Why I choose a BIA monitor in my practice
Guest author: Berdien van Wezel, Owner of Healthy Living Dietitians Practice (Gezond Leven Diëtisten)
Why I choose a BIA monitor in my practice
I have been using a BIA monitor for years and it has become such a fixed part of my consultation and work that I would feel amputated if I were to use only a scale. Furthermore, for me it adds quality value.
When did I start with it?
About 13 years ago I opened a shop on a shopping street. From one day to the next the health insurer removed the dietitian from the basic package. This meant that the patient only received reimbursement for consultations with the dietitian if they also had supplementary insurance. Within a few months the world changed completely because of this. From reimbursed care to self-paid.
As a company we then started thinking about how we could add value for the patient to the consultation. We created packages with, for example, 5 or 10 consultations for achieving a goal. We also linked other services and products to this, such as a BIA measurement. And we started selling slimming products. Our goal for the patients was to achieve a reduction in body fat percentage and an increase in muscle mass. To achieve this as well as possible we purchased products and services for this purpose.
The dietitian as weight-loss coach
In addition to medical consultations we then also became weight-loss coaches. But the kind that understands healthy weight loss; and by using high-quality products and the BIA monitor we created a healthy business model. When in 2014 the dietitian returned to the basic insurance, we had two sources of income and the consumer turned to us on the one hand as a dietitian and on the other as a weight-loss coach. Did that feel strange? No, after all as dietitians we are professionals in the field of losing weight.
Medication
A new development is now occurring. Appetite suppressants, including GLP-1 inhibitors, have been introduced. A possible complication is a decrease in muscle mass. (1) It is extremely useful to show the patient, by means of a BIA measurement, whether muscle mass is decreasing. The patient is only focused on weight reduction, but I can now give dietary advice to ensure that the patient does lose weight but maintains their muscle mass and muscle strength.
Reference
(1) NVD. (2025, March 21). Professor Liesbeth van Rossum about the effect of weigh loss medication: “Het is belangrijk dat diëtisten hun expertise delen”
