What is Dietetics?

I went shopping for a weight loss book earlier and was surprised to see how many of the people did not have background in dietetics. Often they were personal trainers, or wellness coaches who had branched out into recommending food.

I think that choosing a fitness book by a personal trainer is great, but I would prefer to get my dieting information separately, and from an actual dietician.

Has anyone ever purchased a diet book that gave you poor information, or actually wanted you to do things that were dangerous?

I came a cross a few books where the restrictions looked like they would make you sick very quickly.

If you have weight issues it is a good idea to see a registered dietician before grabbing the nearest diet book and getting started.

Often dieticians who have studied dietetics have a much different view of healthy foods than mainstream diet books. You would be surprised how much they actually let you eat if you stick to their healthy plans. Even with the increase of food, you will still be able to shed weight, due to the makeup of what is going in your mouth.

A real dietician is vital to making sure you have a balanced intake of nutrition and that you are healthy. Your family doctor can usually refer you to a good dietician

@Penzance356 - I think that completing culinary school and getting some work experience is the perfect way to prepare for one of the many options available in the dietetics career path.

You would probably need to study the subject specifically, but then the sky would be the limit. I would say that the anyone combining the two would be very employable in many of the dietetic job options the article mentions.

I would much rather have advice on food from someone who knew how to cook and what works well together. Plus it would be easier to develop varied and tasty menus if that was required.

Do you think that a long career as a chef would be a help or a hindrance if someone applied to a dietetic school?

Someone asked me this the other day, sparking a long debate about how much people who cook for a living actually know, or care, about nutrition.

In my opinion this all depends on what type of training they had initially. But at the end of the day I suppose most chefs are concerned more with taste and presentation than the nutritional benefits of their food.

I’m a great believer in the connection between nutrition and health. While I’m not a dietician myself, I do stay informed on health issues. I think the fact that the medical profession has opened its arms to dieticians is proof positive that they believe there is a nutritional link to a lot of medical ailments.

They may not accept the premise that every disease has its roots in nutrition-I don’t think they’ve gone that far, at least not yet. But they do admit that there is a need for a high-fiber diet, as one example, as prevention against a possible onset of many different kinds of ailments later on in life.

I get a lot of useful information from the American Dietetic Association, which provides useful tips on a variety of subjects like disease prevention and weight loss, to name a few.

@anon154804 - A dietetic's salary is usually in the 40K to 60K range from what I understand. They are not doctors and so don’t make the kind of astronomical money that a doctor can make, but their services are very much needed.

The dieticians who work in educational research earn on the higher end of the salary scale while those in the clinics earn on the lower end.

Also, location and years of experience play a role in salary too, as they would in any profession. I have a sister who’s a dietician and she makes pretty good money working at a state university.

how much do they earn monthly?