What is a registered dietitian?

This past Wednesday, March 13 was National Registered Dietitian (RD) Day.

It’s the day that the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reminds everyone that the best source of practical, affordable and accurate nutrition information is a registered dietitian. Registered Dietitians are food and nutrition experts who translate the science of nutrition into practical solutions for healthy living.

The past few weeks I have been giving you nutrition advice and encouraging healthy eating, but you might be wondering if that is all dietitians do. Well, in a nutshell yes. But there is significantly more that an RD is able to help you with.

Below are a few of the benefits of working with a registered dietitian: (The following information is provided by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)

The highest level of nutrition counseling: Anyone can call him or herself a nutritionist, but only a registered dietitian (or RD for short) has completed multiple layers of education and training established by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In addition to holding a bachelor’s degree, an RD must fulfill a specially designed, accredited nutrition curriculum, pass a rigorous registration exam, and complete an extensive supervised program of practice at a health care facility, foodservice organization or community agency. What’s more, roughly half of all RDs hold graduate degrees and many have certifications in specialized fields such as sports, pediatric, renal, oncology or gerontological nutrition.

Personally tailored advice: When you see an RD, the last thing you’ll get is one-size-fits-all diet advice. A dietitian will find out about your current and desired state of health. At the initial visit, expect to do a lot of talking about current eating habits, lifestyle, and weight history. After learning about your health history, favorite foods, eating and exercise habits, an RD will help you set goals and prioritize. Follow-up visits will focus on maintenance and monitoring your progress.

Help managing chronic diseases: If you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes or cancer it can be hard to know what to eat. “An RD can review your lab results with you, help you understand your condition and provide education about the nutrients that affect it,” says Angela Ginn, RD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Then, he or she will help you create an eating plan that includes all the important nutrients that can help you manage your condition.”

Guidance navigating food allergies, sensitivities and intolerances: When you suffer from conditions like celiac disease, food allergies or lactose intolerance, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by what you think you can’t eat. That can translate into a boring diet and may even lead to nutrient deficiencies. An RD can teach you how to read food labels so you’ll know which ingredients to avoid and help you find substitutions to keep your diet balanced, and tasty too.

A weight-loss program that really works: Fad diets may sound like a quick ticket to weight loss, but they rarely work for very long. A registered dietitian will partner with you to develop a safe, effective weight-loss plan that you can stick with for the long haul. To guide and motivate you, a registered dietitian will use creative and out-of-the-box strategies to help with meal planning, grocery shopping, food journaling and mindful eating.

Hopefully this helps you to understand what a dietitian is and how they are able to help you with any nutritional need you may encounter. If you have any specific nutrition related questions, please email them to the Sun-Telegraph at [email protected] to be answered in upcoming issues during national nutrition month!

Fact or Fiction:

You should limit your salt intake to 1 tsp a day. FACT

According to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, most people’s daily sodium intake should be 2,300 milligrams or less. That’s about the amount of sodium in one teaspoon of salt. Research shows that limiting sodium to less than 2,300 milligrams per day may reduce your risk of high blood pressure. Keep in mind most of the sodium we eat comes from processed foods, so check the Nutrition Facts food label for information on the amount of sodium contained in a serving of your favorite foods.

I’ll gain 10 pounds a year by eating an extra 100 calories a day. FACT

One hundred calories per day adds up to about a pound of weight gain per month. On the other hand however, look at it this way: You can lose 10 pounds a year by cutting 100 calories per day and increasing your physical activity. Try to get at least 30 minutes of activity most days of the week.