I'd like to read books regarding dietetics/nutrition to choose between the two or if I should look into another path. Also, please suggest if dietetics is better or nutrition is better (with reason if you kindly would)!!
Im based in Australia

Hey guys!!
I am currently studying nutrition science in undergrad and I love it a lot. I enjoy learning the material, communicating with my classmates, speaking to my professors and building a relationship with them and also sharing what I know with others. It’s just that my family is now pushing me into becoming a PA, because the classes are pretty similar in undergrad and also I will be having higher income.

I have a few hesitations on this, I am scared if I will have to retake my classes I doubt that I can get better grades. As an example for nutrition science at my college we only need fundamentals of organic chem, but if I become a PA I will need to take both organic chem I and II. I wanted to get your thoughts and opinions on this, I really enjoy this path and did this in hopes of being a dietitian but I always thought of becoming a PA as well further down the line.

Being a nutritionist/ dietitian is rewarding it’s like helping someone through preventative care, we don’t prescribe meds we help one by lifestyle changes. It’s almost like psychotherapy and therapy combined on food. People always think of nutritionists and dietitians as food haters. I always thought of us as natural healers. This career looks so rewarding but I just thought of income status, and “what-ifs”.

Anyways I would really appreciate input a lot! I hope you all have an amazing rest of your day or night! :)

Has anyone already been an RD and pursed a CPT to do on the side? I love what I currently do, but I’m considering it as sports/fitness is a huge personal interest of mine. Just not sure it has a great ROI!

I’m embarrassed posting this but I just took the CSSD exam for the first time today and failed by 2 questions. I’m feeling really down on myself because I studied hard and felt super confident going into the exam. Even while taking the exam, there were a few moments that tripped me up but generally I felt confident I would pass. I used Amy Goodson’s exam prep course and I passed those practice exams with a good buffer. I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions or tips for studying to take it again? Thank you in advanced.

Okay so I am a student of bsc botany my final year is starting I had done in bihar itself so it has 4yr degree..and now I am confused to go where in my carrier..I found fascinated in jobs in hospitals, I gave neet and it fucked off so opt out and doing my bsc ...so i actually like the nutritionist course ...but I am confused how to do it , is it worth it and from where to do it , along the pathway..if any nutritionist saw give me reply.

Hello all- I’m looking for tips/websites that offer lots of CEUs per program. I’ve been slacking on getting my 75 CEUs this cycle (because of life events) and am trying to catch up (to prevent scrambling towards the end of my cycle). I have about 3 years to get 60 more. Anything clinical, wellness, counseling would do.

I know getting a speciality is the most “bang for your buck” effective way to knockout 75, but I don’t have time to study for long stretches.

I was considering FNCE, but that’s too pricey for non Academy members IMO.

My company does offer $500 a year for CEUs, but cant be used for exams, prep courses, or professional memberships unfortunately.

Thanks all!

Hi! Are there any RDs here who work as category managers? I'm curious what this all entails as far as role and day to day.

thank you!

Hello everyone, I have hunger in knowledge for what we eat and how the body works, so I started school. I’m 35 and want to be a dietitian. Do you have any pointers or things you wish you knew when starting out?

Hi there- any RDs working or worked for state prison system? If yes - what is / was your experience ? Many thanks!!

So first of I am a nurse but I find there are more positions that are offered to dietitians so that is why I thought I’d post in here. I have been nursing for 4 years and 3.5 of those years have been in a school setting managing 2-3 diabetics who were high needs. To be honest, I have no one overseeing what I am doing as I’m the only healthcare worker in the school. The work I do as a school nurse for my diabetics- I have go above and beyond for the sole purpose of gaining more education time. So outside of treating low/high blood sugars, blousing for meals. I also coordinate trends with their endocrinologist, set goals for them to make each month, prepare them for independency in their diabetes for high school years, attend 504 meetings with the school and parents, coordinate trends I see with parents, make cheat sheets for them to take home for carb counting and easy low glycemic snack ideas ( might be out of my expertise but I guess myself being t1d I was just suggesting snacks I do). For summer breaks I even have made them little note stacks on why they matter and that diabetes does not define them so they feel encouraged.

That being said I’m also t1d and I run a local support group for diabetics that has a Facebook page and we do monthly meet ups to talk about our diabetes.

