Skip to main content

Spotlight: Dietitian or Nutritionist What’s the Difference?

Both terms are used interchangeably but can mean very different things. I for one do not have a preference of what I am called: nutritionist, dietitian, and food lady what have you but there is a point of differentiation that is worth discussing to help an individual decide who is best to work with.

A dietitian must have a bachelor of science in nutrition or dietetics from an accredited school and enter a post graduate internship program that usually lasts nine months to a year.  In the internship program the individual will work in a hospital, medical institution, government, or community focusing on medical nutrition therapy.  After completing the required hours in the internship, that individual is then able to sit for the national registration exam governed by the American Dietetic Association.  Once passed most states require licensure and the dietitian is required to take at least fifteen continuing education credits a year to maintain their registration and licensure.

A nutritionist is not governed or accredited.  Essentially anyone who is interested in health, fitness, or nutrition can call themselves a nutritionist.  This is not to say that the nutritionist does not have personal experience or some training and knowledge of the subject, it just means they are not governed by a national governing body and most likely did not work in an internship dealing directly with individuals and different disease states that present themselves in medical nutrition therapy. 

Most physicians will refer patients to a registered dietitian as they have specific medical nutrition therapy experience. Also registered dietitian’s can work with insurances as nutritionists can not.  To find out if you are working with a dietitian or nutritionist you can always ask for the individual’s accreditations and you can also look for the acronyms behind the name.  RD means registered dietitian and LD means licensed dietitian.  Some states have a LDN meaning licensed dietitian and nutritionist.  You can also ask the individual for their registration number and check with the American Dietetic Association. 

Your insurance company can usually guide you to a registered dietitian in your area as well as the American Dietetic Association at http://www.eatright.org/.  Good luck and be well.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Family Nutrition: What’s the deal with Multivitamins?

This is definitely one of my top ten questions from clients and frankly it’s a hard question because there isn’t a generic answer.   The internet and such stores as the Vitamin Shoppe and GNC continue to place a lot of focus on vitamins and minerals and some of my clients swear by their regimen.   I’ve even had some clients tell me they can tell a difference within hours of taking certain supplementations.    Since this is a subject I try to tame my responses too, I was very glad to see the article “Multivitamins, So Many Types, So Many Labels” by Melinda Beck in the Wall Street Journal published June 21, 2001.   Did you know that the multivitamin is the number one dietary supplement producing $4.8 billion back in 2008 and that one third of American’s take multivitamins religiously?   As Melinda points out there are many different varieties of multivitamins yet there is no specific formulation that specifies what a multivitamin should look like.  ...
4 comments
Read more

Food Trends: A note about Stevia (zero calorie sugar substitute)

We’re all on the lookout for that sugar substitute that withholds calories, tastes good, and is natural and safe.   Recently I was asked what my thoughts were on Stevia?   Well to tell you the truth I didn’t have many thoughts on the product because basically I didn’t know much about it, except that in my mind it was a zero calorie product that could be substituted for table sugar.   I put this thought in my attic with the hopes of getting more acquainted at a later time. As I get myself more familiar lets start with the derivation.   Stevia is an herb that comes from South America and has been used by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay for over 100 years.   This is advertised on the Stevia website along with a statement that it provides zero calories because the body doesn’t metabolize glycosides from the leaf or processed forms.   Essentially Stevia is absorbed by the gut and broken down into Stevol which is excreted from the body as a waste.   Th...
5 comments
Read more

Food Trends: Plant vs. Animal Protein

In my practice I see a lot of vegetarians who have a lot of questions about the types of protein they eat.   In case you need a refresher, animal proteins are proteins derived from meat, dairy, and eggs.   Plant protein is derived from nuts, seeds, beans, legumes and soy.   Most animal proteins are higher in saturated fat as well as cholesterol which have been proved to increase risks of arteriosclerosis, a precursor to cardiovascular disease.   A lot of the general public, not just vegetarians, are starting to focus on decreasing intakes of animal proteins and focusing on plant sources to decrease total calorie, fat, and cholesterol intake.   It’s important to know that most generally healthy individuals only need .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.   Basically this means that a 150 pound man or woman requires about 54 grams of protein in an entire day. Protein is made from amino acids.   Although there are many amino acids, ther...
Post a Comment
Read more