Dietetics & Nutrition Clinic in Doha

At Turkish Hospital, our Dietetics Clinic provides personalized nutrition assessment, medical nutrition therapy, dietary counseling, and nutrition support for patients with a wide range of medical and nutritional needs. Led by Dr. Aysha Saqer, Clinical Dietitian, our Nutrition Clinic supports both inpatients and outpatients, working closely with physicians and other healthcare professionals to integrate nutrition into the patient’s overall treatment plan. 

Care is tailored to each patient’s medical history, dietary habits, nutritional status, body composition, lifestyle, and treatment goals. Services range from healthy eating and weight management to nutritional care for diabetes, kidney disease, heart conditions, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, malnutrition, swallowing difficulties, and patients requiring specialized nutrition support.

Need help managing your diet, weight, or a medical condition through nutrition? Book an appointment with our Dietetics & Nutrition Clinic in Doha.

When Should You Visit a Dietetics Clinic?

A Dietetics Clinic can help when food and nutrition affect a medical condition, recovery, body weight, digestive health, nutritional status, or everyday well-being.

Consider arranging an appointment if you:

• Want professional help managing your weight
• Have diabetes
• Have high blood pressure or high cholesterol
• Have kidney or liver disease
• Experience digestive problems
• Have been diagnosed with malnutrition
• Have unintentionally lost weight
• Have difficulty maintaining adequate food intake
• Require nutrition support during illness
• Have swallowing difficulties
• Are preparing for or recovering from bariatric or metabolic surgery
• Need sports-nutrition guidance
• Want to develop healthier eating habits
• Have been advised by your doctor to modify your diet

Nutrition requirements can vary significantly between patients, particularly when a medical condition is present. An individualized assessment helps ensure that dietary recommendations are appropriate to your health needs.

What Is Medical Nutrition Therapy?

Medical nutrition therapy uses individualized nutritional assessment and dietary intervention to support the management of specific health conditions.

At Turkish Hospital, our best dietitian considers factors such as:

• Medical history
• Current health conditions
• Dietary history
• Eating patterns
• Weight history
• Nutritional intake
• Body composition
• Individual nutritional requirements
• Treatment goals

Nutrition Assessment and Personalized Care Plans

A nutrition assessment helps identify whether a patient is receiving the right amount and balance of nutrients for their health, recovery, and medical condition.

During an appointment, the dietitian may ask about:

• Current eating habits
• Appetite
• Recent weight changes
• Previous diets
• Medical diagnoses
• Medications
• Food preferences
• Digestive symptoms
• Physical activity
• Lifestyle
• Difficulties eating or swallowing
• Personal nutrition goals

The resulting nutrition plan is designed to be practical, medically appropriate, and adapted to the patient’s circumstances.

Dietetics & Nutrition Clinic Doha for Chronic Health Conditions

Nutrition is an important part of managing many acute and chronic health conditions, particularly when diet affects blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, kidney function, digestion, body weight, or nutritional status.

Our clinical nutrition services cover a broad range of conditions.

Nutrition for Diabetes

Medical nutrition therapy can help people with diabetes manage food choices, meal patterns, carbohydrate intake, and overall nutritional balance as part of their wider diabetes care plan.

Nutrition counseling can support patients with diabetes in developing eating habits suited to their medical needs while considering lifestyle, medications, and individual goals.

When to see a dietitian

Consider a consultation if you:

• Have recently been diagnosed with diabetes
• Need help planning meals
• Are finding blood sugar management challenging
• Want to improve food choices
• Have additional conditions that affect your diet

Nutrition should complement, not replace, medical diabetes treatment.

Nutrition for High Cholesterol and Heart Health

Dietary changes can form part of the management of high cholesterol, high triglycerides, coronary artery disease, and other cardiovascular risk factors.

Our Nutrition Clinic provides dietary counseling for:

• Hyperlipidemia
• High cholesterol
• High triglycerides
• Coronary artery disease
• Hypertension

The best dietitian can help patients understand which dietary habits may support their broader cardiovascular treatment plan.

Nutrition for Hypertension

Nutrition can play an important role in blood-pressure management alongside prescribed medical care.

Dietary counseling may include reviewing:

• Salt intake
• Eating patterns
• Weight management
• Food quality
• Lifestyle habits

Recommendations are individualized according to the patient’s health and medical treatment.

Kidney Disease and Dialysis Nutrition

Kidney disease can significantly change nutritional requirements, particularly for patients with advanced chronic kidney disease or receiving dialysis.

