Nutrition is a science and dieticians are the recognised experts in the field of evidence-based nutrition. There are many unscientific health and nutrition publications, fad diets and nutritional gimmicks around. When you consult a registered dietician you are protected from misleading treatments and wrong information.

“Your first thought might be weight loss, and you would be right, but that’s not all,” says the current President for the Association for Dietetics (ADSA), Rene Smallberger, “Obesity is only one of a great many nutrition-related conditions that dieticians can treat”.

Registered dieticians are qualified health professionals registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), and have a minimum qualification of a four-year scientific degree with training in all aspects and fields of nutrition therapy. This registration helps to protect the public from nutrition misinformation. “By law dieticians need to keep up to date on the latest nutritional information in order to remain registered, ensuring that anyone who makes use of their services is given the latest evidence-based information”, adds Debbi Marais, the portfolio holder for Continuing Professional development (CPD) on the ADSA Executive Committee. So, when visiting a dietician or nutrition expert you can have peace of mind, by checking for proof of registration with the HPCSA and that the notation RD (SA) as is used for registered dieticians in South Africa.

In a 2006 report, the Chronic Diseases of Lifestyle Unit & Burden of Disease Research Unit of the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) concluded that ‘Many children and adults in South Africa lead an unhealthy lifestyle. They have a high intake of energy, total fat and added sugar, and a low intake of fruit and vegetables. Many are inactive, smoke cigarettes and have a high intake of alcohol... in order to reduce the burden of chronic diseases over the next few decades we need to address these unhealthy behaviours.’

So what can a registered dietician do for you?
“Qualified and registered dieticians work in various fields,” says Sue Scharf, a private practising dietician, who consults clients and patients who need advice on nutrition therapy for their condition, or need to make lifestyle changes which would include healthy eating. The clients are then followed up with and nutritionally supported for as long as is required.

While therapeutic dieticians mainly work in a hospital setting and consult patients referred by doctors and other health care staff, the dietician, as an integral part of the patient care team, assesses and individualizes nutrition therapy.

Megan Pentz-Kluyts, a dietician working in the industry says, “Consulting dieticians offer expertise in the field of nutrition to the food, nutrition, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. We also often advise the media on nutrition-related stories; and we advise our clients on various issues such as current food labelling legislation, nutrition regulations and nutritional analyses, product development, the latest developments and trends in nutrition and nutrition related marketing activities.”

Community dieticians work for the public sector, but may also be employed by non-governmental or community-based organisations. They fulfil the vital roles of amongst others, nutrition promotion and education in communities.

Food Service Management dieticians manage the provision of healthy and specialised diets to persons in institutions such as health care facilities, correctional services, welfare care settings, school hostels or old age homes.

According to Smallberger, a number of dieticians also specialise in research and management.

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