9 March 2025

With International Women’s Day yesterday and RDN Day this coming Wednesday, I thought I should mention that, of the 32,000+ dietitians working in this country, most (83%) are female (here I’ll add: I do appreciate the male RDs in my life equally). The average dietitian is 41 years old - I guess that makes me above average!

Registered Dietitians (RDs) and Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) - the credential is the same, but the name has expanded - are food and nutrition experts who have graduated from an accredited dietetics program, completed a supervised practice requirement, passed a national exam and continue professional development throughout their careers.

We’re the professionals best suited to help clients improve their health through food choice. I appreciate RFK Jr’s recent push to get more nutrition education in medical school curricula (we’ve been encouraging this for years). MD’s may not have the time to devote to nutrition education in their practice, but understanding food as the base of health may inspire them to refer more patients to dietitians.

The RDs/RDNs I know work in hospitals, private practice, education, product development, media/communications, research, care homes, oncology, weight management, culinary medicine, community health, sports nutrition, integrtive medicine, nutrition advocacy, government and more. Some of us work in many of those settings at the same time. I’m not saying we’re all perfect, but every colleague I know is pretty special - and doing valuable work!

To be clear…we are NOT the food police!

As an RDN, my goal is to empower clients to transform habits in the way that suits their lifestyle, health condition(s), personal goals, ability, culture, taste and budget. Sometimes that means deeper discussions about the “why” of food choice. Influence is everywhere - we can’t escape it - so calling out misinformation or advice from unreliable sources may create the awareness needed to achieve that shift. And sometimes it’s something as simple as a food log - I highly recommend you try this.

RDNs can hold specialist credentials or specialize in any number of areas, but we have two things in common: an understanding of and passion for the incontrovertible link between diet and health. For my part, I add the link with environmental concerns. Happily, the choices for personal and planetary health are aligned.

Did you know that the only states with more RDs/RDNs than New York are California and Texas? Over 7,300 of these credentialed food and nutrition professionals work in my state, but that’s still only one RDN for every 2,700 people so I feel like I may not be pulling my weight. After all, food and nutrition has the potential to reduce chronic disease (including our #1 killer, heart disease), healthcare costs and climate impacts - all while improving quality of life, education (because malnourished children can’t learn very well) and empowerment over one’s health.

Think of a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist as your personal wellness consultant - but bound by evidenced-based data, ethical guidelines and privacy regulations. With many insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid now covering services (because it’s cost effective), accessing the individual nutrition care you need has never been easier.

If you want to learn more about RD/RDN qualifications, you can find that at the Commission on Dietetic Registration. And if you’d like to work with one of us, you can Find a Nutrition Expert (by location, specialty, insurance coverage, language) at the Academy of Nutrition Dietetics.