Please welcome Erica Foote, former nutritional sciences student from UNR & future RD, for her final guest blog post!
The above graphic has been circulating on the Internet lately. While I find it humorous, I am also amazed at how true it is. People don’t think twice about seeing a mechanic when their car breaks down, but when it comes to nutrition advice, it seems dietitians are often a last resort. There are many sources touting nutritional advice–family, friends, coworkers, news media outlets, personal trainers, food companies, health coaches… the list is endless! This plethora of easily accessible resources begs the question: Why see a dietitian?
#1) Because you wouldn’t see a podiatrist for your toothache
Let’s say you had a toothache, and went to your podiatrist for help. They would tell you that the mouth is not their scope of practice and refer you to a dentist, but bear with me for the sake of the analogy. Perhaps your podiatrist would suggest you take a painkiller. While this kind advice may temporarily help solve your toothache pain, it may do more harm than good. Let’s say your toothache happened to be the result of an infectious abscess. While taking painkillers will provide you temporary pain relief, it will not address the underlying issues that will give you a permanent solution.
The same principle holds true with your nutritional health issues. While listening to a well-intentioned friend, health coach, the media, etc. for nutrition advice may have a chance to help you temporarily, it is likely to cause more damage in the long run.
Dietitians pour hours into the study of nutrition. They must obtain, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree, undergo at least 1,200 hours of supervised practice, and pass a comprehensive nutrition exam in order to gain the title “Registered Dietitian”. “Nutritionists”, health coaches, personal trainers, and the like are not held to this same standard in their practicing of nutrition care.
#2) Because dietitians are taught to individualize nutrition care–NOT to use a “one-size-fits-all approach”
Often, I hear claims from non-dietitians about the “perfect” diet: just eat X and Y and avoid Z and you will be healthy/lose weight/gain muscle/perform better. It saddens me that so many of us listen to these claims, allowing food to rule over our lives rather than eating food in a way that allows us to live to the fullest. Unlike those who promote blanket, generalized nutrition, dietitians will take into consideration your body, your lifestyle, your genetics, your budget, and your preferences when providing nutrition counseling. People’s’ dietary needs vary dramatically; dietitians are taught to fine-tune their recommendations based on the individual.
#3) Because dietitians make evidence-based recommendations versus recommendations based on fads and popular belief
One minute carbs are “good”, the next they’re “bad”; the same applies to fats. It’s easy to get nutritional whiplash when you’re listening to the media for nutrition advice. Often times I hear people share “truths” about nutrition merely based on a single study. Instead, a good dietitian will weigh the evidence of multiples studies before making a nutritional claim, asking critical questions to verify the credibility of the research at hand. If you are firm in your desire to pursue a certain style of diet, a dietitian can at least help you ensure you are still able to obtain your body’s nutritional requirements.
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If you are seeking nutritional guidance, I strongly suggest you see a dietitian. In fact, I might know of a good one… (: Regardless of your motivations for your visit, Karen Fisher, RD of Nutrition Connection can help you reach your goals and have a healthier relationship with food. Please help me in thanking her for graciously allowing me to shadow her practice and guest blog for her website. I have learned more than I ever could have imagined over the past few months, and it has motivated me even further in my own journey to becoming an RD.
Karen Fisher, MS, RDN, CDE is a dietitian in Reno, Nevada, happily promoting the benefits of healthy foods at her nutrition consulting firm, Nutrition Connection. Find her website at www.NutritionConnectionNV.com
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