A dietitian, medical dietitian, or dietician is an expert in identifying and treating disease-related malnutrition and in conducting medical nutrition therapy, for example designing an enteral tube feeding regimen or mitigating the effects of cancer cachexia. Many dietitians work in hospitals and usually see specific patients where a nutritional assessment and intervention has been requested by a doctor or nurse, for example if a patient has lost their ability to swallow or requires artificial nutrition due to intestinal failure. Dietitians are regulated healthcare professionals licensed to assess, diagnose, and treat such problems. In the United Kingdom, dietitian is a 'protected title', meaning identifying yourself as a dietitian without appropriate education and registration is prohibited by law.
A nutritionist is a person who advises others on matters of food and nutrition and their impacts on health. Some people specialize in particular areas, such as sports nutrition, public health, or animal nutrition, among other disciplines. In many countries, a person can claim to be a nutritionist even without any training, education, or professional license, in contrast to a dietitian, who has a university degree, professional license, and certification for professional practice.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is a 501(c)(6) trade association in the United States. With over 112,000 members, the association claims to be the largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. It has registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs), nutrition and dietetics technicians registered (NDTRs), and other dietetics professionals as members. Founded in 1917 as the American Dietetic Association, the organization officially changed its name to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2012. According to the group's website, about 65% of its members are RDNs, and another 2% are NDTRs. The group's primary activities include providing testimony at hearings, lobbying the United States Congress and other governmental bodies, commenting on proposed regulations, and publishing statements on various topics pertaining to food and nutrition.
Elsie Widdowson, was a British dietitian and nutritionist. She and Dr Robert McCance, a pediatrician, physiologist, biochemist, and nutritionist, were responsible for overseeing the government-mandated addition of vitamins to food and wartime rationing in Britain during World War II.
Joy L. Bauer, MS, RD, CDN, is the host of NBC's "Health & Happiness" and the health and nutrition expert on The Today Show. Bauer is the author of 12 bestsellers.
Vesanto Melina is a Canadian Registered Dietitian and co-author of books that have become classics in the field of vegetarian, vegan, and raw foods nutrition, have sold almost a million copies in English and are in nine additional languages. She has presented talks and workshops on various aspects of vegetarian, vegan and raw foods and nutrition for dietitians, health professionals, and vegetarian associations in 17 American states and 9 Canadian provinces, and in 10 countries.
Clinical nutrition centers on the prevention, diagnosis, and management of nutritional changes in patients linked to chronic diseases and conditions primarily in health care. Clinical in this sense refers to the management of patients, including not only outpatients at clinics and in private practice, but also inpatients in hospitals. It incorporates primarily the scientific fields of nutrition and dietetics. Furthermore, clinical nutrition aims to maintain a healthy energy balance, while also providing sufficient amounts of nutrients such as protein, vitamins, and minerals to patients.
Kathleen Manning Zelman, MPH, RD, LD, is an American nutritionist, dietitian, and communications expert who served as WebMD's director of nutrition for 17 years and is currently the owner of No Nonsense Nutrition, LLC. Learn more about Kathleen on her website at KathleenZelman.com.
Dawn Jackson Blatner is an American registered dietitian, television and media personality, and published author of the books The Flexitarian Diet and The Superfood Swap. She has been hailed as Chicago's "top dietitian" and "one of the best nutritionists in the country." She is the host of the lifestyle program SEE Chicago on WGN-TV.
The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics published by Elsevier. It covers research in nutritional science, medical nutrition therapy, public health nutrition, food science and biotechnology, foodservice systems, leadership and management, and dietetics education.
Katherine L. Ogilvie Musgrave was an American academic, registered dietitian, and nutritional consultant. She taught food science and nutrition at the University of Maine from 1969 to 1986, and after her official retirement continued teaching for close to three decades on the university's online continuing education website, educating thousands of students. During this time she also worked as a dietitian for three Bangor physicians, conducted nutrition workshops and corporate wellness programs across the state, and appeared on a weekly radio show speaking about healthy living.
Rosemary Alison Stanton is an Australian nutritionist and dietician, known for her media appearances.
Lulu Grace Graves was an American dietitian, who was, from 1917 to 1920, the first president of the American Dietetic Association.
Jamie Sue Stang is an American dietitian and nutritionist. She is an associate professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
Amelia A. Lake is a British dietitian who is Professor of Biosciences at Teesside University. She works in public health, and is co-founder of the North East Obesogenic Environment Network (NEOeN). She is concerned about the impact of energy drinks on children's health.
Susan Parkinson was a New Zealand nutritionist who worked in Fiji and the South Pacific. She was particularly known for her encouragement to residents of the region to eat healthily by consuming local foods.
Lenna Frances Cooper was an American dietitian and co-founder of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She has been called “a pioneer in vegetarian nutrition and dietetics.”
Ulma Doyle Register was an American biochemist, nutritionist, Seventh-day Adventist and vegetarianism activist known for his research on Vitamin B12. He was chairman of the Department of Nutrition at Loma Linda University School of Public Health.
Esther Kathleen Keen Zolber was an American registered dietitian, Seventh-day Adventist and vegetarianism activist. She was president of the American Dietetic Association 1982–1983.
Suzanne Marie Babich, formerly Suzanne Havala Hobbs is an American public health scientist, food writer, registered dietitian and vegetarianism activist. She was the primary author for the American Dietetic Association's 1988 and 1993 vegetarian position papers.
