Your doctor is a lying liar pants!

Well to be fair knowledge of nutrition is utterly irrelevant to the vast bulk of medical specialties. Most don't particularly give a rats *kitten* as to what their patients eat, because it actually doesn't matter.

Not true.

For a healthy person, it doesn't matter too much as long as you get in your nutrition. But for several diseases, what you eat can have benefits or consequences. Important to know that several nutritional deficiencies have symptoms similar to common diseases, and to take that into consideration for diagnosis. Important to know how to advise your patient, even if that advice is to go talk to someone who knows more about nutrition.

Always see a specialist if possible , whether it is a dietitian, a podiatrist, urologist, oncologist, etc...a general practitioner isn't going to have the same education and training as someone who specializes 100% in that particular discipline. (Same with lawyers - you shouldn't retain a real estate lawyer to defend you in a criminal case).

All Doctors are NOT created equal BUT at what stage in life is a person supposed to take responsibilities for themselves... SHOULD it be a Doctor's responsibility to TELL you what you should and should NOT stick into your gaping maw? I think at NO stage should that be a doctor's role...

What about when you have a specific health issue that requires a special diet? Or when you think you're doing everything right and you aren't getting the results you want, despite doing plenty of research?

Obviously, there are common sense nutrition "rules," but sometimes there are extenuating circumstances where nutrition counseling is absolutely necessary. Or when what and how much you're eating should not result in the results you're getting. This indicates a problem, but if a doctor doesn't know anything about nutrition and is unwilling to refer you to someone who does, this is a major problem.

I'm not trying to tell you to not listen to your doctor, but perhaps if you have questions about nutrition, you'd be better off getting a referral to a registered dietition.

My doctor always gave me pages of print outs with very sound nutritional advice as well as information on my health issue.

As someone going through the process of becoming a physician right now I can tell you that we learn the nuts and bolts of nutrition but the amount of material that is already squeezed into a med school curriculum is so immense I find it hard to imagine they could squeeze an entire traditional nutrition course in. I always encourage my patients to exercise and eat healthy, especially if their particular condition responds to dietary intervention (diabetes, congestive heart failure, end stage renal disease, etc.) We are normal people and have a finite fund of knowledge just like everyone else and the vast majority of us want nothing more than for our patients to be as happy and healthy as possible.

^^ Bolded by me, and I agree. Having a family with roots in the medical field I understand that very well. (I go back and forth on enrolling for nursing)

I finally found a doctor that I trust almost implicitly. I've only actually seen her twice, but in that time she's done more for me in regards to testing (MRI) and referring me out (endocrinologist and physical therapy) than my previous GP and OBGYN combined. If I were to approach her about nutrition I have no doubt she would be more than willing to send me (or DH) to someone who has the education and training to help with our specific needs.

I go to her for general problems, if she can help that's awesome, if not then she will be the first to admit it. Like she told me when my labs came back fine "I'm a horse doctor, and now we're looking for a zebra." Unlike my last GP she didn't shrug it off and say "well, I've done all I can do." and wash her hands of it.

I don't understand all the doctor bashing.

A doctor should be able to give you rough nutritional guidelines and any information related to your specific needs ( eg some medications you have to be careful eating certain things) but to expect them to give detailed specialised nutrition advice is unrealistic. If that is what you need then a referral to a dietician or diabetic educator or such like, is needed.

No different to needing a referral to a cardiologist if you have a heart problem or a physciatrist for mental health care or any other specialist for any other specialty.

General practitioners practice general practice and co ordinate and follow specialists instructions. They are not themselves specialists in specific specialties.

Not sure why anyone is surprised by this.