) to lose it. Simply reversing what they did to get the weight is nothing that requires a nutristionist or rocket scientest. Common sense and smaller meals can do wonders.

Chef Roger 5-18-2007 @ 10:11AM

I am a personal chef who prepares nutritious, health-conscious menus for my clients. I am in the Chicago market and I charge $350 for 20 meals(which includes the groceries). Most people do not find this charge excessive and if you figure in the amount of time that you would have to spend planning, shopping, and cooking your meals you would see that it is quite a bargain. My clients appreciate the time that they save and the creativity of the menus.

Crabby McSlacker 5-18-2007 @ 10:21AM

I often fantasize about having enough money to have a personal chef--to have the control over what you eat (unlike with restaurant) but not have to do any actual cooking or shopping. But at least where I live, it ain't cheap, and will remain a fantasy. (Along with the Personal Assistant Fantasy and the Live-in-Massuese Fantasy) .

But the whole "nutritional coach" aspect of it doesn't appeal to me all. I have no interest in hiring someone to tell me what to eat if they're not gonna cook it up for me.

Crabby does her grousing at http://crankyfitness.blogspot.com/