Nutritionist vs Registered Dietitian: What’s the Difference?

A dietitian can be a nutritionist, but a nutritionist isn’t necessarily a dietitian. What the what? Although most people use the terms interchangeably, there is actually a big difference between the two.

The short answer: A dietitian has to meet specific standards in education and supervised training, as well as pass a national registration exam. And a nutritionist…just has to call herself a nutritionist.

More specifically, a registered dietitian (RD) must have at least a bachelor’s degree with coursework that has been approved by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the agency which oversees and confers professional credentials in the U.S. After completing the required coursework — which includes classes in food science and nutrition, biochemistry, physiology, medical nutrition therapy, and many, many more — students must complete 1200 hours of supervised practice from an accredited dietetic internship program. After the completion of the internship, students are eligible to take the registration exam and, after passing, use the title “registered dietitian.” In order to keep their credentials, dietitians must also keep up with continuing education requirements, so they stay up to date with the newest nutrition information.

In contrast, there is no regulating board for nutritionists, which means anyone can claim the title at any time. This isn’t to say that there aren’t nutritionists out there who are highly educated, experienced and keeping up with the latest developments in food and nutrition — there is just no way to know for sure without asking some very specific questions and hoping you can trust all the answers.

Obviously, as someone studying to be a dietitian, I am biased toward RDs. There is a reason I am going through the multi-year process of becoming a registered dietitian rather than a choosing a short nutrition training program and starting work immediately. Part of it is the greater number of job opportunities available, but I also admire the amount of learning and training RDs go through before beginning their practice. I don’t just want to be someone who knows a lot about nutrition, I want to be an expert.

You can trust that a dietitian will be a nutrition expert. That’s the biggest difference.

More Information:
• Qualifications of a Registered Dietitian at the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics

Roasted Tomato, Squash & Coconut Milk Bisque

I’m suffering from a major case of autumn envy.

On Facebook friends who don’t live in Los Angeles talk about brisk, sunny days and post photos of themselves wearing adorable trench coats and boots while I sit, sweating, in a limp tank top and stupid shorts. It’s October. It was 96°F today.

So in rebellion, I made soup.

I’ll admit there is something nice about the overlap between summer’s bursting produce and the comforting vegetables of fall. Dark red summer tomatoes are cheaper at the farmers market now, as vendors try to sell off the last of the season, and winter squash has started popping up, with names straight out of J. Crew’s fall collection. Butternut. Ambercup. Acorn.

This summer-fall hybrid time seemed like the perfect moment to try a recipe I pinned ages ago, a vegan tomato-squash bisque made with coconut milk instead of cream from the lovely blog Honest Fare. The tomatoes and squash are roasted first to concentrate their flavors, then simmered in coconut milk and vegetable stock before being whizzed into a smooth puree.

To play off the coconut, I added fresh grated ginger to the mixture and skipped the basil called for in the original recipe. I also used light coconut instead of full-fat, which I think lets the flavors of the vegetables come to the forefront: the bright tomatoes, the sweet squash. It’s a cross between a Thanksgiving-ready creamy butternut soup and a fresh summer tomato soup and I like it so much I’ve made it twice, even during this endless Indian summer.
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Summer Corn, Zucchini & Tomato Grain Salad with Lemon-Avocado Dressing

If there was ever a time to stop by a farmers market or join a CSA, this is it. Sweet corn, zucchini, eggplants, peppers, basil are cheap and plentiful and so much better than the sad plastic-wrapped versions you’ll find at Trader Joe’s. And because everything tastes so good, it takes almost no work to turn it into a quick grain-based salad full of bright colors and crunchy-chewy-soft textures.

My obsession with grain salads has been going strong for the last couple years, to the point where I actually have to tell myself, Do NOT make a grain salad! when pondering my dinner options. I can’t help it: they’re quick, adaptable, easy to load up with vegetables, and make good lunch leftovers the next day. You can eat them warm or cold. You can eat them in a house. You can eat them with a mouse. Box, fox, here, there, anywhere. I love them.

