I dropped this into Friday’s Price Check, but your smart comments got me thinking that it really needs its own standalone post. So, voila! It’s what happens when good women’s mag service stories go bad. (And spout crappy nutrition advice like “live on sunlight.”)
Important fine print: I’m a big Marie Claire fan/women’s magazine junkie in general. (Plus, they’ve published my work.) And so often, they get it so right. Just not this time. Or that other time last fall.
This is awesome. I am a registered dietitian (NOT a nutritionist-there’s a difference!) After you posted the link to the MC article, I passed it around to my dietitian friends to varying reactions- anger, laughter, and sadly, resignation. We deal with this kind of thing all the time.
My main disappointment with the article is that none of the “experts” are credentialed. Let me explain: a “registered dietitian” (RD) completes a 4-year BS in nutrition or food science, which consists of classes such as organic chemistry, medical nutrition therapy, biochemistry, anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, food science and preparation, life cycle nutrition, and community nutrition. This degree is followed up with a dietetic internship, during which interns work on multidisciplinary medical teams to learn clinical nutrition in areas like oncology, weight loss, child nutrition, malnutrition, eating disorders, to name a few. ONLY after the completion of a degree and dietetic internship are interns eligible to take the RD exam. Re-certification is required every 5 years with 75 hours of continuing education. The RD credentials are legally protected; in other words, there are legal consequences for passing yourself off as an RD when you’re not.
On the other hand- there is no legal definition of “nutritionist.” Anyone can call herself a nutritionist with *no* working knowledge or experience in human anatomy, nutrition science, cooking, etc.- just a few crazy ideas about eating foods in certain orders or getting nutrition from the sun.
I have been an RD for 5 years. I completed my dietetic internship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and now I work in community nutrition education. I am disappointed with MC for putting this kind of confusing garbage out there- but the comments following the article are priceless! Let’s hope MC gets the message.