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The Nutrition Expert Epidemic

Yum

October 15, 2018 By Laura Ligos, MBA, RD, CSSD 9 Comments

I’ve tried to write this post about what I call the Nutrition Expert Epidemic so many times. In fact, there are a few drafts sitting on the backend of my website. Some are blank, some have a few lines, but all are incomplete. I’ve been nervous to write such a thing in fear that I will hurt someone’s feelings. Well, if you’ve been following along, then you know I’m working on that and while I’m not here to hurt anyone’s feelings I am here to educate, empower, and entertain.

nutrition expert epidemic

This is one of those posts where I want to educate and empower you as the expert/clinician and you as the client/patient. The door swings both ways in the health and nutrition field, so no matter which side you are on (or maybe you’re on both), I want you to feel like you have all the tools to make the right decision as it pertains to your health and the health of others.

Nutrition Expert

Let me start by saying this is not a post to bash non-dietitians. Here’s the thing, there are bad dietitians as there are bad hairdressers, dentists, mechanics, masseuses, etc. And bad is a relative term, maybe it’s not that they are bad but that they don’t serve you in the manner that you need or want. So while I am a dietitian and I love the profession, I am admitting that not all dietitians are created equally.

That being said, what makes someone a “nutrition expert” anyway? It would be easy to say that you have to be a Registered Dietitian, drop the mic, hit publish and walk away. The thing is, it’s not so cut and dry and not so black and white. There are MANY nutrition experts out there that have different titles, certifications, credentials, etc. On the flip side, there are also many so-called “nutrition experts” that are anything but, so buyer beware.

We live in a day and age where anyone and I mean ANYONE can call themselves a nutritionist or a health coach. You don’t need much but a google search and maybe a credit card to get yourself some YouTube videos, online forums, and the guts to call yourself a nutritionist. It’s that easy. That means that the waters are muddied and it can be hard to tell what is good information vs. not-so-good-or-credible information. So let’s dig deeper.

For Nutritionists

I’m not hating on you for calling yourself a nutritionist. What I’m hating on is the lack of knowing what you don’t know. Take for instance me and my practice, I do not accept treating a person with an active eating disorder. Am I qualified to see that patient? Absolutely. Will I? Absolutely not.

Why? Because as far as I’m concerned it’s out of my scope of practice. It is not my specialty, I am not comfortable handling the patient AND that patient needs more than just an RD, they need an entire treatment team. Some of the best practitioners I know are those that know what they don’t know and know what they are not good at. It takes time, experience, education, and humility to conquer this, not to mention you must continually work on it.

So if you are claiming you are a nutritionist, which is fine, please consider the following:

  • Know what you don’t know and be okay referring out. There is no weakness in gaining help from others, in fact, it gains you the trust of your client and the trust/respect from other practitioners.
  • Know your scope of practice. Know what your credentials allow you to do and not to do, and stay within those lines. Even if a state doesn’t limit you from practicing, know what your credentials are meant for, end of story.
  • Recognize that what works for you may not work for others. It’s not your place to project your diet onto others unless it is appropriate (read: it’s almost never appropriate). When working with a client, it takes time to build rapport and the quickest way to lose it is to make the conversation all about you.
  • Continue to educate and gain experience. NEVER STOP LEARNING. The second we become complacent is the second we start losing credibility. Always be willing to learn more, read more, and research more, it comes with the territory. Also, if you have an online certificate I HIGHLY encourage you to get real-life in-person experience, it will help you grow as a practitioner.

You do not need to be an RD to be an effective and credible nutritionist. However, there are a few programs that I would recommend considering if you want to be a nutritionist/RD/health coach. Also, know that some states require certain licensure for you to be a nutritionist. Make sure you are aware of what you can and can not do in each state!!

Here are a few suggestions (in no particular order):

  • Bachelor of Science in Nutrition with a concentration in Nutrition Sciences, Human Nutrition, Clinical Nutrition and/or Dietetics (i.e. accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics)
  • Post Baccalaureate program for Dietetics
  • Dietetic Internship following Bachelor or Post-Baccalaureate Program
  • Master of Science in Nutrition/Public Health/Human Nutrition/Clinical Nutrition
  • Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS)
  • MD/DO/ND/PA/NP/RN with a certification/concentration in nutrition/clinical nutrition/functional medicine nutrition, etc. (not all doctors have nutrition education, so beware!)

