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What are the various career paths available for those studying nutrition?
I am transitioning to a new career and returning to school to pursue a degree in dietetics, to become a registered dietitian. I am interested in learning more about potential career paths. What path did you choose and why?
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3 answers
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Aaron’s Answer
This is a great question to be asking, especially for today's world. So there are numerous areas available for a dietician: research (food sciences and how new additives affect living environments), hospitals and doctors' offices are always in need (you are what you eat), helping those with dietary restrictions/allergies/intolerances simply navigate as to what products they are even able to use or ingest, sports medicine is including dieticians as a big part now in how athletes train, and even NASA uses dieticians to help study and suggest better ways for astronauts to stay healthy when extraterrestrial.
I'm one of those people with an allergy that prevents me from being able to eat a majority of processed foods in the USA and it's not even a food allergy. Petroleum. You may be thinking why is petroleum in that much of our food? It is disguised as artificial food dyes. That bit of information was not known, despite being used since the early 1980's in food manufacturing, until the year 2012 when a safety study was finally done about artificial dyes. A dietician was one of those researchers. Their conclusions of study were to immediately cease use of these petroleum based chemicals in any and all of our food supply chain. As America tends to do, they were ignored and people demanded more to be put in instead. In that role, you'll at least be the voice of reason in a crazy world.
I'm one of those people with an allergy that prevents me from being able to eat a majority of processed foods in the USA and it's not even a food allergy. Petroleum. You may be thinking why is petroleum in that much of our food? It is disguised as artificial food dyes. That bit of information was not known, despite being used since the early 1980's in food manufacturing, until the year 2012 when a safety study was finally done about artificial dyes. A dietician was one of those researchers. Their conclusions of study were to immediately cease use of these petroleum based chemicals in any and all of our food supply chain. As America tends to do, they were ignored and people demanded more to be put in instead. In that role, you'll at least be the voice of reason in a crazy world.
Thank you so much for your answer!
Diana
Updated
Tony’s Answer
You already have some good replies to your question, especially Zoe's reply, which you might want to use as a roadmap. Just wanted to suggest to prioritize those industries and occupations that better suit your preferences, interests, talents and personality to help focus your search. You will likely change positions/employers frequently throughout your career but figuring this out in the beginning helps minimize missteps down the road. I learned the hard way when it was too difficult to make a career change.
Updated
Zoe’s Answer
As a Registered Dietitian, I have gained experience across diverse fields, including retail (grocery stores), health coaching for a tech startup app, and working with a government agency (WIC). My passion for nutrition and dietetics has inspired me to branch out and explore various opportunities. I appreciate a change of pace, and a career in dietetics has provided me with dynamic opportunities.
More career opportunities to explore:
- Sports Nutrition (Olympics, colleges, gyms, fitness centers, military)
- Clinical (Hospitals, long-term care facilities, senior living centers, eating disorder clinics)
- Government agencies (SNAP, WIC, FDA, USDA)
- Community Health (Extension offices, outreach centers, food pantries, health departments, non-profit organizations)
- Private Practice
- Education (teacher, professor)
- Retail (grocery stores)
- Corporate Wellness (Employee wellness programs, corporate health coaching)
- Food Technology
- Food Marketing or Consulting
- Research
- Food Service (hospitals, schools, long-term care, prisons, chef)
- Media and Communications (nutrition blogger, writer, podcast)
- Home Health Care
- Outpatient Clinics
- Food Safety and Quality (auditor, analyst, manager)
Congratulations on taking the first step and good luck, Diana!
Become a student member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to stay connected with RD's to be and Dietitians: https://www.eatrightpro.org/member-types-and-benefits
Check out this link for more career insight: https://www.eatright.org/become-an-rdn
More career opportunities to explore:
- Sports Nutrition (Olympics, colleges, gyms, fitness centers, military)
- Clinical (Hospitals, long-term care facilities, senior living centers, eating disorder clinics)
- Government agencies (SNAP, WIC, FDA, USDA)
- Community Health (Extension offices, outreach centers, food pantries, health departments, non-profit organizations)
- Private Practice
- Education (teacher, professor)
- Retail (grocery stores)
- Corporate Wellness (Employee wellness programs, corporate health coaching)
- Food Technology
- Food Marketing or Consulting
- Research
- Food Service (hospitals, schools, long-term care, prisons, chef)
- Media and Communications (nutrition blogger, writer, podcast)
- Home Health Care
- Outpatient Clinics
- Food Safety and Quality (auditor, analyst, manager)
Congratulations on taking the first step and good luck, Diana!
Zoe recommends the following next steps: