Dietitians and Nutritionists

What Does a Dietitians and Nutritionists Do?

Plan and conduct food service or nutritional programs to assist in the promotion of health and control of disease. May supervise activities of a department providing quantity food services, counsel individuals, or conduct nutritional research.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• 1Assess nutritional needs, diet restrictions, and current health plans to develop and implement dietary-care plans and provide nutritional counseling.
• 2Evaluate laboratory tests in preparing nutrition recommendations.
• 3Counsel individuals and groups on basic rules of good nutrition, healthy eating habits, and nutrition monitoring to improve their quality of life.
• 4Advise patients and their families on nutritional principles, dietary plans, diet modifications, and food selection and preparation.
• 5Incorporate patient cultural, ethnic, or religious preferences and needs in the development of nutrition plans.
• 6Consult with physicians and health care personnel to determine nutritional needs and diet restrictions of patient or client.
• 7Record and evaluate patient and family health and food history, including symptoms, environmental toxic exposure, allergies, medication factors, and preventive health-care measures.
• 8Develop recipes and menus to address special nutrition needs, such as low glycemic, low histamine, or gluten- or allergen-free.

Required Skills

• Reading Comprehension
• Active Listening
• Speaking
• Critical Thinking
• Monitoring
• Writing
• Learning Strategies
• Active Learning
• Allergenic diet software
• Aurora FoodPro
• Axxya Systems Nutritionist Pro
• BioEx Systems Nutrition Maker Plus
• Compu-Cal Nutrition Assistant
• Cronometer
• CyberSoft NutriBase
• Database software
• DietMaster Systems DietMaster
• ESHA Research The Food Processor

Dietitians and Nutritionists Salary