Category — 3.1 The “D” Professionals

Dietitian

A dietitian is an expert in food and nutrition. Dietitians help promote good health through proper eating. They supervise the preparation and serving of food, develop modified diets, participate in research, and educate individuals and groups on good nutritional habits. In Canada, a dietitian is a professional designation, which means a person must hold a Bachelor’s degree in Food and Nutrition from an accredited university. Training is provided in different areas including food management, food science, community nutrition and others. It is important to note that the designation “nutritionist” does not refer to a “dietitian” even if dietitians have been trained as nutritionists. Dietitians have completed a specialized certification and are registered. Dietitians generally work within medical multi-disciplinary teams in hospitals, health units or clinical centres providing nutritional knowledge and acting as consultants to other health care professionals.

Pediatric dietitians provide health advice for persons under the age of 18 years. Pediatric dietitians support other health and medical professionals working with children in terms of their growth, food intake and overall physical health.