Dietitians and Nutritionists

Dietitians and Nutritionists typically perform the following tasks: • Assess nutritional needs, diet restrictions, and current health plans to develop and implement dietary-care plans and provide nutritional counseling. • Evaluate laboratory tests in preparing nutrition recommendations. • Counsel individuals and groups on basic rules of good nutrition, healthy eating habits, and nutrition monitoring to improve their quality of life. • Advise patients and their families on nutritional principles, dietary plans, diet modifications, and food selection and preparation. • Incorporate patient cultural, ethnic, or religious preferences and needs in the development of nutrition plans. • Consult with physicians and health care personnel to determine nutritional needs and diet restrictions of patient or client. • Record and evaluate patient and family health and food history, including symptoms, environmental toxic exposure, allergies, medication factors, and preventive health-care measures. • Develop recipes and menus to address special nutrition needs, such as low glycemic, low histamine, or gluten- or allergen-free. • Coordinate diet counseling services. • Develop curriculum and prepare manuals, visual aids, course outlines, and other materials used in teaching. • Plan, conduct, and evaluate dietary, nutritional, and epidemiological research. • Plan and conduct training programs in dietetics, nutrition, and institutional management and administration for medical students, health-care personnel, and the general public. • Write research reports and other publications to document and communicate research findings. • Select, train, and supervise workers who plan, prepare, and serve meals. • Make recommendations regarding public policy, such as nutrition labeling, food fortification, or nutrition standards for school programs. • Manage quantity food service departments or clinical and community nutrition services. • Monitor food service operations to ensure conformance to nutritional, safety, sanitation and quality standards. • Inspect meals served for conformance to prescribed diets and standards of palatability and appearance. • Purchase food in accordance with health and safety codes. • Develop policies for food service or nutritional programs to assist in health promotion and disease control.