Dietetics, what’s that?

As a Student Ambassador working at our open days, I am frequently asked by our guests what I’m studying. When I reply that I’m studying ‘Nutrition and Dietetics’, I usually receive one of three responses. Some nod sagely at me, others state ‘That’s about healthy eating, isn’t it?’ but most commonly, I am asked: ‘what is that?’  

To give the British Dietetic Association’s definition: ‘Dietitians are qualified and regulated health professionals who assess, diagnose and treat dietary and nutritional problems at an individual and wider public-health level.’ However, I’m not sure all our guests would find this relatable. 

To put the profession into context, I explain that Dietitians specialise in the science of how food impacts our health. More specifically, working with people who live with health conditions such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and cancer, Dietitians offer clinical support with individual nutritional needs, guiding them through food choices that help contribute to managing their medical condition as positively as possible. In the same vein as a Physiotherapist may help improve movement through designated exercises, a Dietitian works with those who require medical dietary advice to live as well as they can. 

Most people I meet then proclaim their love of food, and why not? Food is a major part of life for many, is it not? I am then asked if I eat cake, crisps, sweets, etc. You get the idea. The answer is a resounding yes - sometimes! The point I raise is that often, the misapprehension I come across around nutrition and dietetics is that in this profession, nothing but ‘whole foods’ are eaten. I can’t speak on behalf of the entire dietetic workforce, but no one I’ve encountered during my first year as a dietetic student has stated this as part of their personal or professional mantra. As my Programme Lead told me on my experience day, ‘Dietitians are not the food police’. I now have a little badge on my rucksack stating this phrase, which resonates with me. As I’m not a Registered Dietitian (yet), I politely decline to provide advice to anyone about anything, and especially not regarding their food choices!  

No doubt our guests take a great deal of information away with them - hopefully, they’ve found our university the friendly, welcoming, and safe space to learn and grow that it is. Amongst all that new knowledge, I’d also like to think that someone might reflect on the impassioned student they met in me, who is just a little in love with her Dietetics degree programme and her university. 

 

Written by Rae Waters, a BSc (Hons) Nutrition and Dietetics student. 

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