How Does a Dietitian Help People?
Have you ever wondered how dietitians help people? Now and then, someone asks what I do for a living, and when I tell them that I am a registered dietitian, I know from their face that they have no idea what I am talking about!
I also realize that some of my readers may not know exactly what a registered dietitian does or how our training may differ from those who provide nutrition information. In this blog post, I wanted to share a little about my training and what I do and answer questions that people sometimes have.
Over the last ten years, the number of people who work with registered dietitians to improve their health has increased! Many people want to improve their health by what they eat!
What is a Registered Dietitian?
A registered dietitian (or dietitian nutritionist) is a healthcare provider trained to translate the science of how food choices affect the body. We are part of the healthcare team, along with a doctor and nurse, who keep patients healthy! We are the nutrition experts in the healthcare field.
How is a Registered Dietitian Trained?
In our undergraduate dietitian training, we take many food and nutrition classes and science courses, such as several semesters of chemistry, biology, anatomy and physiology, and microbiology. In addition, we take education, psychology, and counseling classes. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition from well-known colleges and universities, we complete a 10-month planned internship program that we must apply to attend.
After completing the internship, we take a national registration exam. Most of us complete our master’s degrees and receive other advanced training. After passing the registration exam, we must complete 75 hours every five years for our continued education to stay in our field. Our training provides us with the education we need to be nutrition experts.
Places Where Registered Dietitians Work
There are many places where registered dietitians work. My work experience has primarily involved individual nutritional counseling, corporate wellness, health promotion, group classes, nutrition workshops, and presentations. I have also worked as a college nutrition professor with several nutrition research studies. Other places where dietitians work include hospitals and nursing homes.
You might wonder why you would want to work with a registered dietitian; here are a few:
5 Reasons to Work With a Registered Dietitian
- Have a health condition that would improve from more nutritious food choices. Conditions that show benefit from nutrition counseling include diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, increased blood lipids, kidney disease, digestive health issues, overweight or obese, and cancer. Athletes receive value from working with a registered dietitian to help improve their sports performance. Vegetarians or vegans may want to know where to get critical nutrients.
- Nutritional therapy benefits people whose dietary needs have changed during a life stage, such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, adolescence, and aging.
- Have questions about what to eat and decipher nutrition facts from fiction!
- Want support and encouragement to make a diet change? Working with a registered dietitian can help you feel more motivated to succeed.
- I want to make changes that support the environment and your local economy.
A Few Ways Registered Dietitians Help Clients
- Provide nutrition assessment, counseling, and evaluation. Changing eating habits and other lifestyle factors, such as exercise, stress reduction, and better sleep habits, can help clients avoid costly drugs and surgeries.
- Work with clients on meal planning ideas and healthy food recipes that work for them.
- Give guidance for going out to eat.
- Help set goals to make behavioral changes.
- Share essential cooking and shopping skills to put together quick, healthy meals.
Do your research when determining which registered dietitian would work best with you. Find out what areas of expertise one has and if they have any specialties. Call them to see if their personality is the right one for you.
Our basic training is very similar, but we may have different counseling techniques and slightly different ways of approaching things. Not everyone who calls themselves a nutritionist is qualified, but all registered dietitians are nutritionists with seven years or more of training in their field. Potential clients should ask questions about training to make sure that they are qualified.
Many insurance plans now cover nutrition services with a registered dietitian. I am a provider of North Carolina Blue Cross Blue Shield and Federal Blue Cross. To find a registered dietitian in your area, check out www.eatright.org/find-an-expert
You can find out a little more about what registered dietitians do here.
Working with Asheville Nutritionist Denise Barratt
As an Asheville registered dietitian nutritionist, I enjoy working with my clients to help them improve their quality of life. You can read more about me and my training at About Denise. I hope that this post helps explain the role a registered dietitian has in keeping clients healthy!
