Food Coaching

Learn to be food coach - help people to a better understanding and practice with their eating

Course Code: VRE110
Fee Code: S2
Duration (approx) Duration (approx) 100 hours
Qualification
Get started!

Food Coaching is an increasingly important sector of the coaching profession.

A food coach can be the real difference though; helping their client to develop strategies and motivation to bring about real change in their eating habits, and consequently real change in their overall wellbeing.

  • This course develops your understanding of the scope and nature of food coaching.
  • Learn about the practical, ethical and legal implications of establishing yourself as a food coach, to work as a responsible and effective practitioner. 

Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

  1. Introduction and the Healthy Diet
    • Introduction.
    • What is Food Coaching?
    • Why is Food Coaching necessary?
    • Meeting with Clients: The Initial Interview.
    • Building Rapport.
    • The Consulting Room.
    • Information Gathering.
    • Goal Setting.
    • Taking Baseline Measurements.
    • Assessing Current Diet And Lifestyle.
    • Healthy Diet.
    • Food Pyramids.
    • Food Plates.
    • Benefits of a Healthy Diet.
    • Frequency of Eating.
    • Serving Sizes.
    • Use of Supplements.
  2. Professional Standards for Food Coaching
    • Introduction.
    • A Code of Ethics.
    • Ethics in Food Coaching.
    • Confidentiality.
    • Informed Consent.
    • Making Ethical Decisions.
    • A Guideline to Making Ethical Decisions.
    • Legal Concerns.
    • What you Can and Cannot Do.
    • Keeping Records.
    • Ethics When Working as a Food Coach in a Larger Business.
    • Health and Safety.
    • Occupational Health and Safety Responsibilities.
  3. Specialist Diets - Chronic Conditions
    • Introduction.
    • Benefits of Special Diets.
    • Dietary Considerations for Some Chronic Conditions.
    • Understanding Different Types of Special Diet.
    • Dairy Free Diet.
    • Vegetarian Diets.
  4. Specialist Diets - Overeating
    • Introduction.
    • What do we mean by being overweight?
    • Measuring Body Fat.
    • Body Fat Percentage.
    • Measurement Techniques.
    • Health Risks of Overeating.
    • Treatment for Obesity.
    • Psychological Theories of Overeating.
    • Physiological Reasons Why People Overeat.
    • Weight Loss Plans.
  5. Specialist Diets - Poor Nutritional Diets
    • Introduction.
    • Not Eating Enough.
  6. Food Coaching Adults and Seniors
    • Introduction.
    • General Dietary Requirements for Adults.
    • Case Study.
    • Pregnant Women.
    • Seniors.
    • Age-Related Illnesses and Nutrition.
    • General Nutritional Plans for Adults.
  7. Food Coaching for Children
    • Introduction.
    • Law & Ethics and Children's Food Coaching.
    • Involvement of the Parents or Caregivers.
    • Family and Friends.
    • General Nutritional Requirements of Children.
    • Food Groups - What Children Need.
    • Developing a Nutrition Plan for Children.
    • Nutritional Disorders in Children.
    • Obesity in Children.
    • Underweight Children.
  8. Lifestyle Changes
    • Introduction.
    • Ways to Encourage Lifestyle Change.
    • Motivational Interviewing.
    • Strategies to Elicit Change.
    • Stages of MI Interview Session.
    • Lifestyle Diary.
  9. Moving on
    • Introduction.
    • Before Moving On.
    • Assessing Client Progress.
    • Regular Meetings/Reviews (How Often).
    • Changing Plans as the Person Changes.
    • Evaluation of the Plan.
    • When Ready to Move On.
    • Ongoing Support.
  10. Managing Your Food Coaching Service
    • Managing Your Food Coaching Business.
    • Meeting Clients.
    • Where to Meet Clients.
    • Own Safety.
    • Importance of Marketing.
    • Setting Fees.

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

  • Explain the scope and nature of food coaching and what is meant by a healthy diet.
  • Explain why food coaches should abide by a professional code, and what the legal and ethical standards are.
  • Understand different types of special diet for chronic conditions and their benefits to clients, as well as a range of other special diets and their impact on health.
  • Discuss what is meant by overeating, its health implications, and how to develop plans to control or reduce weight.
  • Describe what diets are considered unhealthy for a range of different body types.
  • Understand general nutrition requirements of adults and seniors, and to discuss possible coaching strategies for working with adults, seniors and carers
  • Understand general nutrition requirements of children, and to discuss possible coaching strategies for working with children and their parents or other caregivers
  • Explain the importance of changes in lifestyle to improve the benefit of food coaching.
  • Explain how the client will move on after food coaching has ended.
  • Explain how to organise, market and manage a food coaching service

Food Coaches work with Clients to Bring about Positive Change

Food Coaching combines coaching skills with knowledge of nutrition to help clients choose better ways of eating and diets which are healthier for them.  Coaching is concerned with helping clients to define their goals, and then work out ways to achieve them.  Coaches encourage clients to look at their lifestyle and how it might influence their diets and goals.

