Belinda İrem Ardal, MD

Belinda İrem Ardal, MD works in the Acibadem Life Clinical Service at Acibadem Atasehir Hospital in İstanbul, Türkiye. Her practice centers on clinical nutrition counseling, personalized meal planning, medical nutrition therapy, and lifestyle behavior change counseling. She has two years of professional experience and sees both local and international patients at the hospital.

Dr. Ardal completed her studies at Bahcesehir University, with programs concluding in 2019 and 2023. She joined Acibadem Health Group in 2024 and has practised in İstanbul since then. Her work is built around individual assessment and structured, practical guidance, with the aim of helping patients follow nutritional recommendations in their everyday lives rather than only in a clinical setting.

Clinical focus

Dr. Ardal’s listed areas of expertise cover the main components of nutrition care in a hospital environment. In clinical nutrition counseling, she reviews a patient’s dietary habits, medical background, and current needs, and explains how nutrition relates to the patient’s overall health situation. Personalized meal planning builds on this assessment: rather than applying a standard diet, she prepares plans that take into account the patient’s preferences, daily routine, cultural food habits, and any medical restrictions that have been identified by the treating physicians.

Medical nutrition therapy refers to nutrition care that forms part of the management of a diagnosed medical condition. In this setting, dietary recommendations are aligned with the patient’s treatment plan and adjusted over time as the patient’s condition or clinical results change. Lifestyle behavior change counseling addresses the habits that surround eating, such as meal timing, portion awareness, and the practical obstacles that make it difficult to maintain new routines. This part of the work is gradual and depends on regular follow-up, and Dr. Ardal discusses realistic, step-by-step goals with each patient rather than short-term measures.

How Dr. Ardal works with international patients

Dr. Ardal consults in Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for patients who speak other languages. Before the visit, the international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, including laboratory and pathology results, MRI, CT, X-ray or ultrasound reports, operative notes, and discharge summaries, and arranges appointments and the hospital visit itself. A first consultation typically covers the patient’s history and symptoms, a review of existing results and previous treatments, a clinical examination where relevant, and a discussion of the options that may be appropriate. Because nutrition care often runs alongside other medical treatment, having complete records available helps Dr. Ardal understand the patient’s overall situation before making recommendations. Video consultation is available for international patients, which may be used for an initial discussion or for follow-up after a visit to İstanbul, depending on what is clinically suitable in each case.