Dietitian Services

All the information you need is freely available on the internet. A good place to start is the nutrition stickies on bb.com and you will end up knowing more than most dieticians out there.

"give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" - save yourself the money and educate yourself on nutrition.

Damien_K wrote: »

All the information you need is freely available on the internet. A good place to start is the nutrition stickies on bb.com and you will end up knowing more than most dieticians out there.

"give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" - save yourself the money and educate yourself on nutrition.

And yet, places like bb.com are filled with a tremendous amount of bro-science and is hardly factually based. SO.....

rainbowbow wrote: »

Damien_K wrote: »

All the information you need is freely available on the internet. A good place to start is the nutrition stickies on bb.com and you will end up knowing more than most dieticians out there.

"give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" - save yourself the money and educate yourself on nutrition.

And yet, places like bb.com are filled with a tremendous amount of bro-science and is hardly factually based. SO.....

BMR, TDEE and calculating of macronutrients are industry standards (Katch-Mcardle etc) that are used by the very dieticians that you have just recommended. So why pay for something if you can learn it for free?

My daughter is a licensed practicing Dietitian in two states (US). I do agree that if one needs help with their diet, seeking professional services is a good thing. Make sure you have access to their Registered License number as a nutritionist may pose themselves as one.

I am not sure I understand the posts about "why do you need one?" and "all the information you need is free and available on the internet: as in you have to have a medical condition to use these services.

Damien_K wrote: »

rainbowbow wrote: »

Damien_K wrote: »

rainbowbow wrote: »

Damien_K wrote: »

All the information you need is freely available on the internet. A good place to start is the nutrition stickies on bb.com and you will end up knowing more than most dieticians out there.

"give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" - save yourself the money and educate yourself on nutrition.

And yet, places like bb.com are filled with a tremendous amount of bro-science and is hardly factually based. SO.....

BMR, TDEE and calculating of macronutrients are industry standards (Katch-Mcardle etc) that are used by the very dieticians that you have just recommended. So why pay for something if you can learn it for free?

These things are obviously free and vital to understanding the total energy balance. However, they do not account for one of the most important aspects of weight maintenance and health... maintaining Personal Preference while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet.

This could take months or even years on your own to find out (and that's assuming someone is self-motivated enough to spend the time to test and learn this). Quite frankly, unless this information is obtained early-on adherence to a specific diet is unlikely.

When you're working with a dietitian you can provide them a list of your favorite meals, foods, etc. and they can construct a nutritionally adequate (macro and micronutrient) meal plan for you. Their goals are also to teach you about nutrition, how and why certain foods are important, which servings may work best for you, which eating style works best for you, etc. This can be vital to those who can hit a macro or calorie goal but haven't the slightest clue about overall nutrition.

This is of course, not to mention, any potential health problems OP may have. Considering dietitians can assist with a plethora of medical conditions.

An opportunity to learn how to eat in a sustainable manner while eating my favorite foods and being assured my diet is nutritionally adequate? Why would anyone argue that such a service is unnecessary?

P.S. the comment " you will end up knowing more than most dieticians out there" is quite frankly hilarious.

P.P.S. I think that if you have the finances to hire a dietitian their services are invaluable to pretty much anyone. There's always things you can change or improve, so if you have the money to actually pay for one.... why the heck not?

Here is some food for thought and why I fail to see the value in a dietitian. The nutrition industry is driven by the mainstream media and for the last decade people were told that low fat diets were the way to go, eggs gives you bad cholesterol and all of these myths were supported and advocated by dieticians. Why? Simply because it formed part of their studies and they would rarely challenge, deviate or scrutinise those findings.

Why is it that communities such as bb.com were the first to debunk those myths and provide the published medical journals to state their facts. Then also you have top contributors such as Alan Aragon, whom has a masters of Science in Nutrition by the way, that shares their experience and knowledge with members.

I would much rather leverage and learn from passionate individuals who are keen on doing the research, and have the credentials to back their claim, before going to someone that is going to give me outdated textbook answers.

This is exactly what a dietitian is.

I don't know if you've had a bad experience with one or where you're pulling this information from, but the entire point is that these people are passionate about nutrition, receive ongoing training based on the most current scientific studies and knowledge. (edit: they are also obligated to be unbiased towards diets)


I am certain that if you asked Alan Aragon or Layne Norton or anyone else who i consider to be an expert in the field whether or not they recommend a dietitian their answer would be a resounding "yes".

