You Are What You Eat. I Eat Diplomas.
May 17, 2009 10:00 PM Subscribe
I'd like to get a certification in nutrition. Is Registered Dietitian (RD) the only well accepted credential?
I'm not planning a career change, but I'd like to study nutrition and get a certification/degree in it. I already read quite a bit of literature on the topic, but I'd like to have the formal structure of a certification or degree program. An RD is out of the question because I don't have an undergraduate degree in science and an 1200 internship isn't realistic for me. (If I wanted to change careers, it would be fine.)
I know I could just study and not get a degree or cert, but I like having structured goals. Are there any such programs?
I'm not planning a career change, but I'd like to study nutrition and get a certification/degree in it. I already read quite a bit of literature on the topic, but I'd like to have the formal structure of a certification or degree program. An RD is out of the question because I don't have an undergraduate degree in science and an 1200 internship isn't realistic for me. (If I wanted to change careers, it would be fine.)
I know I could just study and not get a degree or cert, but I like having structured goals. Are there any such programs?
The Institute for Integrative Nutrition offers a certificate in Integrative Nutrition, combining multiple dietary theories. As I understand it, they do not offer the RD credential, and are geared towards "nutritional counseling" rather than working as a Registered Dietician. The people I know who have taken classes with them seem happy with them, and if you are interested in learning for your own personal interest rather than a career change they may be a good option.
posted by ladypants at 8:14 AM on May 18, 2009
posted by ladypants at 8:14 AM on May 18, 2009
Response by poster: Thanks RichardP, the American Dietetic Association also owns those two certifications so it's in their best interest only recognize their own. Unfortunately, I'm not seeing anything else that's especially good.
Updates for anyone following - According to Quackwatch, the Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) from the American College of Nutrition is the closest acceptable certification. Quackwatch deemed everything else "questionable".
posted by 26.2 at 8:25 AM on May 18, 2009
Updates for anyone following - According to Quackwatch, the Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) from the American College of Nutrition is the closest acceptable certification. Quackwatch deemed everything else "questionable".
posted by 26.2 at 8:25 AM on May 18, 2009
Could you elaborate on what you would consider "especially good"? I think I misunderstood your goals in pursuing a course of studies in nutrition.
Is your goal to practice as a nutritionist? To learn about how to modify your own diet? To understand more about the role of nutrition in maintaining health? To be certified as an expert in the field? To better understand the biochemistry of metabolism? Nutrition encompasses many concepts, and people study it for a variety of reasons. If you are interested in the biochemistry of metabolism you may be best served taking a class or two at a local university in human nutrition, food science, or animal nutrition.
Some people just want to know more about the food they eat, and there are many continuing education programs that cater to this desire. Many programs even give out certificates or diplomas because they know that people like to work towards goals. If someone wants to learn about food for shits and giggles, I see no harm in earning some kind of certificate at the end as long as it's not used to defraud others.
As an example, I love chocolate. If someone offered me the opportunity to take a class on chocolate, it's history, it's context in world cultures and the many skills involved in eating it, I might take that class. I might also get some kind of diploma at the end in Chocolate Studies or something. That wouldn't make me or my teachers quacks necessarily. If I then declared myself a chocopathic healer who could harness the power of the Lindt truffles to cure illness that would be a different thing entirely.
Quackwatch consists of the opinions of Stephen Barrett, M.D., who seems like a good skeptical guy interested in protecting consumers, and also a little bit of a crumudgeon. This isn't a bad thing, I enjoy reading Quackwatch and I also enjoy reading H.L. Mencken. But the writings of a single man are not gospel, so take it all with a grain of salt and enjoy his often well thought out musings.
posted by ladypants at 8:59 AM on May 18, 2009
Is your goal to practice as a nutritionist? To learn about how to modify your own diet? To understand more about the role of nutrition in maintaining health? To be certified as an expert in the field? To better understand the biochemistry of metabolism? Nutrition encompasses many concepts, and people study it for a variety of reasons. If you are interested in the biochemistry of metabolism you may be best served taking a class or two at a local university in human nutrition, food science, or animal nutrition.