Our Dietetics services include nutritional management for:

• Chronic kidney disease
• End-stage kidney disease
• Dialysis treatment

A renal nutrition plan may need to consider factors such as nutrient intake, fluid balance, treatment type, laboratory findings, and other health conditions.

Because requirements differ by stage of kidney disease, patients should avoid following a restrictive “kidney diet” without professional guidance.

Gastrointestinal Nutrition

Digestive disorders can affect food tolerance, nutrient absorption, appetite, bowel habits, and overall nutritional status.

Nutrition support is available for gastrointestinal conditions including:

• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Malabsorptive disorders
• Other gastrointestinal conditions requiring dietary management

When to seek nutrition advice

Consider an assessment if digestive symptoms are causing:

• Unintentional dietary restriction
• Poor appetite
• Unexplained weight loss
• Difficulty meeting nutritional needs
• Confusion about which foods to avoid
• Ongoing symptoms despite dietary changes

The goal is to avoid unnecessary restriction while addressing nutritional needs appropriately.

Liver Disease Nutrition

Liver disease can affect how the body processes and stores nutrients, and some patients may require specialized dietary management.

Our clinical nutrition services include medical nutrition therapy for liver disease, including liver cirrhosis.

The nutrition plan depends on the patient’s medical status, appetite, body composition, and treatment needs.

Nutrition Support During Cancer Care

Cancer and its treatment can affect appetite, food intake, weight, muscle strength, swallowing, digestion, and nutritional requirements.

Our clinical dietitian provides nutrition assessment and support for patients with cancer, including colorectal cancer, when nutritional intervention is required.

Care may focus on:

• Maintaining adequate nutrition
• Managing reduced appetite
• Supporting body weight and muscle status
• Adjusting diet around symptoms
• Identifying when additional nutritional support may be needed

Nutrition plans are adapted according to the patient’s treatment and individual tolerance.

Malnutrition and Unintentional Weight Loss

Malnutrition can occur when the body does not receive or absorb enough energy, protein, or other nutrients to meet its needs.

It may affect patients who are critically ill, recovering from surgery, living with chronic disease, experiencing poor appetite, or having difficulty eating or absorbing nutrients.

Possible signs that may require nutritional assessment include:

• Unintentional weight loss
• Reduced appetite
• Loss of muscle strength
• Difficulty eating enough
• Ongoing illness affecting food intake
• Difficulty recovering nutritionally after hospitalization

Early nutrition assessment can help determine whether changes to food intake or additional nutritional support are needed.

Clinical Nutrition Support

Some patients cannot meet their nutritional needs through normal food intake alone and may require specialized nutrition support.

Depending on the clinical situation, nutrition support may include:

• Oral nutritional supplements
• Enteral nutrition or tube feeding
• Parenteral nutrition

Oral Nutritional Supplements

Oral supplements may be recommended when normal meals do not provide enough nutrition to meet a patient’s needs.

They should form part of an individualized nutrition plan rather than being selected solely on the basis of advertising or general advice.

Tube Feeding

Enteral nutrition delivers nutrients through a feeding tube when the gastrointestinal tract can be used but normal eating is not sufficient or possible.

The best dietitian works with the medical team to determine the appropriate nutritional requirements.

Parenteral Nutrition

Parenteral nutrition provides nutrients intravenously when the digestive system cannot be used adequately for nutrition.

This form of nutritional support requires careful clinical monitoring and multidisciplinary management.

Nutrition for Swallowing Difficulties

Swallowing difficulties, also known as dysphagia, can make eating and drinking unsafe or reduce a patient’s ability to meet nutritional needs.

Our dietitian works alongside Speech Therapy where appropriate to support patients experiencing swallowing difficulties.

Nutrition management may involve adjusting:

• Food texture
• Nutritional density
• Meal pattern
• Supplementation
• Route of feeding when clinically necessary

This collaborative approach helps balance swallowing safety with adequate nutrition.

Weight Management

Healthy weight management should be individualized and based on health, body composition, medical history, lifestyle, and sustainable dietary habits rather than short-term restrictive diets.

Our Dietetics services include nutritional care for:

• Weight loss
• Obesity
• Metabolic syndrome
• Weight management
• Nutrition around bariatric and metabolic surgery

When Should You See a Dietitian for Weight Management?

