The journey to becoming a Registered Dietitian: Why credibility is more important than popularity

Interested in becoming a registered dietitian or perhaps wanting to work with a nutrition professional? Looking for accurate and individually tailored nutrition information can seem nearly impossible these days. Trying to conduct your own research with no real place to start can make nutrition scary and intimidating. 

Chances are, you won’t find the most helpful (or accurate) information from your favorite influencers on Instagram. Many times, individuals are selling a product or an idea for their benefit and these things often aren't transferable to others. It is imperative that there are people out there that can disseminate these ideas into facts and myths. 

Registered dietitians (RDNs) are nutrition professionals that have gone through extensive schooling and practice to provide quality, individualized nutrition care for those that work with them. To become an RDN, one must obtain both a bachelors and a masters degree as well as complete over 1,000 hours of supervised practice (which is often an unpaid internship working in various domains in the field of nutrition). 

Finally, we must pass a national exam to obtain credentials. To maintain this title, RDNs must complete 75 hours of continuing education credits (every 5 years) to stay up to date on new research and best practices. 

A registered dietitian has the ability to meet you where you are and work one-on-one to reach your health goals. They can work to manage nutrition related to various disease states and conditions and effectively guide you in developing a healthy relationship with food and health.