Is it different from nutrition?

What is Dietetics?

NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
"Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food" ~ Hippocrates

How is the Registered Dietitian's approach different?

Dietetics is the science of food and nutrition and how it affects the human body. It seeks to understand how the food that we put in our body affects our health and disease. Every Registered Dietitian is a Nutritionist but not every Nutritionist is a Registered Dietitian. Anyone can take a 6-week nutrition certification course online and become a nutritionist. It takes perseverance and a minimum of 5 years of strenuous education and rigorous testing to become a Registered Dietitian.

Our approach to nutrition is one which seeks to build a healthy, loving relationship to food. Our on-staff dietitian can assess nutritional needs and tailor nutrition therapy and counseling to meet each patient’s individual goals and concerns, while working alongside Naturopathic Doctors to allow the body to heal through the transformative power of food and proactive healthcare. This relationship provides each patients a care team, right out the gate.

training and objectives

The Goals of the Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist

Assess patients with a whole person approach to identify disease states, dietary habits, socioeconomic, and psychosocial barriers to optimum nutritional intake

Diagnose nutrition problems, etiology, signs, and symptoms

Initiate Interventions to address the root cause of the diagnosis

Monitor and Evaluate progress on goals and expected outcomes and adjust interventions as appropriate

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4 YearsThe length of time to complete a didactic program of dietetics (DPD), resulting in a Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition
1200 HoursThe minimum number of practice hours in food system management, community nutrition, and clinical nutrition
75 HoursThe amount of continuing education that must be obtained every 5 years to stay up to date on current knowledge

Course of Study

  • Macronutrient Utilization
  • Micronutrient Utilization
  • Nutrition Over the Lifecycle
  • Maternal and Infant Nutrition
  • Counseling Techniques
  • Motivational Interviewing
  • Advanced Metabolism
  • Food Systems Management
  • Community and Population Nutrition
  • Cultural Aspects of Nutrition
  • Anatomy
  • Physiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Organic chemistry

Additional Certifications Specific to Registered Dietitian-Nutritionists

  • Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES)
  • International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC)
  • Certified Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC)
  • Certified Specialist in Oncology (CSO)
  • Certified Specialist in Obesity and Weight Management (CSOWM)
  • Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD)
  • Certified Eating Disorders Registered Dietitian (CEDRD)

Credentialing

Registered Dietitian-Nutritionists (RDNs) are held to the highest standards in our education of clinical nutrition.

  • RDNs must complete a 4-year didactic program of dietetics (DPD) resulting in a Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition
  • RDNs must complete a yearlong Dietetic Internship consisting of a minimum 1200 practice hours in food system management, community nutrition, and clinical nutrition
  • As of 2024, all RDNs will be required to complete a Master of Science before being able to apply for a Dietetic Internship
  • RDNs must pass the Registered Dietitian Exam by the Commission on Dietetic Registration
  • Each state has different regulations to obtain state licensure, which must be maintained every year
  • RDNs must complete 75 hours of continued education every 5 years (15 hours per year)