I Confess: I Quit School Before Becoming a Registered Dietitian
I want to start out this post by making it clear that I am not by any means bashing or downplaying Registered Dietitians. There are many good ones out there doing good work. However, I want to simply share my journey, my experience, and share with you why I didn’t take that route.
I started out my professional/educational path getting my Bachelor’s in Exercise and Sports Science. After working a few years in the field, I decided I wanted to further myself as a professional and go on to grad school. I have always LOVED nutrition. At this point, I had already worked for Eupraxia for a few years, which completely changed and shaped my viewpoints on nutrition and deepened my passion.
It was after a few years in the professional world that I decided to enroll in grad school to study Human Nutrition. At the same time, I was taking classes to work towards becoming a Registered Dietitian (RD)..two separate “degrees” so to speak. It was there I sat with 5 full semesters of work ahead of me plus a year long, full-time internship before I would have the RD credentials.
And so it began….
I remember many moments sitting in class wanting to plug my ears. It seemed that everything I was learning was so counter-intuitive to what I have seen actually work and make people feel good with my time working in the field.
It was also very opposite to what I was eating. By the way, I have been the same weight since I graduated high school and I sit without any health conditions, digestive issues, or lack of energy.
However, here I am paying $8,000+ per semester to hear my professors suggest eating fat-free dairy products and whole grains to the general public and also to those healing in a hospital bed. One of the only things I could find myself actually agreeing with was the fact that we need to eat more vegetables.
It took me one class-Nutrition 101, in my first semester, to realize my viewpoints and what I saw working with people first hand didn’t line up with those around me. I continued to have red flags as I went through my second semester, my third semester, and finally during my fourth semester something clicked.
At that point, I made a decision I know I won’t ever regret. I dropped out of the rest of the classes I needed to complete to apply for an internship to become an RD. I then had 3 classes left in my 4th semester to finish up my graduate degree. I wasn’t going to go that far and go into that much debt without at least something to come from it! After 2 years (TONS of extra unnecessary money spent on the extra classes I didn’t need), I graduated with my Master’s in Human Nutrition.
My professors and colleagues all thought I was pretty crazy and were probably wondering what the heck I would do with my life now. P.S. 4 years later, I wake up and love going to work and still not regretting my choice.
So, why did I make that decision? Simply put, I couldn’t put another dollar, another ounce of time or energy towards something I knew was wrong. If I had become an RD, I would have to continue to pay The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to keep my license up to date. This is the same organization that has these recommendations on their website:
Do I think I am any less in the nutrition industry because I didn’t finish those last 5 classes and go through an internship? No. Do I think that health coaches who receive a weekend certification are qualified to make nutritional recommendations to clients. Also, no.
Do I think you should ignore advice from all Registered Dietitians? Also, NO. As for myself, I have the educational background combined with years of practical experience to make myself well-qualified to give nutritional advice.
Would I recommend an 18 year old going off to college to become a Registered Dietitian? Absolutely not. There need to be MANY big changes made within the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics before I could ever confidently recommend that.
Who should you believe? Look at the results! The positive changes I see at Eupraxia are mind blowing. So many people that were following the advice of The Academy of Nutrition see amazing results when they switch to what works! You can find just a fraction of those results HERE.
Jordan