Nutritionist

Being a Nutritionist
By Dr. Umang

What is a nutritionist? A nutritionist is an health practitioner who works with a person's diet to help heal or prevent disease. A doctor who calls himself/herself a nutritionist may have several different levels of education. They could have a degree in Nutrition or Dietetics from a University or certification in Nutrition Education or Counseling from a professional training school. Most people who have a degree in Dietetics in the United States will be registered with the national board and will call themselves Registered Dieticians or R.D.’s. These professionals have a slightly different perspective from the more holistically oriented Certified Nutrition Educators or Counselors also called C.N.E’s and C.N.C’s.
While a nutritionist may have a vast scientific knowledge of the body and nutrition, they are often quite strict in their approach to patient care. Their focus is entirely within the focus of western medicine, meaning they have guidelines when it comes to dietary recommendations. They often work directly with medical doctors or in hospitals. In many ways, they are trained to treat the disease rather than the person as a whole. They might help a patient by helping them make a diet plan, or even suggesting them to other kinds of doctors that can help the patient recover or prevent an illness. For example, the reason the patient is not getting many nutrients since he/she doesn’t eat much food could be because of stress or not getting enough sleep; therefore, the nutritionist would send the patient to the sleep holistic doctor, or a stress management program or professional.
One important fact that makes nutritionist so important is that they link the patient with many other doctors that could help them. They help make the connection between proper diet and a good holistic health. They can make the link on how eating the right food can either prevent a disease or even treat a disease. They are the experts in the area of food, nutrients, and vitamins. It is imperative that once a patient faces a problem with diet, he/she must visit a nutritionist. Since most health problems are linked to some kind of factor, nutritionists are connected to other kinds of doctors, such as social coordinators and sleep holistic doctors. Nutritionists are important in the field of disease treatment and prevention. Visiting a nutritionist can increase better knowledge on one’s diet and what they should eat more. Finally, they are the kind of doctors that can change one’s life.