Why is Food Coaching Necessary?

Food coaching fills a void. Whilst there are practitioners in nutrition and diet, most don't offer coaching. Also, many of the government funded health initiatives are based on educating the public about diet and food choices. However, these often don't have great success rates because people lack the personal motivation and direction to commit to changes even when they are well educated.  

There are many people who lack both motivation and knowledge, or who struggle with fad diets or other poor eating choices, who can benefit from having someone work with them to help them make worthwhile changes. Many of these people just don't realise how their diet is affecting their wellbeing, whether it's feeling sluggish or bloated or contributing to other health issues.  

Food coaching is needed to help motivate clients to make better choices. People often don't succeed with dieting or making healthier changes to their diets because they stop trying. Perhaps because they don't fully understand the benefits of what they are doing, or maybe they receive little encouragement. As a food coach, you are there to keep them on track, and offer support and feedback. 

ACS is a Member of the Complementary Medicine Association.
ACS is a Member of the Complementary Medicine Association.
Member of Study Gold Coast Education Network.
Member of Study Gold Coast Education Network.
ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.
ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.

How can I start this course?

You can enrol at anytime and start the course when you are ready. Enrolments are accepted all year - students can commence study at any time. All study is self paced and ACS does not set assignment deadlines.

Please note that if a student is being assisted by someone else (e.g. an employer or government subsidy), the body offering the assistance may set deadlines. Students in such situations are advised to check with their sponsor prior to enrolling. The nominal duration of a course is approximately how long a course takes to complete. A course with a nominal duration of 100 hours is expected to take roughly 100 hours of study time to complete. However, this will vary from student to student. Short courses (eg. 100 hrs duration) should be completed within 12 months of enrolment. Certificates, Advanced Certificates and Awards (eg. over 500 hours duration) would normally be completed within 3 -5 years of enrolment. Additional fees may apply if a student requires an extended period to complete.
If a student cannot submit their assignments for 6 months to ACS, they should advise the school to avoid cancellation of their student
registration. Recommencement fees may apply.

Simply click on the ENROL OPTIONS button at the top of this screen and follow the prompts.

You can see the course price at the top of this page. Click 'enrolment options' to see any payment options available.

You can pay by Credit Card, PayPal, Afterpay or bank transfer.

Yes! We have payment plans for most courses. Click 'enrolment options' to see the available payment plans.
We also have Afterpay that will allow you to pay for your course or payment plans in four instalments (if you are in Australia).


What do I need to know before I enrol?

There are no entry requirements that you need to meet to enrol in our courses, our courses are for everyone.
If you are under 18, we need written permission from your parent/ guardian for your enrolment to continue, we can arrange that after you have enrolled.

You don’t need to purchase any additional resources to complete our courses.

We aim to teach you the essentials without you having to purchase any specific computer program.
We recommend that you have access to a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, so that you can easily complete and submit your assignments.

You sure can. We are here to help you learn whatever your abilities.

Yes, if you are enrolling in a Certificate or Advanced Certificate, you might be eligible for credits if you have evidence of your previous studies or relevant experience. More information is here.

We recommend that you are able to browse websites, send emails and conduct online research. You will need to be able to type and submit your assignments.
If you have limited computer skills, we can make special arrangements for you.

This is possible, it depends on the institution. We recommend that if you would like to use our courses that you contact the institution first. Our Course Handbook is a good resource for this.

Our courses are written in English and we only have English speaking academic staff. If you can read and complete your assignments in English, our courses are ideal for you.

Our courses are designed to build knowledge, hands on skills and industry connections to help prepare you to work in the area, running your own business, professional development or as a base for further study.

This course has been designed to cover the fundamentals of the topic. It will take around 100 hours to complete, which includes your course reading, assignment work, research, practical tasks, watching videos and anything else that is contained in the course. Our short courses are a great way to do some professional development or to learn a new skill.

It’s up to you. The study hours listed in the course are a rough guide, however if you were to study a short course (100 hours) at 10 hours per week, you could finish the course in 10 weeks (just an example). Our courses are self-paced, so you can work through the courses in your own time. We recommend that you wait for your tutor to mark and return your assignment before your start your next one, so you get the benefits of their feedback.

The course consists of course notes, videos, set tasks for your practical work, online quizzes, an assignment for each lesson (that you receive feedback from your tutor from) and ends in an exam (which is optional, if would like to receive the formal award at the end), using our custom built Learning Management System - Login.Training.

Our courses are designed for adults to gain professional development and skills to further their careers and start businesses.

Our custom online learning portal allows you to conduct your learning online. There may be practical tasks that you can do offline. You have the option of downloading your course notes or print them to read later.

There is also the option to pay an additional fee for printed course notes and or USB (availability limited to location and deliverability).