Note: there are other certification programs, however, know that while they may provide awesome information, education, reading material, etc. they should also be providing ACTUAL in-person experience. After all, helping someone with their nutrition is a very, VERY personal thing and should not be left to online courses only.

For Clients/Patients

It can be really easy to see someone that looks the picture of health (hello 6-pack abs) and hear them call themselves a nutritionist, health coach, macro coach, etc. and want to work with them. It’s not a problem to work with them IF they understand their scope of practice, do not project their issues or beliefs onto you when not warranted AND they know what they don’t know.

Not all nutritionists are created equally, SO I would highly recommend doing your research before deciding to rely solely on their words of advice.

How to Find a Credible Nutrition Expert

Okay, so it’s not always easy BUT here are a few things to look for when looking for a nutrition expert to trust and rely upon:

  • Education. Look into their degree(see above) and what it entailed. Is it a credible program? Did it relate at all to nutrition?
  • Credentials. Speaking of credible programs. Besides their education, what are their credentials?! Are they continually learning and adding to their credentials? Do their credentials have a scope of practice that encompasses what YOU need (don’t be afraid to ask)? Do these credentials require any practical in-person experience?
  • Experience. Do they have real-world experience working with clients? This can make all the difference.
  • Testimonials/Stories. Find out what others are saying about them. Don’t just look at Instagram, dig deeper into what people are saying. If it seems too good to be true, I promise you, it probably is.
  • Demeanor. This is important, try and catch the vibe of the practitioner. Are they judgey? Do they listen? Are they willing to meet you half way? Do they care?! You should feel comforted by your practitioner and should never feel like you are letting them down.

Once you do your research (note: these shouldn’t be HARD to find out) then you can comfortably work with that nutrition expert knowing that they have your best interests in mind and the education/experience/credentials to back it up.

Nutrition Expert Epidemic

I got backlash once before because I did a short and sweet podcast on nutritionist vs. dietitian. I mean no harm by putting this out there and if you feel that your credentials have been slighted because of this, please reach out! I want to give my clients/followers the best information so that they can make an educated decision for their health, so don’t ever hesitate to let me know if I missed something.

On the flip side, if you are feeling the need to go on the attack after this, do some research on your credentials, figure out what you want to do with the said expert title, and go get yourself further education and experience to back up your passion! I am doing the same, always. If we become complacent, we start losing credibility. So keep learning and keep asking questions!

Who are some of your favorite nutrition experts?! What makes them credible in your opinion?

xoxo,

Sassy

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Comments

  1. Christa Lenz RD says

    November 15, 2018 at 7:25 pm

    ?????? Very well put. Dietetics is such a broad field. We owe it to our patients, clients and the profession to keep learning, growing, improving our skill set, not to mention keeping up with the latest reasearch and trends. Never a dull moment for sure!

    Reply
    • Laura Ligos, MBA, RD, CSSD says

      November 15, 2018 at 10:31 pm

      thank you! yes,never a dull moment 😀

      Reply

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@thesassydietitian

We’ve made it over a week together and it feels We’ve made it over a week together and it feels like it’s always been this way.

Motherhood is a wild ride & it’s only getting started. I have never been so tired & simultaneously so fulfilled in my life. That’s not to say it’s not filled with tears, worries and doubts but what fun would it be if it were all sunshine and roses anyway?

Going into this all I have felt so supported by friends going through this with me BUT I felt so unsupported by the general public. It seems like we want to fear and shame moms because misery loves company, right?!

The focus quickly shifts from mom to baby (still shocked that I only have an appointment at 6 weeks even though my body went through the biggest event of its life) and there also seems to be this shift from joy to shame & guilt.

Here’s some of what I heard from people:

😕Sleep when baby sleeps. You’ll never sleep again.
😕Don’t let baby sleep in a car seat, or a bouncer, or anywhere but their crib EVER. 
😕You’ll never have time to shower again, enjoy it now. 
😕Cry it out is cruel and harmful to the baby. 
😕Get baby on a schedule/never put baby on a schedule.

These are all things I heard and that truly led me to believe I was going to lose all sense of who I was and my life as I knew it.