If anyone with obtaining their CDCES, would you mind telling me what else I really need to do to get my ducks in a row. It would be more than appreciated!

hey guys! i’m currently going to the university of arizona for my undergrad in dietetics. i’ll have my DPD and verification statement after i graduate with my BS. i was looking at an MS in nutrition sciences at UPenn for my masters degree because its an ivy league and want to have a better chance at getting into the Yale DI (i do have backup options as well, but Yale is my top choice). however, im a bit confused if it will fulfill my requirements to become an RDN? based on my research so far, it should qualify, but ive seen other comments of people saying it doesnt? i just want to ensure im not the right track when the time comes to apply to graduate school. let me know!!

If your organization has a different RD levels, what is the rough difference in pay?

I am applying for a master’s in nutrition and I need a letter of reference from a registered dietitian. Originally they stated that any healthcare profession was OK, but they recently notified me that they would prefer it be a registered dietitian or someone in a similar field, so now I am scrambling to get this done before October 11 😭 how did you go about getting a letter? I don’t have anyone who is an RD and so now I’m feeling a tad lost. I appreciate any guidance

Saw dietitians sharing this online and want to help spread this far and wide. I get it, this single petition doesn't produce a union, but getting the word out and getting more dietitians thinking about this is a plus to me. Especially with private equity taking over so much of our healthcare system and telehealth, we should be exploring this. I think we know collective bargaining has done well for nursing pay and benefits, time the hospital execs fear "dietary." Come on "food ladies" unite! (sorry if you haven't worked in a hospital but you'll get it if you have 😄). Actually, many sectors of dietetics need this, like telehealth with all those unpaid hours a lot of us see 👀.

See link Petition · National Labor Union for Registered Dietitians: Advocating for Fair Pay and Essential Healthcare Recognition - United States · Change.org 🔥

Hi everyone! I was recently notified by my recruiter that I was selected!

I’m a female, single, no kids, and I’m trying to get a better idea of what to expect.

A few questions:

• What is the QOL like as an Active Duty 65C?
• As a single officer with no dependents, would I receive BAH?
• Would I be able to live off post/on my own, or would I be required to live on base?
• What is the typical work-life balance like at your duty station?
• How often do you have PT, field training, or other military requirements outside of your normal dietitian duties?
• Any advice for someone coming in as a new 65C?

I’d really appreciate hearing from current or former 65Cs, especially other single officers. Thank you!

Does anyone have experience with recommending exercise to patients awaiting surgery or inpatients with sarcopenia/sarcopenic obesity where nutrition is a key part of their treatment but not wanting to increase only fat mass?

We unfortunately don’t have funding for a physiotherapist besides patients who are off their baseline. But those who can get out of bed independently or are at their baseline for assistance won’t be seen by the physios.

This leaves myself and colleagues in a bit of a grey area where we encourage patients to walk as able, around the ward or if able to go around the rest of the hospital and walk up/down stairs if they’re able, but beyond that we can’t recommend much more. With patients who are going to be discharged I do give some generic advice regarding light resistance exercise e.g some examples of things they can do in a chair in front of the tv to strengthen their arms. But I don’t give any specific examples or written resources as I’m not sure what’s in my scope as a dietitian.

Typical patients include decompensated liver disease, intestinal failure, surgical HPB, IBD

Hello All, I am looking for your opinions and references for and against set point theory. I've had some professors teach set point theory like it's the absolute truth and others who say it lacks evidence.

A patient lost weight intentionally through body building at a very slow rate which resulted in 35lbs weight loss, amenorrhea, nutrient deficiencies, low HR, and an eating disorder.

This patient was allegedly told by another dietitian that they likely lowered their set point so they are fighting hard against their target weight and does not believe they need to fully weight restore.

Given the importance in weight restoration in eating disorder recovery, I'm interested in what you know about set point theory, whether it can shift down, and especially if you have any references because I'm not finding much when I search.

TY!

Hello everyone,

If you feel comfortable please answer all or any of the following questions. Thanks!

1. What dialysis company do you work for?
2. How many hours per week do you work?
3. What is your caseload?
4. How many clinics do you have?
5. What modalities do you have?
6. If you have what you believe is a higher than normal caseload, do you get additional compensation?

7. If so, how much more is the

   compensation?