Some people just want to know more about the food they eat, and there are many continuing education programs that cater to this desire. Many programs even give out certificates or diplomas because they know that people like to work towards goals. If someone wants to learn about food for shits and giggles, I see no harm in earning some kind of certificate at the end as long as it's not used to defraud others.
As an example, I love chocolate. If someone offered me the opportunity to take a class on chocolate, it's history, it's context in world cultures and the many skills involved in eating it, I might take that class. I might also get some kind of diploma at the end in Chocolate Studies or something. That wouldn't make me or my teachers quacks necessarily. If I then declared myself a chocopathic healer who could harness the power of the Lindt truffles to cure illness that would be a different thing entirely.
Quackwatch consists of the opinions of Stephen Barrett, M.D., who seems like a good skeptical guy interested in protecting consumers, and also a little bit of a crumudgeon. This isn't a bad thing, I enjoy reading Quackwatch and I also enjoy reading H.L. Mencken. But the writings of a single man are not gospel, so take it all with a grain of salt and enjoy his often well thought out musings.
posted by ladypants at 8:59 AM on May 18, 2009
Response by poster: Ladypants - that's a good question.
I don't see myself consulting with people professionally as a nutritionist. However, I train/mentor groups of endurance athletes. Those people ask tons of questions about their nutrition. I'd like to be able to make suggestions to improve their performance. The other group of people I'd like to help are people who come to endurance sports to lose weight. For my teammates, I want to be able to provide guidelines and suggestions based on the current science of nutrition, not simply my personal experience and what journal article I read this week. I absolutely don't want to advise people beyond the scope of my training. I'd be happy to suggest that someone go to an RD or MD if they had a specific health problem. In fact, I think there would a lot of value in being able to tell someone to stop tinkering on their own and see a doctor.
The other thing is that I work for a health care company and spend a lot of time with clinical care people. I'd like to have a better understanding of human biology. My understanding is excellent for someone outside of health care, but it's not as integrated as I'd like. Again, I have no desire to be on the level of the medical professionals, I just want to understand their world a bit better. That's part of the sensitivity on BS certifications. Many MDs are suspicious of anyone with a slightly dubious certification. (Hey, they are a little suspicious of DOs!)
So a good course would provide a solid knowledge of biology, current nutrition information especially with regard to sports and weight loss. It would also be respectable if my studies came up in conversation.
posted by 26.2 at 10:18 PM on May 18, 2009
I don't see myself consulting with people professionally as a nutritionist. However, I train/mentor groups of endurance athletes. Those people ask tons of questions about their nutrition. I'd like to be able to make suggestions to improve their performance. The other group of people I'd like to help are people who come to endurance sports to lose weight. For my teammates, I want to be able to provide guidelines and suggestions based on the current science of nutrition, not simply my personal experience and what journal article I read this week. I absolutely don't want to advise people beyond the scope of my training. I'd be happy to suggest that someone go to an RD or MD if they had a specific health problem. In fact, I think there would a lot of value in being able to tell someone to stop tinkering on their own and see a doctor.
The other thing is that I work for a health care company and spend a lot of time with clinical care people. I'd like to have a better understanding of human biology. My understanding is excellent for someone outside of health care, but it's not as integrated as I'd like. Again, I have no desire to be on the level of the medical professionals, I just want to understand their world a bit better. That's part of the sensitivity on BS certifications. Many MDs are suspicious of anyone with a slightly dubious certification. (Hey, they are a little suspicious of DOs!)
So a good course would provide a solid knowledge of biology, current nutrition information especially with regard to sports and weight loss. It would also be respectable if my studies came up in conversation.
posted by 26.2 at 10:18 PM on May 18, 2009
This sounds like a fun idea -- I'm curious what certification you ultimately settled on.
posted by metametababe at 4:33 AM on March 13, 2010
posted by metametababe at 4:33 AM on March 13, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by RichardP at 10:29 PM on May 17, 2009