Food for Thought: Career Trends in Nutrition and Dietetics
Thanks to the demographic bulge created by the baby boomers, business
is booming for nutrition experts. As the boomers age and start to look for
help in living longer, healthier lives, opportunities for dietitians and nutritionists
will grow brighter.
As more people have come to recognize the connection between good eating
habits and disease prevention, dietitians have assumed an important new role
in promoting and playing a role in the health and well-being of the population.
The field of dietetics has a wide scope, says Barb Anderson. When Anderson
isn't lecturing as an associate professor in food science and nutrition, she's
working at her local public health department.
In her community, "dietitians work primarily in small to mid-sized hospitals,"
Anderson says. "But the non-traditional side of nutrition is really on the
rise." She attributes part of that rise in non-traditional dietetics to the
boomers' growing interest in nutrition.
Non-traditional dietetics includes things like sports nutrition, food industry
consulting -- helping with consumer research, product development and marketing
-- community counseling and even physiotherapy.
Non-traditional is also descriptive of a move from publicly funded work
to privately funded work, a trend Anderson says should continue in the future.
Recent cuts to the health care system are at least partly to blame.
"Health-care cuts have damaged the delivery of the message," says professor
Linda Jacobs Starkey, university coordinator at McGill University's school
of nutrition.
"Before, the need-to-know information and nice-to-know information were
all in the same place: the hospital. Nowadays, people still receive the need-to-know
info at the hospital, but they get the nice-to-know stuff elsewhere. As a
result, private practices are really growing."
Starkey calls attention to the number of dietitians working in senior citizens'
residences. "One of the trends already starting is that dietitians are working
more and more as advisors and counselors at these homes by monitoring the
nutritional statuses of the people there."
She says this trend is only going to grow. "With all of the work that's
been done, we are healthy a lot longer. A lot of nutrition counseling will
be to work with older people that are healthy, who are looking to maintain
their well-being."
Another major trend seems to be the use of vitamins, yet another avenue
for dietitians to set up shop on.
"[Boomers] readily treat their health problems with over-the-counter medications
and they're warming up to dietary supplements," writes Alison Stein Wellner
in American Demographics.
A new feature in the nutrition industry seems to be the use of "functional
foods." These are foods that are not only nutritious, but also contain ingredients
that are beneficial to health, such as margarine with cholesterol-lowering
ingredients.
Right now, only a small percentage of the population is aware of the benefits
of these foods, but dietitians and nutritionists are spreading the news.
So if the future is looking so bright for dietitians, what do you have
to do to become one?
You need a university degree in dietetics, nutrition or a related field.
Individual states handle the certification from there, which can involve a
couple of years of supervised training and registration with a recognized
body.
Starkey says enjoying science is a key. "You need to love to learn," she
says. "And you have to be willing to commit to a lifelong learning process
because new things are always emerging -- new technologies, new studies, new
trends. You have to be the kind of person who's excited by them."
Anderson concurs. "You have to accept that the profession is always changing.
I think the key is you have to work with people instead of just telling them
what to do. The demand is there, but we must work together."
Links
Council for Responsible Nutrition
A trade association that represents over 80 nutritional
supplement companies
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
For information about the career, education and trends in the
field
International Food Information Council Foundation
A very good all-in-one site, with reliable information
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