Registered Dietitians- The Untapped Resource You Didn't Know You Needed!

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If someone were to mention the letters "RD" to you, what would you think they mean?

"Research and Development?"

"Real Deal?"

???

I don't know about you but those two letters don't really come up in my everyday life! I didn't even know what an "RD" was until I took a foods fundamentals class in high school, with a registered dietitian (RD) for my teacher. I had signed up for the elective to add a fun class into my otherwise challenging schedule and ended up finding out about the nutrition profession along the way. You know what caught my attention? It wasn't the cooking part of the class (even though that was fun too), it was learning about vitamins and how they're used by the body.

Knowing that probably wasn't everyone else's favorite part of the class, I realized I was on to something! I learned more about what a registered dietitian was and then took an introduction to nutrition course my freshman year in college and 'the rest is history' as they say.

What Makes A Registered Dietitian?

When someone is a registered dietitian, they've earned a bachelor's degree and then applied for acceptance into an accredited dietetic internship program. The programs vary but include additional coursework and over 1000 hours of supervised experience in real world settings.

A dietitian is not a dietitian after all of that education and internship; there is still a national certification test to follow that must be passed as well.

This is just the minimum level of education and experience required to become a registered dietitian in the United States. Many go on to do additional education, and all registered dietitians are required to pursue 75 credit hours of continuing education every 5 years to maintain their certification. Not only that, but as a group we are in general committed to lifelong learning. Because nutrition is a science based field, there is always more to learn about nutrition as more is being studied and discovered.

Dietitian? Nutritionist? Are They Any Different?

Do remember learning in school that squares are rectangles, but rectangles are not squares? It's a little bit like that. All dietitians are nutritionists, but all nutritionists are not dietitians.

A nutritionist is someone who has studied nutrition or has interest in nutrition, but has not completed all of the educational, experiential, and certification based requirements to be nationally recognized as an expert in nutrition (a registered dietitian). That's not to say that a nutritionist doesn't offer valuable help, but the difference is that a registered dietitian has gone through rigorous supervised training to receive reliable education and invaluable experience to get equipped to help the public.

So, a nutritionist is a nutritionist and not a dietitian. However, a dietitian can be a nutritionist. The truth is, virtually anyone can take the title of "nutritionist." Whereas you cannot legally take the title of "dietitian" if you don't meet those requirements for schooling and certification. You'll find that a dietitian uses either "RD" (Registered Dietitian) or "RDN" (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist) behind their name.

Why Should I Connect with a Registered Dietitian?

Are you a human? Do you have a body? Do you eat food and drink liquids? Do you have any health related concerns? I'm being a little silly to make the point that a registered dietitian is trained to help people on topics that apply to everyone!

Someone close to me likes to say, "Well, everyone eats!" and as simple as that sounds, it's entirely true, isn't it? We all eat, we all are affected by what we eat, and food and nutrition are a large part of how we take care of our bodies every single day. A registered dietitian can be helpful to you at any age or stage of your life really! If you're ready to leverage the science of nutrition to improve your health and how you feel in your body, a registered dietitian is just the kind of expert to connect with along the way.

How Can a Registered Dietitian Help Me?

Let's start with you! What are your nutrition and health related goals right now? Whether you have a digestive symptom going on or you have a chronic disease, a registered dietitian can help. Of course all dietitians aren't specializing in every single topic, so find a registered dietitian who can help you with your specific needs and goals! On the whole, we are a "helper profession," so you'll find that most any dietitian you meet just wants to help support you and your health through nutrition.

While there are many specific topics a dietitian can help you with, I'm an RD who can help you manage your weight! Through years of working in weight management, I found I love getting to walk with you through the process into a place where you not only enjoy results in your body but also see positive effects on the rest of your life too! What a privilege it is to get to help in these kinds of ways!

How can Get RD Nutrition Help Me?

Whether you are trying to lose weight for the first time, you've tried every program, or you just finished losing weight, there's something here for you at Get RD Nutrition. Remember how I mentioned dietitians tend to be "helpers" by nature? Well, that's what this dietitian is here for too, to help! Whether you want to lose weight or maintain what you've already lost, if you're looking for support, I'm here to help guide you and walk alongside you through your weight management journey.

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Now that you know a little bit more about what "RD" can mean, you'll know who to call if you have any nutrition related needs come up in your life. If you are specifically looking for help with your weight management, connect with Get RD Nutrition through a Free Discovery Call to find out more about the support you can receive from this Dietitian!

Free Discovery Call

Get RD Nutrition is a virtual nutrition counseling practice for residents of North Carolina- offering weight management counseling, right where you are!