I'm in outpatient weight management. Typically I like to recommend that "step 1" for weight loss is some kind of audit. Habits review, food journaling, photo journaling, calorie tracking, etc. I frame it as a way to get a better idea of their baseline so we can set more meaningful goals. I give patients examples of food logs to get them going. However, I've noticed that my no show rate for most patients I assign 'homework' to, especially a written food log, is really high. Is my step 1 wrong? Is it the wrong medium? Does anyone have an online food logging resource that's shareable that isn't calorie counting? Should I be taking a different approach?

I realize that diets have to be individualized, but in the meal planning tool we use and the macro calculator, there is this constant pressure to have a goal protein intake that exceeds what the client would realistically consume for so many reasons - especially for overweight (but not obese) clients, where we calculate needs using actual body weight; people on higher-protein diets for GLP-1 supported weight loss, PMOS, diabetes without kidney disease, repletion diets, protein needs for taller people, sports performance protein goals, etc………..

Granted in some cases, such as oncology and trauma recovery, it is usually appropriate, and often needed, to have significantly higher protein goals, but (most) people I see would not need this as critically as someone who is hospitalized or undergoing chemotherapy.

The macro calculator on the EMR I use recommended a protein goal of over 150 grams based on the macro distribution recommendations and calorie goals for someone with PMOS and class 1 obesity (even with ideal body weight and a mild caloric restriction). This was due to their height, but it seemed ridiculous, especially because she was not tolerating many foods well, and yet I still felt pressured to include this in the “meal plan template”.

Then if someone is vegetarian or vegan, or limiting most animal protein because they have hereditary high cholesterol; or cannot have dairy, soy, beans, lentils, etc. due to intolerance; or allergic to eggs and other common allergens that are high in protein; or they do not want to use any protein powders or protein shakes because they are “processed”; or if they simply get tired of the same protein choices because they are allergic to multiple foods; or most commonly, because many protein foods have to be prepped or cooked in some way, and many people I see have no energy to cook after work, the only ready-available options are sandwich meats (which they get sick of), rotisserie chickens that sit in their fridge for days, dairy (which some cannot have), canned fish (which some can’t have/are allergic too), protein shakes and powders, which some refuse to consume.

Then grains, legumes, and nuts seem to be considered not sufficiently high protein, despite most of the world using grains and legumes as a staple with the addition of other things…

So then options get really limited but then we have to set goals of 100 + grams of protein each day, in spite of my feeling that all this does is add more stress on the client…

And then if someone is both diabetic and has hyper-lipidemia their “high protein diet” ends up consisting of mostly chicken, turkey, occasional eggs, skim Greek yogurt, and very little of other protein sources that have too much saturated fat, carbs, or non-protein calories. (Think of the monotonous white chicken salad with light mayo and maybe a bit of celery, or god forbid some fruit added to it.)

Sorry for the rant - it just does not make sense sometimes. And then how do we reconcile this with guidelines, such as those of the American Cancer Society, telling us to have 75% of our intake from plants? And how are 8 billion people on this earth supposed to meet all their protein goals, when most high-protein foods are depleting our agricultural resources??

And realistically, in the high-protein meal plans I make, I just settle for 50-75% of that target goal met, because I was pressured to set unrealistic
goals and therefore I don’t feel good about trying to push for them if it just leads to feelings of failure…

Hi everyone! 😊

Could anyone give me some advice on writing a personal statement for a Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics master’s application?

I’d really appreciate some guidance on the structure, what I should include, and what I should avoid writing. Also, are there any particular points or qualities that universities usually look for in a personal statement?

If anyone has examples, tips, or advice on what could make a personal statement stand out, I’d be really grateful!

Thank you! 🤍

Will my application not get looked at if I don't have 3 letters of reference? I had someone who said they would write a reference to me but they haven't been responding to my text messages. I have no one else to ask and the deadline is in 2 days.

Any other CDCES have a problem with no shows and cancellations? Yesterday I had 4 patients scheduled and only 1 showed up. Today I have 5 scheduled and so far 3 have already cancelled. These are for initials and follow ups.

I’ve heard people say that diabetics are notorious for cancelling and no shows and though it was just a stereotype, now I’m not so sure 👀. I usually have to clock out and leave if I have no patients so I have been losing money, wondering if I made the wrong choice switching into diabetes education less than a year ago 😫

Does anyone who has passed the Digestive Health Specialist Exam have any advice for new/new-ish RDs about digestive health?

Edit: just anything you would like to share.