My journey to becoming a dietitian began with looking at certifications. Personal training, certified nutrition specialist, health coaching, etc. Over the last ~6-7 years, when asked what career change I was pursuing, NO ONE knew what a dietitian was. Looking back, there was a time where I didn’t know what a dietitian was either. When I started digging into different possibilities, I realized that in North Carolina, having a nutrition certification really doesn’t mean much. There is a lot of red tape surrounding what can be discussed with a client. Regardless, I wanted to get a master’s degree and find a career. While doing my master’s program, I went to a nutrition conference and met a ton of dietitians and researchers. THESE PEOPLE WERE BEING PAID to discuss nutrition, treat patients with nutrition and DO RESEARCH in nutrition. I came home from the conference and started gathering as much information about this career as I could. I soon began to realize that a certified ‘nutritionist’ was not the same as a registered dietitian nutritionist. I was fortunate enough to be able to find a program in Durham that made it easy to switch careers and use the courses I already completed to shorten the second bachelor’s degree. I then went on to complete my internship where I was thrown into the career in a variety of settings including a big teaching hospital in the area, a long-term career an facility, outpatient clinic and collegiate sports. I’ll get more into this later in this blog post.

“Why all the training and education? Won’t you just be talking about diets? “

You may have talked to a personal trainer in the past about nutrition or even seen a person on social media talking about different diets, different food products, macros, etc. These things are just a small part of the science of nutrition. There is more research is coming out about the impact of nutrition on various aspects of our lives. To TRULY have an understanding of the relationship between the human body and the foods we put into our bodies, we must understand the way our bodies work and how our bodies interact with the world. Nutrition science is MORE than just calorie restriction or restricting food groups.

What do dietitians do?

Dietitians have a full-circle understanding of nutrition, the body, food safety and food processing. In addition, dietitians are exposed to complex medical conditions, medication interactions, and all phases of the human lifecycle. Dietitians can work in a hospital/clinical setting, pharmaceutical companies, food companies, do research, work with sports teams, have their own business, or work as a consultant. They can be clinicians and/or scientists. These are important differentiators in the level of expertise when comparing to certified personal trainers, “certified nutritionists” and even medical doctors. Medical doctors receive limited nutrition training [unless they choose to seek it out once they complete medical school] while nutrition and metabolism IS the scope of a dietitian. In the hospital setting, doctors rely on dietitians to determine the best route of feeding, what to feed a patient and more. Outside of the hospital, dietitians can help patients make lifestyle changes utilizing nutrition and other lifestyle habits to improve overall health through a PERSONALIZED, scientific approach.

Here’s a hospital example: a patient comes in and has experienced a serious trauma to their throat and upper chest – how will they eat? How much nutrition do they need? What kind of nutrition do they need? Have you ever thought about how a patient who is unconscious doesn’t become malnourished? Thank a dietitian for that.

Why choose a dietitian?

As you can see in the image above, dietitians have extensive training. They can also take insurance! Just like anything, there are good clinicians and questionable ones. There is understandably a mistrust in the medical community while is why it is important to do your research to find the best fit for you. A quality professional will meet you where you’re at, have a solid understanding of current evidence-based practice while also being open to new up and coming research to apply in practice.

“How do you feel about your career journey?”

I’ve been asked this question a lot. Switching careers has been a long road but I will tell you that it has been worth every moment of stress, every sleepless night and every penny. I get to make a career out continuously learning more about nutrition, the human body and how the two interact. I am also able to give back and help others for a living and that is a true privilege. I believe people [regardless of their economic status] deserve to be empowered with this information and learn how to apply these principles within the parameters they are working with on a daily basis.

It’s okay to be picky about who you work with. At the end of the day, it’s your health, your money and your time. If you are looking for support with a recent diagnosis, sports performance, how to better your nutrition habits or even weight loss – choose a registered dietitian nutritionist.

Disclaimer: Dietitians and Certified Nutrition Specialists receive similar education and training. These individuals can be great work with as well.

Thanks for reading xo I can’t wait to be able to work with you as a registered dietitian nutritionist later this summer.

Crystal McLean, MS (RD2BE)