Registered Dietitian Day!

Today is a special day to celebrate the food and nutrition experts, Registered Dietitians! Registered Dietitians help individuals with weight management, provide nutritional education and promote healthy eating patterns for disease prevention. They also help create meal plans, monitor improvements, and help to motivate and guide one to make positive behavioral changes for lifelong health. Generally, a Registered Dietitian can meet almost any need you have in the health, food, and fitness area!

Now more than ever the work done by Registered Dietitian’s is of great importance. With more than half the country reaching a weight considered obese, we have yet to make a dent in the obesity epidemic that has become a trend in our country. While recent data has come out that there is some improvement in the childhood obesity trend, as a country we still have a long way to go. I believe in teaching children the principles of healthy eating at an early age so these lessons stick with them as they grow, decreasing their risk for weight related issues.

An issue that I have chosen to focus on recently in my practice is to help people reject the idea of a “diet” for weight loss. I believe no one should be a slave to a diet plan. Rather, I encourage mindful eating as a way of life rather than a diet plan. I hope this message spreads across the country in the future so more dietitians can help encourage a healthy lifestyle rather than one based on specific eating rules and regulations.

Today you can find a wide variety of dietitians in roles such as:

Clinical Dietitians: They are those who work in hospitals, nursing care facilities, and other health care facilities.

Community Dietitians: You can find them in wellness programs, public health agencies, home care agencies, and health maintenance organizations.

Foodservice Dietitians: They are responsible for large-scale food planning and services in health care facilities, school programs, prisons, restaurants, and company cafeterias.

Pediatric Dietitians: Provide nutrition and health advice for infants, children, and adolescents.

Research Dietitians: Involved with dietetic related research conducted in hospitals, universities, government agencies, food and beverage companies, and the pharmaceutical industry.

Business Dietitians: Work with people through business, marketing and communications, often seen in the media.

Consultant Dietitians: Dietitians who work under contract for health care facilities or private practice. You can find me in this category 🙂 !

When choosing a dietitian, the most important thing is to make sure they have the R.D. credential.  Registered Dietitians have gone through a specific set of academic classes as well as a rigorous internship that prepares them to handle medical nutrition and other types of nutrition counseling more than someone who simply states they are a “nutritionist.” For the most sound medical nutrition advice, make sure you are seeing someone with a “R.D.” after their name, who has participated in the proper education and hands-on training to best service your needs.

Dietitians are caring individuals who choose a career of translating the science of nutrition into everyday advice in order to improve and restore people’s health. Take the time to honor dietitians across the world as we mark Registered Dietitian Day on March 13th.

See a RD today and take advantage of all the great things they have to offer!

Please leave a comment and let me know how a registered dietitian has helped you in your journey to a healthy lifestyle. And, if you need help on this journey, please contact me.

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