Celebrate Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day!

March is National Nutrition Month®

Each year during March, we celebrate National Nutrition Month®, which is an annual nutrition education and information campaign sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

National Nutrition Month® focuses on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. This year’s theme for National Nutrition Month® is Personalize Your Plate, which supports the philosophy that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition and health. We are all unique with different bodies, goals, backgrounds and tastes!"

Throughout March, different content themes emerge - including Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day - which is today, Wednesday, March 10th, 2021! Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) Day honors the training, education, expertise, and contributions of RDNs and Dietetic Technicians, Registered (DTRs), by acknowledging and recognizing them as the food and nutrition experts.

What makes Registered Dietitian Nutritionists and Dietetic Technicians, Registered, the food and nutrition experts? And why should you work with one? Here are a FIVE REASONS:

Registered Dietitian Nutritionists are the food and nutrition experts who can translate the science of nutrition into practical solutions for healthy living.
Registered Dietitian Nutritionists have degrees in nutrition, dietetics, public health or a related field from well-respected, accredited colleges and universities, completed an internship, passed an examination and maintain continuing education.
Registered Dietitian Nutritionists use their nutrition expertise to help individuals make personalized, positive lifestyle changes.
Registered Dietitian Nutritionists work throughout the community in hospitals, schools, public health clinics, nursing homes, fitness centers, food management, food industry, universities, research private practice and more.
Registered Dietitian Nutritionists are advocates for advancing the nutritional status of Americans and people around the world.

Bottom line: Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. But, only an RD or RDN, or DTR, has completed multiple layers of education and training established by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics.

RDNs are uniquely qualified to work as part of medical care teams in hospitals, outpatient centers, and private practices. They can opt-in to accept insurances. They specialize in an array of conditions, diseases, and stages across the lifecycle, including (but not limited to!):

Preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum nutrition
Lactation education, infant and childhood nutrition; pediatric nutrition
Adolescent nutrition
Disordered eating and eating disorders
Adult nutrition and aging nutrition
Managing diabetes, high blood pressure, or other chronic diseases
Digestive issues; weight management; sports nutrition and athletic performance
Healthy living skills like cooking, grocery shopping, visiting farmers' markets, getting physical activity and exercise, and more
...and more!

I am personally thrilled with this year's theme!

My practice embraces Intuitive Eating ® and Health At Every Size®. I uniquely translates principles of these philosophies into pediatric nutrition and family feeding to empower parents and caregivers to raise children who have a healthy relationship with food and their body. I also help parents ditch the parenting guilt so that they can stress less and feel more confident that their actions are fostering confident, independent, and healthy kids. I think that this month's National Nutrition Month® Theme of Personalize Your Plate embraces this philosophy and allows practitioners who adopt weight-neutral and non-diet approaches the flexibility to really modify the campaign materials to get this point across.

There is a lot of work that needs to be done to heal our society's relationship with food and reclaim trust and respect for bodies of all shapes and sizes. I think that this is exciting, and happy to be part of the movement, and accept the challenge. Do you? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Happy Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day, and Happy National Nutrition Month!

Send love to your favorite Registered Dietitian Nutritionists today!

I am sending you my love by sharing a few Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day and National Nutrition Month® FREE RESOURCES:

16 Event Ideas for Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day

Free Handouts:

20 Health Tips 2021_English_Final

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Download PDF • 687KB

Smart-Snacking Tips for Adults and Teens

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Smart-Snacking Tips for Kids 2021_Englis

Download • 707KB