- Community dietitians meet either one-on-one with a client, or in small groups. Most likely, an HMO will cover the costs or a potential patient can seek advice from a community dietitian in a public clinic at an affordable rate. The dietitian will assess your current eating habits, and then devise a plan based on individual needs. Each works differently but common instructions and lessons include: how to choose healthy foods at the grocery store; healthy cooking methods and establishing healthy eating habits.
- Dietitians are required to have at least a Bachelor's in dietetics or food-related area. while a registered dietitian is required to have completed at least a six month internship at an American Dietetic Association-approved facility, as well as having passed the Commission on Dietetic Registration's exam. Requirements are nationally regulated, so check a specific state's laws regarding certification.
- With the ever growing interest in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, dietetics is a growing field. Assessing individual diets is one way that dietitians earn their income, but now they are also being hired by different private companies to assess food's composition, advise manufacturers and even help create more nutritious products.Depending on what you decide to do and who hires the dietitian, the salary can range from $22,000 to $100,000. The nature of the work is rewarding as working one-on-one or in small groups of clients allows you to make a difference in people's health and well-being. Preventive medicine is also much more preferable to treating patients than forming a reliance on prescription drugs.
- Community dietitians are useful for a range of reasons. In addition to those who simply want to learn to eat better, if a patient has been recently diagnosed with a new ailment such as diabetes or digestive problems, a dietitian can help you adjust to a new way of eating. She can also beneficial for women who are pregnant or trying, especially in fine-tuning diet to lower the risk of birth defects and to prevent vitamin deficiencies. Community dietitians almost might offer individual or group sessions for young people with eating disorders who need to get back on track.
- In choosing a dietitian, you should ask for Primary Care Provider (aka regular doctor) for a recommendation. Also consider the following factors: years of experience; any areas of expertise (Women's Health, Weight Control, Aging, Athletes in Training) recent publications or talks and lectures given; professional affiliations; involvement with the community; previous positions held in various companies or clinics and services rendered (such as doing a client's grocery shopping, planning a general or detailed food plan each day, week or month). Above all, as with any doctor or health care professional, one should feel comfortable enough with a prospective dietitian to reveal a honest portrait of lifestyle, eating and exercising habits.
