Nutritionist/Dietitian CTE Intro. Eating right is one of the best preventive medicines there is. But people dont always know whats good for them. Thats.

Nutritionist/Dietitian

CTE Intro

Eating right is one of the best preventive medicines there is. But people don’t always know what’s good for them. That’s where dietitians and nutritionists come in.

Nutritionists & Dietitians

These pros work closely with a wide variety of people, spreading the good word about proper nutrition. 

Their duties vary, depending on their job. For example, they might develop nutrition programs for hospital patients, advise clients on losing weight, or prepare reports on the benefits of dietary fiber.

Dietitians are often referred to as “nutritionists,” but registered dietitians have more education and training than nutritionists. Dietitians also have greater job responsibilities and earn higher salaries than nutritionists.

According to Salary.com, the middle 50 percent of dietitians earn between $48,298 and $57,575 per year. The top 10 percent earn $62,080 or more.

As a dietitian, you might work in any of the following settings: Hospitals Nursing care facilities Public health clinics Home health

agencies Corporate cafeterias Food Manufacturers Private practice

Registered dietitians assess the nutritional needs of both sick and healthy people and then develop individualized plans of care to improve or maintain health.

Tools used by dietitians:

An important tool that dietitians can use to help people understand good nutrition is the food pyramid.

Dietitians often recommend therapeutic diets

therapeutic diets are special diets developed to treat disease or metabolic disorders.

Examples of Therapeutic Diets

Regular diet Liquid diet Soft diet Diabetic diet Calorie controlled diet Low cholesterol diet

Fat restricted (low-fat) diet

Sodium restricted diet Protein diet Bland diet Low residue diet

Regular diet

Balanced diet At times it has a slightly reduced caloric

content Foods such as rich desserts, cream

sauces, salad dressings and fried foods may be decreased or omitted

Which of the following pictures would represent a regular diet?

A. B. C.

D. E.

Liquid diet

Nutritionally inadequate and should be used for short periods of time

Uses:After surgery or heart attackPatients with acute infections or digestive

problemsTo replace fluids lost by vomiting or diarrheaBefore some Xrays of digestive tract

Which of the following pictures would represent a liquid diet?

A. B. C.

D. E. F.

2 types of liquid diets

Clear liquid diet Water, apple of grape juice, fat-free

broth, plain gelatin, popsicles, ginger ale, tea, coffee

Full liquid diet Everything on clear liquid diet plus

strained soups and cereals, fruits and vegetable juices, yogurt, hot cocoa, custard, ice cream, pudding, sherbet, and eggnog.

Soft Diet– similar to a regular diet, but foods must require little chewing and be easy to digest.

Avoid meat and shellfish, coarse cereals, spicy foods, rich desserts, fried foods, raw fruits and veggies, nuts and coconuts

Which of the following pictures would represent a soft diet?

A. B. C.

D. E.

Diabetic diet– for people whose body does not produce enough insulin to metabolize carbohydrates. Avoid sugar-heavy foods such as candy, soft

drinks, desserts, cookies, syrup, honey, jams & jellies.

The new trend is to count only carbs since blood sugar levels are most affected by carbs.

The patient then takes an amount of insulin based upon the amount of carbs eaten.

Which of the following pictures would represent a diabetic diet?

A. B. C.

D. E. F.

Sodium Restricted diet—(low sodium or low salt diet) Used for patients with cardiovascular

diseases such as high blood pressure or congestive heart disease or kidney disease.

Avoid or limit addition of salt to any food, avoid smoked meats, or fish, processed foods, pickles,

Which of the following foods should be avoided on a low salt diet?

A. B. C.

D. E. F.

High Protein diet—used for children and adolescents who need additional growth, pregnant women, patients before and/or after surgery, patients suffering from burns, fevers, or infections.

Regular diet with added protein rich foods such as meats, fish, milk, cheese and eggs

Which of the following foods are high in protein?

A. B. C.

D. E.

Educational Requirements…

Dietitians and nutritionists need at least a bachelor’s degree in dietetics, foods and nutrition, food service systems management, or a related area.

Employment of dietitians is expected to grow over the next few years as the growing and aging population will increase the demand for meals and nutritional counseling in nursing homes, schools, prisons, community health programs and home health care agencies.

Other workers who may apply the principles of dietetics include:

Dietetic techniciansFood service managersHealth educatorsRegistered nurses

As of 2008, there were 279 bachelor’s degree programs and 1l8 master’s degree programs approved by the American Dietetic Association.

Is there a future career in the area of nutrition and dietetics for you?