Welcome to the Victoria Advocate's newest column.
Every Wednesday, area registered dietitians will be sharing their expertise on current nutrition hot topics. Our topics will include various subjects ranging from nutrition care for diseases like diabetes to simple food safety and holiday tips.
Our goal is to provide sound, nutrition information from a variety of respected sources such as the American Dietetic Association.
We hope you will benefit from what we are anxious to share with you.
In today's world, we are overwhelmed with nutrition information from a variety of sources. Analyzing what is considered accurate, science-based information and what is not can be a challenge. One place for you to start is to learn the difference between a nutritionist and a registered dietitian.
A nutritionist is a broad term that describes anyone who might have a degree in nutrition, or may not have even graduated from high school. They may hold a doctorate degree from an accredited, respected university or simply have read a few books on nutrition.
To avoid confusion and to be identified as nutrition experts, professional dietitians earn and use the nationally recognized credential of registered dietitian. Most health related facilities require it to practice in the health care setting. In addition, some states such as Texas license who can practice as a dietitian. The initials L.D. by a dietitian's name will indicate this. Rest assured that all contributors to this column will be registered and licensed dietitians.
What exactly qualifies someone to be a registered dietitian and where can I find one? According to the American Dietetic Association, a registered dietitian must complete at least a bachelor's degree at a U.S. regionally accredited college or university where the required coursework and supervised practice is also accredited by Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education.
Registered dietitians complete hands-on internships also approved by CADE. In addition, he or she must pass a national registered dietitian examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration and complete at least 75 hours every five years of continuing professional educational requirements to maintain registration. This assures the public that we are up to date in any new nutrition findings and guidelines.
Many registered dietitians have master's or doctorate's degrees and/or specialties requiring further education and testing. These specialties may be in diabetes (C.D.E.), oncology (C.S.O.) and sports medicine (C.D.D.S.) just to name a few. Many registered dietitians work in hospitals or health-care facilities providing medical nutrition therapy. We work closely with other licensed professionals such as physicians, therapists and nurses to provide health care. Others work in public health care, universities, research facilities, food service, media and research. It is a challenging but exciting field.
Now that you know all about registered dietitians, you can have confidence in our column and perhaps learn a thing or two about how to enjoy the benefits of good nutrition. As with all health care, we encourage you to discuss your specific nutrition issues with your physician and ask for a referral to a registered dietitian!
Katherine Klingle is a registered and licensed dietitian. Send questions or comments to dietitian@vicad.com. To see more of Victoria Advocate, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.thevictoriaadvocate.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Victoria Advocate, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Copyright (C) 2009, Victoria Advocate, Texas