Actually, just googled it:

Alan's response:
I got my bachelor's & master's degree in nutrition from a university whose nutrition program was designed to produce Registered Dietitians (RDs). Originally having the career goal of being a personal trainer, I never pursued becoming an RD. I just happened to have an intense interest in nutrition. What I found interesting throughout my college career was the argument over who can legally give nutrition advice. Since I wasn't an RD, I always felt like I could have been breaking "the rules" by having a nutritional counseling practice. However, I was in California, Land of Hippies & Nutcakes, so I knew our laws for providing client care were more lax than other states, and I steered clear of clinical nutrition.

I understand that those wanting to do the same thing in other states may not have had the same liberties as me. I just read an article in the Personal Trainer Quarterly (https://www.nsca.com/…/reports…/personal-training-quarterly/) on this very topic, and it linked the following website which essentially functions as a resource for promoting the nutritional counseling capabilities of non-RDs. Here's a page that provides and overview of the legalities of nutritional counseling in the US for each state: http://nutritionadvocacy.org/
The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics (AND, http://www.eatright.org/) strongly projects the implication that RDs are the end-all nutrition experts. The AND's long-standing message is that RDs' expertise runs the full gamut of conditions from disease states to health & wellness. This assertion is not without basis. Prior to their ultimate credentialing exam, RDs are required to undergo a 4-year nutrition degree (with an additional handful of specialized courses) and a 1-year internship. It's therefore understandable that many an RD has ravaged the fridge in a fit of frustration at the thought of self-proclaimed, Google-educated "nutritionists" stealing their spotlight.



p.s. i'm not saying that the information they choose to provide for free on places like bb.com are bad. I'm saying that there is also much broscience being shared there and this may not be helpful to those ignorant in this field. Working with someone to help you can be vital to long term success.

OP I am sorry for how things escalated. In all honesty do what you feel comfortable with and know that you are a step in the right direction in investing in a healthier you.

@kommodevaran - Well put!

Good nutritionists/dietitians are worth their weight in gold, if you have significant dietary restrictions or conditions you hope to improve. But they're mighty hard to find.

I've tried 7 different dietitians, of which 1 has been extremely useful, 1 helpful, and the other 5 essentially dull parrots of the US Guidelines in effect at the time with no answers or insights into special needs.

As with doctors, lawyers, etc., you're the consumer, and if your insurance is cooperative, you should interview the rascals, find out about their backgrounds and philosophies, and try the candidates that seem best.

The one I've got now has a Ph.D. and approaches dietary problems like a genuine detective. She has encyclopedic knowledge of health conditions, food sensitivities, food-drug interactions, and micronutrient contents.
Cy Young + MVP!

It's great to say you should become informed, but frankly there's no way I could spend a few hours on the Internet and begin to replicate her thought process, any more than I could read a law book and a few articles on line, then give legal advice worth a flat tire.

I think most people can probably figure out the nutrition stuff, put together a good diet (way of eating) for themselves, etc., without a dietitian and probably would even benefit from the work of learning about it if they aren't knowledgeable. The idea that we need someone else to tell us how to eat right -- a basic human skill -- has always rather grated on me.

That said, if you have specific health issues or are struggling or think it would be helpful or would feel better seeking help, do it. So long as you talk to someone who is properly trained and knowledgeable (I'd go to an RD, as others have said), that could likely be very helpful. As with any professional, don't be afraid to change RDs if the first one isn't a good fit or helping (my mother had one when dealing with health issues who was not good at all, which has caused me to be wary/cynical, even though part of this was that my mother is too reluctant to ask questions).

RalfLott wrote: »

DeficitDuchess wrote: »

Check with your local grocery store, they might offer free appointments; with a store Dietitian. I reside in the Northeast United States, where ShopRite is a major grocery store chain & some of their locations, here in New Jersey; offer this.

Are they supported with generous grants from Kellogg's or Pillsbury?

I doubt it, I believe that they're just employed/paid by the store but that doesn't mean, that they aren't geared toward; promoting the store's brand. Therefore I understand the skepticism, since the Dietitians don't have; independent businesses. However the 1, that I've seen; hadn't done such but she did investigate my genetic disorder, before giving me any professional advice; since she had never dealt with it before & was enthusiastic to learn about it.

Ask your dietician whether their education being massive directed by Coca-Cola Corporation, Kellogg's, Unilever, McDonalds, General Mills and many other corporations whose chief concern is their bottom line, is good for your health. Choose a nutritionist every time.

As Jon Stewart noted after the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) points out, the Academy is an Academy in the same way that a Kraft processed slice is cheese.