This particular salad uses a little of everything from my late-summer vegetable drawer, mixed with a lemon dressing made with avocado oil. The zucchini is prepped in my favorite way: sliced into shreds and tossed with salt to draw out some of the moisture, giving it a ton of flavor and a still-crunchy texture. The corn is cooked in its husk in the microwave, a new-to-me method that takes less than 5 minutes and has replaced my usual boiling-water bath.

And the grain I happened to have on hand is an odd find — pearled farro, which is a quicker-cooking (and less nutritious) version of farro, a type of wheat. I didn’t have a full cup left when I made the salad for these photos, so I supplemented with some quinoa. Feel free to use whatever grains you have on hand, though the size and texture of grains like barley and farro seem particularly well-suited for this combination.

Play around, use what you have on hand, add a little crumbled feta cheese if you’re feeling crazy and watch out. Because you just might get addicted to grain salads too.

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3 Heart-Healthy Oils to Add to Your Pantry

Remember the 1990s when everybody was terrified of fat and Snackwells were king? The cut-fat-out-of-everything approach turned out to be the wrong one and we’re all the happier for it. Except maybe the people at Nabisco*.

In the spirit of 2012, at the start of this year I decided to add some new heart-healthy oils to my cooking arsenal and I’ve never looked back. Here’s what I keep on hand and why:

Grapeseed oil: As I’ve mentioned, grapeseed oil is a great choice for cooking over high heat, much better than olive oil. Grapeseed oil has a neutral taste and very high smoke point, so I use it for nearly all my cooking. It’s also high in vitamin E and polyunsaturated fats, which help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and increase HDL (good) cholesterol.

Walnut oil: I’ve fallen in love with this nutty, super-healthy oil, which is rich in antioxidants and is a great source of alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 essential fatty acid that decreases blood clotting and inflammation in the body. Beyond that, it just tastes really good — and I don’t even like walnuts generally. Its delicate flavor is lost when it is heated, so I use it in vinaigrettes or drizzled over soup. Store it in the fridge to keep it from going rancid.

Avocado oil: Like olive oil, avocado oil is high in monounsaturated fats, as well as vitamin E. This is the priciest oil of the bunch, so I don’t use it very often, but when I do, I keep it simple, drizzling it over vegetables and fish, or mixing it into a creamy cilantro dressing. Avocado oil should also be stored in the fridge; it will get cloudy, but will clear up again when it comes to room temperature.

I also keep an unrefined extra-virgin olive oil on hand, which I mostly use for vinaigrettes (can you tell I love vinaigrettes?) or for drizzling over already-cooked ingredients, since the flavor is so much better if there is no heat involved. And I occasionally cook with virgin coconut oil when its intensely coconutty flavor and scent are appropriate.

In general, look for oils that are expeller-pressed, which means the oil is extracted by pressing the seed/nut/fruit rather than by using a solvent like hexane.

Upgrading your oil collection isn’t cheap, but unless you’re swigging the stuff, each bottle will last you awhile. And your happy heart will thank you.

 

* Is it just me or does the new Snackwells campaign have a Fifty Shades of Grey S&M vibe? Because nothing goes with patent leather stiletto boots like individually-portioned fudge pretzels!

Friday Links: September 7, 2012

Thanks to Amazon Instant Video, I’ve been catching up with Julia. (Follow me on Instagram: anjaliruth.)

 

What I’ve been reading:

• Introducing Microgreens: Younger, And Maybe More Nutritious, Vegetables – NPR

• I’m Sick of Food in Martini Glasses – Bon Appetit

• Regulations do change eating behavior – Food Politics

• The Truth About Sugar – Eating Well

 

What I’ve been cooking (on The Kitchn)

• Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs

• South African Cheese, Grilled Onion & Tomato Panini (Braaibroodjie)

…and thinking about cooking:

• Black and Arborio Risotto With Beets and Beet Greens – The New York Times

• Fermented Fruit Kvass – Green Kitchen Stories