What I wish people had said instead were:

🥰Your heart will grow bigger than you could imagine.
🥰You’ll cry the happiest tears you’ve ever cried.
🥰You’ll feel like a giant hole was filled that you didn’t even know was there.
🥰You won’t feel guilty about cleaning your house, it just won’t matter anymore.
🥰Babies pooping will make you laugh so hard you will feel like a kid again.
🥰You will have time to eat and shower and you don’t have to neglect yourself.

We need to do a better job of building each other up, supporting one another and our decisions while refraining from offering unsolicited advice and opinions. 

So for all you future mamas and new mamas out there, I see you, I’m proud of you and I cannot wait to share our stories with one another and the world.

Let’s stop fear mongering (just like the diet world) and start building one another up.

Xoxo,
Sassy & lil sassy man
🌈Some things truly are worth the wait. It’s b 🌈Some things truly are worth the wait. It’s been a long year of loss, unknowns and worry but it’s all been worth it to get to meet my lil man🥰
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Now time to introduce this sassy human who is already so well loved to the world...
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Introducing 

💙 Connor James Ligos 💙
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After an almost 24 hour labor, Connor joined us over a week past his due date on 2/12/21 at a whopping 9lb2oz & 22.5 inches long with a full head of hair and lungs to scream hello to us with.
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We are so in love already and cannot wait to share him with the world. Thank you for all the love and support from friends and family and to all those that helped us in the hospital. Holy cow labor & delivery teams are truly magical and I cannot imagine doing it without all of their support.
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Now back to snuggling this human of mine and trying not to cry at every last thing he does 🥰 
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Mom, Dad & Bode are all doing well!
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#babyboy #pregnancyafterloss #rainbowbaby #birthdayboy #birthannouncement
I get it, we all eat so we all then want to talk t I get it, we all eat so we all then want to talk to others about what worked for us. That's great!
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What's not great is when we push our nutrition and eating behaviors onto others ESPECIALLY when we are not qualified to do so.
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So often when people meet me for the first time they are worried to eat around me and/or buy groceries around me. My friends can attest I am not judgemental around food and will gladly eat that cake, queso dip or sip on that glass of wine right alongside of you. I am not the food police and do not offer unsolicited nutrition advice unless it's a client who is paying for my help OR on Instagram and other social media platforms where my goal is to educate.
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Why do I share this? 
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Because I see far too many people diving down diet rabbit holes, finding success & then claiming to be nutrition experts purely because something worked for them. 
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I've also seen this alot being pregnant, everyone wants to tell you what worked for them. IF you use that stipulation of "this worked for me" then fine, share away but if you start doleing out advice please pause, take a breath and think about NOT doing it.
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People are OVERWHELMED by diet culture and some so badly want to change but YOUR way is not the only way and it most likely is not what will work for your friend/coworker/cousin/neighbor so please, stop trying to be an expert in something you aren't.
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Got it!?! 
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Ok, carry on.
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xoxo,
Sassy
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#nutrition #nutritiontips #nutritionist #dietitianapproved #rdapproved #rdchat #dietitiansofinstagram #dietitian #dietitiansofig #albanyny #albanynutrition #albanynutrition
Your nutrition does NOT need to be all or nothing. Your nutrition does NOT need to be all or nothing. I'm not saying you have to find perfect balance (does that even exist?) but I am saying that we shouldn't feel like either we have to eat perfectly or that we might as well give up.
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Instead we should look to the grey area in between for our nutrition guidance. 
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What do I mean?
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I mean that we need to realize that we can still eat cookies but we probably should throw some veggies in there. 
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We can have a glass or 2 of wine but we should probably also drink some water. 
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We can take rest days but we should also find ways to move our bodies regularly.
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And the list goes on.
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It's not about all or nothing it's about doing something daily to help your health and nutrition without it feeling like a set of rules or a free for all.
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How do we find that grey area in between?
👉🏻 stop hopping on and off fad diets
👉🏻listen and trust your self, not your coworkers and cousins 
👉🏻focus on the simple things (ie drinking water instead of worrying about supplements)
👉🏻work to remove guilt and shame around food & body
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Where do you currently fall Right now?!
🤪 all
👍🏻in between 
🙅🏻‍♀️ nothing 
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Xoxo,
Sassy
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#dietitian #dietitiansofig #dietitiansofinstagram #nutrition #nutritionist #nutritiontips #thesassydietitian #rdchat #realtalk

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