Yes, if you don’t have access to the internet, you can receive the course as paper notes or on a USB stick for an additional fee. We can also make alternative arrangements for you to send your assignments to us.

We offer printed notes for an additional fee. Also, you can request your course notes on a USB stick for an additional fee.

Yes, your tutor is here to help you. Simply post any questions you have in your login.training portal or contact the office and we can pass on a message to your tutor.

We are more learning focussed, rather than assessment focussed. You have online quizzes to test your learning, written assignments and can complete an exam at the end of the course (if you want to receive your certificate). You will not receive a pass/ fail on your course work. If you need to add more details on your assignment, we will ask you to resubmit and direct you where you need to focus. If you need help, you can ask your tutor for advice in the student room.

Each module (short course) is completed with one exam.

Exams are optional, however you must sit an exam if you would like to receive a formal award. You will need to find someone who can supervise that you are sitting the exams under exams conditions. There is an additional cost of $60 incl. GST for each exam.
More information is here

There are practical components built into the course that have been designed to be achieved by anyone, anywhere. If you are unable to complete a task for any reason, you can ask your tutor for an alternative.

When you complete the course work and the exam and you will be able receive your course certificate- a Statement of Attainment. Otherwise, you can receive a Letter of Completion.

You can bundle the short courses to create your own customised learning bundle, Certificates or Advanced Certificates. More information is on this page.

Yes, our courses are built to be applicable for people living anywhere in any situation. We provide the fundamentals, and each student can apply their own unique flair for their own interests, region and circumstances with the one-on-one guidance of a tutor. There is also a bit of student directed research involved.

Employers value candidates with industry skills, knowledge, practical skills and formal learning. Our courses arm you with all of these things to help prepare you for a job or start your own business. The longer you study the more you will learn.

ACS has an arrangement with OAMPS (formerly AMP) who can arrange Professional Indemnity from Australian and New Zealand graduates across all disciplines. Ph: 1800 222 012 or email acs@oamps.com.au.


Who are ACS Distance Education?

ACS Distance Education have been educating people for over 40 years.

We are established and safe- we have been in education for over 40 years.
We are focused on developing innovative courses that are relevant to you now and what you will need to know in the future.
We are focused on helping you learn and make the most of your experience.
You can enrol at any time, you can work on your course when it suits you and at your own pace.
We are connected to many industry bodies and our staff participate in continuous improvement and learning activities to ensure that we are ahead of what learning is needed for the future.

Our courses are not accredited by the Australian Government. However many of our courses are recognised and held in high regard by many industry bodies.

Our courses are written by our staff, who all have many years experience and have qualifications in their speciality area. We have lots of academic staff who write and update our courses regularly.


How do I enrol my staff/ sponsored students?

Yes, you can do a request for a bulk enrolment and request an invoice on our Invoice Request Form

We can prepare an invoice, quote or proforma invoice. Simply complete your details on our Invoice Request form

We can arrange bulk discounts for your course enrolment, please get in touch with us to discuss your needs.

Yes, we have many students who are in locked facilities, such as prisons or hospitals. We can cater by also offering paper notes at an additional cost.


What if I have any more questions or need more information?

We can assist you to find the right course for your needs. Get in touch with us via email (admin@acs.edu.au) call on +61 7 5562 1088 or complete our course advice form.


What if I change my mind?

Please get in touch with studentservices@acs.edu.au if you would like to be removed from our mail list.

If you would like ACS Distance Education to delete your information at any time (whether you are a customer or a prospective customer), please contact our privacy officer and we will process this ( admin@acs.edu.au ).

If students require a reproduction of their certificate, an electronic copy can be provided at a cost of AUD$35 incl GST. Printed copies are not available.




Course Contributors

The following academics were involved in the development and/or updating of this course.

Jacinda Cole (Psychologist)

Psychologist, Educator, Author, Psychotherapist.
B.Sc., Psych.Cert., M. Psych. Cert.Garden Design, MACA
Jacinda has over 25 years of experience in psychology, in both Australia and England. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Psychology and a Masters in Psychology (Clinical) and also trained in psychoanalytic psychotherapy at the London Centre for Psychotherapy. She has co-authored several psychology text books and many courses including diploma and degree level courses in psychology and counselling. Jacinda has worked for ACS for over 10 years.

Karen Lee

Nutritional Scientist, Dietician, Teacher and Author.
BSc. Hons. (Biological Sciences), Postgraduate Diploma Nutrition and Dietetics.
Registered dietitian in the UK, with over 15 years working in the NHS. Karen has undertaken a number of research projects and has lectured to undergraduate university students. Has co authored two books on nutrition and several other books in health sciences.

Melissa Leistra

B.Ed. M. Human Nutrition

Need Help?

Take advantage of our personalised, expert course counselling service to ensure you're making the best course choices for your situation.


I agree for ACS Distance Education to contact me and store my information until I revoke my approval. For more info, view our privacy policy.

>