What Classes Are Needed to Become a Dietician?
Dieticians take on the task of educating others about healthy meal choices. These individuals may find employment at a hospital, for a government agency, in a food service institution or in a private practice. To ensure that they are fully aware of the nutritional implications of dietary choices and capable of carrying out the duties associated with their jobs, dieticians must take an array of classes to prepare for their positions.
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Statistics
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Although dietetics may not seem to be a largely mathematical occupation, in truth, much calculation is necessary to plan a healthy eating plan. Dieticians commonly take statistics classes in which they practice the simple arithmetic they will need to calculate calorie totals, determine fat percentages or create proportions.
Biology
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To be able to help people stay healthy, dieticians must understand how the body works. These individuals begin to learn these facts in basic biology courses. Dieticians are often required to take biology courses in which human biology or life biology are featured, as these biology types are more germane to their future occupation than plant biology or other biology types would be.
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Chemistry
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Much of the way food is processed within the body has to do with chemistry. In chemistry class, dieticians learn about chemical reactions and the impacts that these reactions can have. They also learn the basic elements, as many of these elements come into play when exploring nutrition.
Nutrition
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In nutrition classes, future dieticians learn what the human body needs to get and stay healthy. These classes commonly emphasize the food pyramid. In classes of this type, students also learn about an assortment of methods of weight-loss or maintenance--lessons that as dieticians they can share with their patients.
Nutrition Therapy
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Nutrition therapy classes focus on the ways in which individuals can modify diets to meet specific dietary needs. In classes of this type, students learn how to accommodate diabetes, how to deal with vitamin deficiency and how to create rigorous weight-loss plans. Because these classes teach dieticians lessons they will put to use almost daily in their work with patients, many colleges require that students take more than one of them.
Institutional Management
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Many dieticians will spend at least part of their careers working within food service in a managerial capacity. To prepare them for this task, dieticians are often required to take instructional management courses. Through these courses, future dieticians learn how to handle the rigors of running an institution and managing staff.
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