A registered dietitian nutritionist is more than just a person who tells you what you should eat, or put together a meal plan for you to follow. The skills it takes to be a registered dietitian go much further than that. A registered dietitian is a professional who has the training to become an expert in nutrition, diets, and foods. These professionals can help you with a wide range of needs including, family eating, nutrition therapy, weight loss, and more.
How You Become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
To become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), you have to meet certain criteria. You have to earn a bachelor’s degree and complete an accredited supervised practice program. It also requires you to pass a national exam, and take continuing professional educational requirements. Some states also require licensing to become an RDN.
The term ‘nutritionist’ is not protected, so you have to be careful when seeking the professional help of an RDN, and should check their credentials. If a person is not an RDN, they have not received the training or education to appropriately and safely address your needs.
Why You Need to Work With Registered Dietitian Nutritionists
If you are suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or other digestive diseases, an RDN will help you create an eating plan to help manage those conditions. This type of professional is important in helping with these conditions because what you eat plays a significant role in reversing the course of these or in preventing them.
One excellent reason for using the services of an RDN is for type 2 diabetes. This disease continues to progress over time and can take five to ten years before prediabetes becomes full-blown diabetes. An RDN can work with you to prevent that from happening. There is a fifty percent chance of someone with prediabetes developing diabetes within ten years without professional intervention from an RDN.
Another example of needing the services of an RDN is someone with kidney disease. If you are suffering from kidney disease, an RDN can help create a diet tailored to your needs and reduce your risk of needing a kidney transplant or dialysis. RDNs can help with the effective management of chronic diseases through lifestyle measures such as exercise and diet to eliminate or decrease your need for medications or improve the ones you are using.
Benefits of Working with an RDN
When you work with an RDN, this professional will create a nutrition plan designed to meet your needs. RDNs spend a lot of time with you to learn about your needs, goals, family history, and health issues before creating a diet plan that will help with your condition. This professional will help you set a goal and stick to it with follow-up visits. Visits can also include you keeping a food journal and help if you need to confront an emotional eating issue.
Visiting your physician on an annual basis is a great way to assess conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or cholesterol issues, however, you should take a closer look at your diet to fully understand how what you are eating is affecting your health. An RDN can assess your lab results and help you to develop a comprehensive eating guide that will keep you on track. Keeping you on a healthy diet track will increase your chances of achieving healthier lab results each passing year.
Where to Find Your Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
If you are ready to make better and healthier choices in your life, you are ready to contact Pinnacle Nutrition Consultants. We are here to give you evidence-based nutrition therapy to facilitate a healthy living style for you. At Pinnacle Nutrition Consultants you’ll find our therapy is delivered through a unique combination of knowledge and experience to help you create an effective strategy to maximize your results. Contact us today and put your life on a path to better health.