Dietitians can help head off hazards at the dinner plate

It’s never too early to start taking your health seriously.

Damon McCune, a registered dietitian and a coordinator for the UNLV Nutrition Center, says there are resources available to help people on their journey, including using dietitians.

“The general population doesn’t really know what a dietitian is,” he says.

McCune says before seeking a dietitian, people should know what is required to be one.

To be licensed, a person must get a degree from an accredited program or university.

On top of that, dietitians must complete some type of dietetic internship.

“This can be community based or clinical based,” McCune says.

Laura Kruskall, director of nutrition sciences and dietetic internships at UNLV, says dietitian nutritionists must pass a national registration exam and be licensed in Nevada to practice here.

Once licensed, they work anywhere from hospitals and nursing homes to fitness centers and schools.

Kruskall says they can specialize in a variety of fields such as sports, pediatric or oncology.

No matter what specialty they focus on, they all have the same goal.

“RNDs educate patients on the role of nutrition in promoting health and preventing or managing disease,” she says.

While many people might claim to be a nutritionist, Kruskall says it’s not the same thing.

“All registered dietitian nutritionists are nutritionists,” she says. “But not all nutritionists are RNDs. While anyone can give accurate, general nonmedical nutrition information, only RDN-LD can practice dietetics.”

She says providing dietetics includes a nutritional assessment, nutritional diagnosis, nutrition intervention, and monitoring or evaluation of the patient or client.

“People should be cautious about a person calling themselves a nutritionist without the RDN-LD credential,” she says. “These individuals likely have no formal education and supervised training.”

People can use dietitians for a variety of reasons.

McCune says one could be suggested if going through health issues such as cancer or problems related to obesity.

“At a hospital, a patient might be assigned one,” McCune says.

He adds that even when people are first diagnosed with an illness, they could always seek out a dietitian to help go over the best course of action as a form of nutritional medicine.

“The earlier the better,” he says.

McCune adds that when wanting to lose weight, many people might seek out someone at their gym to talk to them about nutrition.

Instead of looking at a popular diet, he says talking to a dietitian can give better suggestions based on scientific research.

“A lot of crazy, fad diets can have negative metabolic changes,” McCune says.

Beyond seeing someone, Kruskall says people can learn basic information on nutrition from websites such as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, eatright.org or myplate.gov.

Regardless of who they see or what resources people find, McCune says people should be observant of where their information comes from.

“People should be constructively skeptical,” he says.

If a dietitian gives advice based on data, McCune says clients and patients can ask to see the evidence.

And when seeking a dietitian, people can ask to see his or her credentials.

Kruskall adds people can search out local registered dietitians through the Nevada Dietetic Association.

Contact reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5201. Follow @mjlyle on Twitter.