Frequently Asked Questions

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics:
Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) are food and nutrition experts who have met the following criteria to earn the RDN credential:

• Completed a minimum of a bachelor's degree at a U.S. regionally accredited university or college and course work accredited or approved by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
• Completed an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program at a health-care facility, community agency, or a foodservice corporation or combined with undergraduate or graduate studies. Typically, a practice program will run six to 12 months in length
• Passed a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)

Between what you hear on TV and read in the news, eating well can seem like a real challenge. But it doesn't have to be. A registered dietitian, or RD, or registered dietitian nutritionist, or RDN, will partner with you to develop a safe and realistic eating plan that you can stick with for the long haul. To guide and motivate you, an RD or RDN will use creative and out-of-the-box strategies to help with meal planning, grocery shopping and mindful eating.

Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist.  But, only an RD or RDN has completed multiple layers of education and training established by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics. All RDs or RDNs must:

• Get a four-year degree which includes a specially designed, accredited nutrition curriculum.
• Complete an extensive supervised program of practice at a health care facility, foodservice organization or community agency.
• Pass a rigorous registration exam.
• Maintain continuing education credits throughout their career.

What's more, roughly half of all RDs and RDNs hold graduate degrees and many have certifications in specialized fields, such as sports, pediatric, renal, oncology or gerontological nutrition.

Do you want to lose or gain weight? Are you pregnant, looking to become pregnant or just had a child? Are you looking for ways to maintain your health in your older years? Are you an athlete looking to boost performance? These are just a few of the reasons people seek the expert, science-based advice of a RDN.

1. You Want Help Managing Diabetes, High Blood Pressure or Other Chronic Diseases

An RDN can help you understand your condition and how the foods you choose might affect it. Plus, a registered dietitian nutritionist works with you to create an eating plan that has the nutrients needed to manage your condition.

2. You Are Thinking of Having or Have Had Gastric Bypass Surgery

Since your stomach can only manage small servings after surgery, it’s tricky to get the nutrients that your body needs. As a part of your health care team, an RDN helps you make changes to your eating plan without settling for less taste.

3. You Have Digestive Problems

Working closely with you and your doctor, a registered dietitian nutritionist helps fine-tune your diet. Guidance can help you make choices that do not aggravate your condition. For example, limiting fried foods, or caffeinated and carbonated drinks.

4. You're Pregnant, Trying to Get Pregnant, or a New Mom

Meet with an RDN to make sure you get the nutrients you need for a healthy pregnancy. And, after the baby comes, a registered dietitian nutritionist can help make sure you're getting the nutrients you need for you and your little one. 

Unsure what you can eat because of celiac disease, food allergies, lactose intolerance, or another condition? It's easy to be overwhelmed by what you think you can't eat. And, that can lead to a boring diet that doesn’t give your body the nutrition it needs. An RDN can teach you strategies about identifying foods to avoid and help you find substitutions to keep your diet balanced and tasty.

5. You or Your Child Is Experiencing Disordered Eating

As part of the treatment team, RDNs counsel individuals with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.

6. You Need to Gain or Lose Weight

Fad diets may sound like the quick ticket to weight gain or loss, but they rarely work for very long. An RDN can suggest calorie sources for healthy weight gain. Or, design a personalized weight loss plan, including diet changes and physical activity — while still eating all your favorite foods.

7. You're Caring for an Aging Parent

An RDN can help with food or drug interactions, proper hydration, special diets for hypertension and changing taste buds as you age.

8. You Want Practical Lifestyle Advice

Need help sorting through the facts and fiction of nutrition headlines? Learn how to read labels at the supermarket, discover how healthy cooking can be inexpensive, learn how to dine out healthfully and how to manage temptations. When you see an RD or RDN, the last thing you'll get is one-size-fits-all diet advice. After learning about your health history, favorite foods, eating and exercise habits, an RD or RDN will help you set goals and prioritize. Follow-up visits will focus on maintenance and monitoring your progress.

9. You Want to Improve Your Performance in Sports

A RDN can help you set goals to achieve results — whether you're running a marathon, skiing or jogging with your dog.

10. You Realize the Need to Feed Your Family Healthier Foods but You Do Not Cook

A registered dietitian nutritionist can teach you how to plan and prepare meals in a simple, healthful and convenient way.

Reference:

Ellis CE. 10 Reasons To See an RDN. EatRight. https://www.eatright.org/food/resources/learn-more-about-rdns/10-reasons-to-visit-an-rdn. Accessed August 8, 2021. 

Our professionals are fully licensed in the state of Florida, but each state has its own licensing requirements. Unfortunately, we cannot provide service to clients living in another state at this time. In the very near future, we will be expanding our practice further and acquire licenses in other states, so please keep checking back!

Nutrition counseling is not usually covered by most insurance companies in the state of Florida. There are certain exceptions to this rule, however. If you are under a doctor's care for a medical condition (i.e. diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure or coronary heart disease) and they refer you to a registered dietitian, that would likely be covered by insurance.