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Here is a letter I sent to help in Colorado. I am a registered dietitian who opposes licensure and I am more than happy to send a letter to any group that needs it.

As a property owner in the state of Colorado, I would like to express my concern about the rules being developed to implement Colorado Dietitian Bill HB1060.

I am a registered dietitian in the state of Texas and can testify to the inadequate training of dietitians. Most of our education and the majority of our exam is focused on food service, not nutrition counseling or wellness. We get basic biochemistry and learn one approach to feeding people in diseased states (usually in a hospital setting), but we do not learn how to use real food, vitamins, minerals, herbs or antioxidants to restore health. We are taught that these things are useless and that no one needs more than the RDA of a nutrient.

I have seen improved health in my clients with the use of supplements and real food. One client had been trying to get pregnant for over a year. I put her on a whole foods diet with plenty of saturated fat and cholesterol and supplements of iodine, glandulars and the herb vitex. She was pregnant within three months and delivered a healthy baby boy. I learned about iodine, glandulars, herbs and the importance of saturated fat and cholesterol in supporting pregnancy on my own, outside my formal education. Using a high saturated fat diet and supplements goes against everything I was taught in school, yet it gave my client a better quality of life and the joy of becoming a mother. It was in the best interests of my client to ignore what I was taught in school.

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) is heavily funded by the food industry so their health messages support that industry and the use of processed food. When I was a member of the ADA, I received processed food in the mail frequently, such as granola bars, Splenda, Equal and candy bars. The candy bars came with a note from the company dietitian telling me how I could help my clients incorporate a candy bar into their meal plan as part of a healthy, well balanced diet. I don’t think my clients need a candy bar to balance out their diet and I don’t think that kind of advice should be the only advice allowed.

While there are some very knowledgeable dietitians out there, having the credential of RD does not qualify someone to dispense accurate, sound nutrition information. Other credentialed nutritionists (CNS, CCN, chiropractors, etc) are just as qualified, if not more so, than a dietitian. It really depends on the person, rather than the credential. Anyone who is open to new ideas and keeps up with the latest research is better qualified to give out nutrition information than a dietitian who only does what they were taught to do in school.

It will be a disservice to citizens in your state to only allow Registered Dietitians and nutritionists supported by the American Dietetic Association to dispense nutrition information.  Consumers deserve to have a choice and many now prefer alternative approaches to health rather than what is promoted by the mainstream because they have not been helped by the mainstream advice. Dietitians do not have adequate training in alternative therapies, so we need other nutritionists who are qualified in alternative approaches. Above all, we need choice. That is what democracy is all about, the freedom to choose what is best for self and family.

I am concerned that this will affect a citizen’s choice to adequately protect their health and the health of their family. They should have the right to choose nutritional therapy from a variety of professionals coinciding with their personal health and nutritional philosophy. The rules seem to favor the Registered Dietitian without recognizing the value of other nutrition credentials or professionals with training in nutrition, and serve only to create a monopoly for them, and restrict choice for citizens.

Please protect the rights of Colorado citizens and the practice of nutrition and dietetics with a no vote on Colorado Dietitian Bill HB1060.  Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Annette Presley RD

Post edited 9:15 am – February 26, 2012 by Robert K. Su MD

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