One Snarky Chica with Issues

It seems like there is no shortage of people that want to offer their advice on things diet and nutrition related. At least that is the case in my life. But most of the time I take that advice with a grain of salt as no one that I know is a registered dietitian or anything remotely similar.

I tend to favor getting my info from things like fitness magazines and fitness websites and blogs. I also like to ask my nurse practitioner at the doctor’s office any questions that I might have about things that are nutrition and diet related. What I like about asking her is that she will quickly let me know if she is unsure about something. And she seems to go to a lot of conferences and whatnot and will let me know what is currently being said in regards to diet and nutrition.

I know that she is not technically qualified to give the advice that I am requesting. And I have no idea what the qualifications are of the people writing the blogs and magazine articles that I read. And I think that most people have similar resources. So that got me to thinking. Why don’t we see registered dietitians and should we?

Apparently there are several reason you should see an RD. Some reasons include: if you are thinking of getting or have had gastric bypass surgery, you are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant, you want to eat smarter or you want to improve your performance in sports. A full list of reasons (according to the American Dietetic Association) can be found here.

For additional reading, check out Who’s Dishing Out Your Nutrition Advice? Consumers Beware: Make Sure Your Source Is a Registered Dietitian.