Dietitian

A dietitian or dietician (dietitian is the official spelling used within the dietetics profession) is a food and nutrition specialist who is qualified by training and examination to evaluate people's nutritional health and needs.

Dietitians help promote good health through proper eating. They can help you decide what to eat, when to eat, and almost anything else about eating right. They supervise the preparation and service of food, develop modified diets, participate in research, and educate individuals and groups on good nutritional habits. Dietary modification to address medical issues involving dietary intake is also a major part of dietetics.

The majority of dietitians are clinical, or therapeutic, dietitians. Clinical dietitians review medical charts and talk with patients' families. They work with other health care professionals and community groups to provide nourishment, nutritional programs and instructional presentations to benefit people of all ages, and with a variety of health conditions. This is accomplished by developing individual plans to meet nutritional needs. Clinical dietitians provide individual and group educational programs for patients and family members about their nutrition and health.