A professional nutrition assessment may be useful if:

• Your weight is affecting your health
• Previous diets have not been sustainable
• Your weight repeatedly changes
• You have diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol
• You are considering bariatric treatment
• You need nutritional guidance after bariatric surgery
• You want a structured approach based on your individual health

The aim is to develop realistic eating habits that can be maintained over time.

Nutrition for Gout

Diet can influence some of the factors associated with gout and may form part of an overall treatment plan.

Medical nutrition therapy for gout focuses on practical dietary changes suited to the patient’s medical condition rather than unnecessary elimination of large groups of foods.

Nutrition and Osteoporosis

Nutrition plays a role in maintaining bone health and can form part of the wider management of osteoporosis.

A best dietitian can assess eating patterns and nutritional intake as part of an individualized plan alongside the patient’s medical treatment.

Nutrition After Stroke

Patients recovering from stroke may experience changes in appetite, mobility, swallowing, food intake, or nutritional status.

Nutrition support can be coordinated with other members of the healthcare team, particularly where swallowing difficulties or malnutrition are present.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are complex health conditions that require coordinated care rather than dietary advice alone.

Our Dietetics service can contribute nutritional assessment and dietary support as part of a multidisciplinary treatment plan where appropriate.

Sports Nutrition

Sports nutrition helps active individuals align food and fluid intake with training demands, performance goals, recovery, and overall health.

Our Nutrition Clinic also provides dietary support for individuals seeking guidance around physical activity and sports.

Advice is personalized to the individual rather than based on a standard athlete diet.

Healthy Eating and Preventive Nutrition

You do not need to have a medical condition to benefit from professional nutrition advice.

Patients can also consult our Dietetics team for:

• Healthy eating
• Balanced meal planning
• Improving food choices
• Weight maintenance
• Sustainable lifestyle changes
• General nutrition education

A dietitian can help translate nutrition information into practical habits that fit a patient’s daily routine and health goals.

Inpatient Clinical Dietetics

Our Clinical Dietetics team supports hospitalized patients when illness, surgery, poor appetite, or another medical condition affects nutritional requirements.

The best dietitian works with physicians, nursing teams, and other healthcare professionals to:

• Assess nutritional status
• Identify nutritional risks
• Recommend appropriate diets
• Monitor nutritional intake
• Support patients at risk of malnutrition
• Plan oral, enteral, or parenteral nutrition when necessary

This helps integrate nutrition into the patient’s overall medical treatment and recovery.

Therapeutic Diets and Hospital Food Services

Hospital meals should meet both nutritional needs and medical dietary requirements.

Our dietitians work with Turkish Hospital’s Food Services team to support the development and delivery of therapeutic diets for patients with different medical conditions and dietary restrictions.

This coordination helps ensure that inpatient meals are appropriate to the patient’s clinical nutrition plan.

Multidisciplinary Nutrition Care

Nutrition often forms one part of a wider medical treatment plan, particularly for patients managing chronic disease, recovering from surgery, or receiving complex care.

Our best dietitian works alongside other Turkish Hospital professionals when a multidisciplinary approach is required.

Depending on the patient’s needs, collaboration may involve:

• Internal Medicine
• Cardiology
• General Surgery
• Nephrology-related medical care
• Gastrointestinal care
• Speech Therapy
• Physiotherapy
• Other relevant medical specialties

This coordinated approach allows nutrition recommendations to reflect the patient’s broader treatment plan.

What to Expect at Your Nutrition Clinic Appointment

Your first consultation focuses on understanding your health, eating habits, nutritional status, lifestyle, and individual goals before a personalized plan is created.

Your appointment may include:

• Medical-history review
• Diet-history assessment
• Weight history
• Body-composition assessment
• Review of relevant laboratory results
• Discussion of symptoms
• Review of medications
• Assessment of nutritional intake
• Discussion of dietary challenges
• Development of an individualized care plan
• Follow-up planning

If available, bring relevant medical reports, recent laboratory results, a medication list, and information about dietary supplements you currently use.

Dietetics and Nutrition Care at Turkish Hospital Doha

Nutrition can influence energy, body weight, recovery, blood sugar, cardiovascular health, digestive comfort, and the management of many long-term conditions. The right nutrition plan should be practical, evidence-based, and adapted to the patient’s medical and personal needs.

If you are looking for a Dietetics Clinic or Nutrition Clinic in Doha, book an appointment with Dr. Aysha Saqer, Clinical Dietitian, at Turkish Hospital for an individualized nutritional assessment and care plan.

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