USANA: Nutritionists vs. Registered Dieticians

Hello Usana family,

First, I want to announce that we are having our first "big" Usana presentation in Manhattan Beach, CA on Thursday, November 1st entitled "The Power of USANA Nutrition" and I hope those of you who are local can join us. Please check the events calendar for complete details.

I am a nutritionist with a Master's degree in Holistic Health/Nutritional Medicine and near completion of a second Master's Degree in Clinical Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport, a reputable program, and they provide all students with information about the difference between a Clinical Nutritionist (CN) and a Registered Dietician (RD) upon entry into the program. Here is a summary of the differences, and I thought this may help some of you when prospecting "nutritionists" or RDs.

"The Clinical Nutritionist (CN) generally maintains a philosophy that emphasizes wellness and optimal health, and is more likely to include a combination of dietary modulation, life-style modifications, the use of nutritional supplements and neutraceutical substances, and often other adjunctive modalities such as the limited use of herbs. Clinical Nutritionists often also utilize functional nutritional laboratory testing, not for the purpose of disease diagnosis, but to establish optimal versus sub-optimal levels of function in the body related to nutritional status. The legitimate training of a CN involves attending a graduate level (Master's or PhD) program at a regionally accredited university. The curriculum covers the foundations of clinical biochemistry and metabolism, research methodology, various styles of dietary intervention for optimal health and disease-specific care, nutritional assessment and laboratory analysis, and developmental nutrition. The program also heavily emphasizes the evidence-based use of nutritional supplements and nutriceutical substances for the betterment of general health and/or the complimentary management of individuals with specific health problems. (My involvement with USANA is what inspired me to obtain this Master's degree).

The Registered Dietician (RD) often comes from a much more conservative perspective and focuses mainly on the dietetics and food intake modulation to meet the needs of people who may be suffering from specific diseases, such as diabetes, kidney disease, etc. The RD may rarely utilize nutritional supplementation, but have traditionally been resistant, and often hostile, to the aggressive use of supplements." (Not all RDs are opposed to supplementation, but those I have encountered so far seem to share this philosophy.)

(Source: David Brady, Director, Human Nutrition Institute at the University of Bridgeport).

Hope this helps you when approaching "nutritionists"