Reid marks March 10, the first annual Registered Dietitian Day
Dietitians, serving the public by promoting health and well-being through better nutrition, have become an important though as yet little recognized part of the nation’s corps of health care professionals.
In 2002, Medicare began reimbursing for medical nutrition therapy provided by registered dietitians for people with diabetes and kidney disease, and private insurers increasingly are covering visits to registered dietitians for treatment of obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Joan Salge Blake, a faculty member at Boston University, a registered dietitian and a member of the American Dietetic Association, notes her students – and their families and friends – are amazed to discover how small lifestyle changes, such as adding more vegetables to their daily diet, quickly add up and pay big health dividends.
Registered dietitians use their expertise to help individuals make just these types of unique, positive lifestyle changes, says Tricia Ours, a registered dietitian and director of Reid Hospital’s Food & Nutrition Services department.
"In the same way most people have a physician they see regularly to manage medical needs, everyone should also see an RD routinely for help in managing nutritional needs," Ours said, encouraging all consumers to mark National Nutrition Month and the first annual Registered Dietitian Day (March 10) by establishing an ongoing relationship with a registered dietitian.
"Through annual visits to a registered dietitian for a ‘nutrition checkup,’ individuals can obtain dietary advice and guidance based on changing health needs," Ours said. "These checkups not only address nutrition and health problems as they occur, but most importantly, prevent problems down the road."
Those with high cholesterol or high blood pressure, those dangerously overweight or even with just have a few pounds to lose shouldn’t wait on a stroke or a heart attack, says Christie Ferriell, one of Reid’s seven registered dietitians. The RDs' role is to apply their expertise in nutrition science to fit an individual’s lifestyle.
"People often are not aware that many health insurance plans now cover visits to a registered dietitian, sometimes without a doctor’s referral," Ferriell added, "So check with your insurance company."
Insurance coverage is only one of the benefits of choosing a registered dietitian over someone calling him- or herself a "nutritionist," who could be anyone from a personal trainer to a health food store employee. Nutritionists may have little or no qualification for dispensing nutrition advice, Ours said. "Only an RD has the education and the experience to offer the latest personalized information based on solid scientific evidence."
Indiana dietitians also answer questions on the INShape Indiana website. Those with nutrition questions are invited to visit http://www.in.gov/inshape/, click on the Nutrition Resources page and then click on Ask the Dietitian.