JUST DIETITIAN THINGS

Said every dietitian, ever. A while ago. 

“Researchers have shown that drinking 500ml of water at half an hour before eating main meals may help obese adults to lose weight. They believe that the simple intervention could be hugely beneficial, and be easily promoted by healthcare professionals and through public health campaigns.”

Howdy! Thanks for the question. I wouldn’t say it’s too hard RE: education.....it’s heavy on science (health, anatomy, chemistry) but not Pre-med heavy. You will have to constantly be studying and educating yourself on new science, guidelines, etc.

Currently, in the States at least, you have to 1) Get a bachelor’s degree in nutrition/dietetics, 2) Complete an internship (6-12 months, plus you may be able to get graduate credits with it), 3) Sit for and pass the national RD exam. THEN once you do all that, you have to maintain your RD status by completing a certain amount of credits (called Continuing Education Credits/Units) within a cycle. This page will give you even more details (it’s not as scary as it looks, promise). 

A lot of an RD’s job consists of education and convincing. In some ways it can parallel a nurse’s job (Nurses have it way harder I think, don’t get me wrong). Sometimes a patient/client may understand what they need to do in their own situation, but may not want to do follow through for various reasons. This is probably the hardest part for me (WHY WON’T YOU LISTEN AND DO WHAT I SAY I AM A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL), but you have to remember that you’re doing all you can and that each patient has to take personal responsibility. Sometimes, depending on the setting you work in, you may not be taken very seriously (but that’s up to you to change that). Also, you may have to walk the line between drill sergeant and psychologist/counselor/social worker. But that’s just how it is in the health care field. All in all, it feels great to help people, especially as a team. 

​YES LAWD. Y’ALL READ THIS. 

I don’t mind being called a “nutritionist” though (seems less intimidating for some than “dietitian”). To be honest, I think some of these types can help, with GENERAL NUTRITION ONLY. What bothers me the most is the fact that RDs have put in a lot more time, effort, and money (and gray hairs) to become full fledged professionals able to help people, while these types of “nutritionists” have only offered a fraction of all of that.

It also rustles my jimmies that these “nutritionists” charging money to help people (if they won’t/can’t see an RD) who would be better off just researching the info (from trusted sources!) on their own. 

Also, if you have only a few weeks/months or even a couple of years training and don’t have credentials (or training) fully recognized by a national organization, you have no business tampering with a person’s health if they have a debilitating or advanced condition or disease. Would you let a biology/chem/premed major give you a physical and counsel you for some serious condition? No, you would want a doctor of some sort, or at least an intern.