Nutrition Services

Nutrition plays a vital role in improving the overall well-being of people with chronic diseases. Our nutrition program empowers individuals to self-manage their conditions through a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Dietician at desk with healthy foods

How we support you

Southwestern Health Resources (SWHR), formed by UT Southwestern Medical Center and Texas Health Resources, strives to provide member patients and providers with comprehensive, high-quality education about how to use nutrition to manage chronic conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and heart disease.

A team of registered dietitians (RD/RDNs) lead the SWHR nutrition program in partnership with nurses, social workers and community health workers. The program aims to educate and empower individuals to self-manage their chronic conditions through individualized counseling and group classes. With a provider referral, members in the SWHR network can enroll in additional counseling.

An RD/RDN is a food and nutrition expert who helps you meet your health and nutrition goals by:

  • Deciphering the science so it can be integrated into your daily life.
  • Taking factors such as schedule, stressors, access to healthy foods, diagnoses, preferences and more into consideration while providing relevant information to improve your health.
  • Collaborating with you every step of the way

An RD/RDN has met the rigorous academic and professional requirements established by the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Typically, an RD/RDN has completed a bachelor’s degree and approved internship, passed a national exam and maintains up-to-date knowledge in nutrition with frequent continuing education. 

Our team of RD/RDNs works with member patients of the Southwestern Health Resources network. Check our Provider Finder site to learn if your doctor is part of our network. If your primary care doctor is part of our network, talk to them about working with a dietitian. Your provider can request a dietitian by using this form

Dietitian services are available at no additional cost to member patients of the SHWR network.

See this flyer for an overview of the available nutrition services. Your SWHR provider can send a referral to our team for individual counseling sessions.

Find out if your doctor is a part of the SWHR network.

The resources below can help you find food assistance:

  • Find Help
  • Tarrant Area Food Bank
    • For Tarrant, Bosque, Cooke, Denton, Erath, Hamilton, Hill, Hood, Johnson, Palo Pinto, Parker, Somervell and Wise counties
  • North Texas Food Bank
    • For Dallas, Denton, Collin, Fannin, Rockwall, Hunt, Grayson, Kaufman, Ellis, Navarro, Lamar, Delta, and Hopkins counties

Your provider can request a dietitian by using this form.

A group of people in a kitchen watching a cooking demonstration

Cooking demonstrations


Chronic Kidney Disease Cooking Demos  American Kidney Fund

Healthy Cooking Skills  American Heart Association

Diabetes Cooking Demos  American Diabetes Association

Cooking DemosNorth Texas Food Bank

Cooking DemosTarrant Area Food Bank

A woman with a shopping cart walking through a grocery store aisle

Grocery shopping tips


Healthy Shopping 101 — Happy + Nourished by Albertsons and Market Street

Find food  North Texas Food Bank

Find food — Tarrant Area Food Bank

Learn All About Shopping — Texas WIC

Sprouts Grocery Store Tour (English) — YMCA of Metro Dallas

Sprouts Grocery Store Tour (Spanish) — YMCA of Metro Dallas

A woman with vegetables looking at tablet

Recipes & nutrition education


Cooking Basics — U.S. Department of Agriculture SNAP-Ed Connection

Eat Right — Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

MyPlate Kitchen Recipes — USDA Food and Nutrition Service

Read Nutrition Labels — Texas Health and Human Services

Recipes — North Texas Food Bank

Recipes — Tarrant Area Food Bank

Cooking demonstrations, recipes and nutrition materials are copyrighted to our community partners and used with their permission.

If you have type 2 diabetes, you may be able to control your blood sugar by eating a nutritious variety of foods and maintaining a healthy weight.

Patient checking his blood sugar at home with the support of another person
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