The anti-dietitian empire

Don’t hate dietitians because what we tell you doesn’t match up with what you want to hear or what a celebrity said.

Don’t believe what the anti-dietitian empire or some of the celebrities say either: “The information we’re being fed from our Government dietary guidelines and dietitians is wrong”.

Why?

In case you are not already aware, dietitians undergo a minimum of 5 years of university training in accredited universities to become qualified in providing medical nutrition therapy. We use thorough evidence as the basis for all our advice. Might I mention that we are the only nutrition professionals recognised by the Australian Government, Medicare, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Our recognition would not carry such weight if we were, in fact, wrong.

Have you ever visited a doctor that has treated or cured your condition? Most, if not all, of us have, and that is because they stuck by what the evidence told them in helping individuals to manage and treat their conditions. Have you recovered from a bad flu, been saved from a life threatening situation, or entered remission after cancer treatment? They have used evidence. You wouldn’t ask a stranger with no qualifications to give you medications, or expose you to radiation to treat your cancer, would you?

And like doctors, we dietitians do not give advice that does not have robust evidence to back it up. Our evidence is not based on testimonials, nor are our guidelines based on a handful of people that agree just with what you want to hear. We also won’t tell you that a particular food or supplement is good just because we are selling something or launching a new product that will give us more $$ in our back pocket.

Sure, there are controversial issues that come up everyday, such as coconut oil, or eliminating wholegrains and dairy, and we acknowledge that you are entitled to your own judgement, but what we suggest is based on evidence. It is scientifically backed up. And until we can find evidence to suggest that coconut oil is good for you, or that wholegrains are bad for you, we will not advocate it.

At the end of the day, we provide you with the facts only for one reason –  to empower you to live a healthier and happier lifestyle.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.