interesting read about registered dieticians

This is written by someone studying to become a registered dietician.  If you scroll down to the bottom, he talks about the kinds of questions found on the exam dieticians must pass in order to become licensed.  But I'll pasta the part I found interesting here:

I am currently studying to take my Registered Dietitian exam.  This past weekend I was reviewing several hundred practice questions provided in a study guide given to me by a fellow intern.  As I flipped through the pages, I felt a mixture of frustration and disbelief that, assuming the exam poses similar questions, this is what the American Dietetic Association considers important information.

As far as I can tell, these practice questions are from 2003.  Every question that relates to food science involves red meat, eggs, cakes, margarine, and pies.  In fact, the correct answer to a question on the best way to lower sodium in a meal was to use low-sodium margarine in place of regular margarine.  The ADA wants to make sure I know how to prevent a cake from coming out too spongy, and yet apparently doesn’t care if I know the nutritional differences between — and specific health benefits of — chia seeds, hemp seeds, and flax seeds, or the health implications of a diet too high in omega 6 and too low in omega 3 fatty acids.

Other questions that the ADA considers important — so important, in fact, that they dedicate an entire third of the exam to them — have to do with the layout of a food service kitchen, what cleaning cycle is best for a dishwasher, how to deal with budget reductions in a food service facility, and how much hamburger I would need to make 300 three-ounce patties with a 20 percent shrinkage.  And here I thought it was important to know how the mineral content of whole wheat flour differs from that of white flour.

Frustrating, to say the least.  Oh, and, of course, I am expected to answer that I should worry about vitamin B12 and vitamin D deficiencies if a client tells me they are vegan.  Funny — thinking back to my outpatient and clinical experiences, about 90% of patients were vitamin D deficient, and I would wager that 98% of them were omnivores.  This question is especially silly given that almost all vegan dairy alternatives are fortified with vitamin D and B12.

As a future Registered Dietitian, I am beginning to understand why the credential is completely foreign to the average American, why we are often seen by some people as advocates for lobby groups rather than health, and why the field we are supposed to have ownership of is claimed by so many.  I am encouraged, though, to have met Registered Dietitians who are independent thinkers and are passionate about clean and healthful eating.  It’s my sincere hope that we can mobilize and help bring the field we have so much faith in to the forward-thinking place where it truly belongs.

Maybe this helps to explain why so many dieticians out there are still recommending Flintstones vitamins?

smallbites.andybellatti.com/

That's a little scary--they're supposed to be the experts, and no wonder we get such dumb
info.

OH is the best site I've found for getting nutritional info, and that's because we've all done so
much research ourselves.

I knew when I met with a "dietitian" as part of my pre-surgery hoop jumping that I knew more than she did about nutrition.  I've made it my task to know about nutrition and vitamins.  I've learned tons here on OH too (thanks Kelly!!).

It is unfortunate that the field has gotten a bad reputation....I'm sure it is like every field...there are some bad apples.  I hope more people choose this profession and really learn about good nutrition AND work to share it with the masses. 

There really should be a new "certification" for post-bariatric maintenance specialists--someone that takes over where your surgeon leaves off--they could educate post ops on proper nutrition and diet progression, supplements, behavior modification, reading lab results, exercise and emotional support.  Heck, they could even "minor" in fashion and help with wardrobe too!!

One thing that troubles me is that much of the information about WLS-related nutrition is readily available.  Oh, there are some things I've wondered about and looked and looked and cannot find, there are some studies I'd love to see that I don't think have been done yet, etc.  But stuff like the ASMBS guidelines, how much vitamin D people need, the difference between D2 and D3, calcium citrate vs calcium carbonate, how much B12 people need, etc is not difficult to find.  If I've been able to research those things and find the information, when I have no formal education in nutrition at all, then someone with a degree in nutrition should be able to find it too.  If they did not learn much about WLS-related nutrition when earning their degree, they should take the initiative to learn it now, if they are going to be working in that field.

Thanks Kelly, it was so refreshing to read about a Nut who's realistic and helpful...seems so rare these days.

I loved this quote from the blog:
People have the right to know that Splenda has been found to alter gut microflora and therefore interfere with mineral absorption.

I was unaware of that one!

This is the exact reason I'm going to school (will be starting back up) to be a dietitian. To be a real advocate of health, not a political lobbyist "yes man". I really can't stand when school districts think the crap they feed our children is okay because it meets standards, and standing right there next to the Superintendent is the District Dietitian nodding yes when s/he KNOWS it is nearly poison.

Congrats! I wish you the best of luck. I'm sure you will be able to change some lives being a dietitian.
Deb T.

Fine, I'll play devil's advocate--who gives a rat's patoot what the difference between chia/hemp/flax seeds are?!  I'll venture a guess that ~90% or more of the population has either never heard of or eaten these items, or would even know where to get them.  That kind of stuff is just not accessible to the average person.   Margarine is.  Eggs are.

And RDs have a scope that covers foodservice management, so in order to give an unbiased exam, because many of the RDs do, in fact, work in food service, I think it makes sense that about 1/3 of the exam is about food service.

It really sounds like this person only wants to cater to the hoity toity crowd and it's THAT "I eat better so I am better" attitude that gives RDs a bad name.