Thanks for visiting!  After 10 years of being certified as a Registered Dietitian I decided to start Lifestyle Nutrition & Dietetics to help answer your nutrition questions!  I get questions daily about the latest nutrition fad or deciphering what is legit in the nutrition world.  I wanted to create a platform where your nutrition questions can be answered by a nutrition professional.  Side note; not too often do you get email or text messaging access to your Physician, Dentist, Physical Therapist without jumping through the medical hoops. Well, here you have access to your own Registered Dietitian! 

What exactly is a Registered Dietitian? And why not just go to a Nutritionist? Is there a difference? YES! A Dietitian has to complete a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics in an accredited Didactic Program… Then, complete 1200+hours in a Dietetic Internship usually working in Clinical Nutrition (Hospital), Community (like WIC), and Food Service… Then, must pass the Registered Dietitians national exam administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration! After all that you’re a Registered Dietitian or now called a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist!  Then some RD’s get their Masters…yep I did in Nutrition from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo! And then some RD’s get advanced certification…and I did as an ‘Integrative & Functional Nutrition Certified Practitioner’ and ‘Certified LEAP Practitioner’.  If you’re wondering what that is…well I can use functional labs to get to the root of many health problems.  I LOVE IT!  I love helping people feel better, empowering individuals with the knowledge of how to manage their health issue through medical nutrition therapy, and provide nutrition education to those interested. 

Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) is a therapeutic approach to treating medical conditions and symptoms via the use of a specifically tailored diet devised and monitored by a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. The diet is based upon medical records, physical exam, functional exam, and dietary history. MNT is designed to reduce the risk of developing complications or ameliorate the effects of existing conditions made worse by improper or unhealthy diets. 

A ‘Nutritionist’ is anyone else…from a person with a PhD in Nutritional Science, a person who’s completed a nutrition course of some kind, and even those that helped themselves and now want to share their nutrition knowledge.  Even you can call yourself a Nutritionist!  I think it’s awesome to want to help others through nutrition and give advice but be aware as there is A LOT of misinformation out there! I recommend looking for a RDN (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist)!!

I’m here to help decipher and steer you in the right direction with your Lifestyle in Nutrition and Dietetics; So ask away! I’ve included this video from ‘Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine’ (DIFM) part of The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics (www.eatright.org). May this give you further insight into what I do as a Registered Dietitian and how my practice can make a difference for YOU!! 

-Kim Caudill