Dietitian vs Nutritionist

What is a dietitian?  What is a dietitian's salary? What is a dietitian vs nutritionist? These are just a few of the questions I am frequently asked when people hear that I am studying to be a Registered Dietitian.  I usually tell them that a Registered Dietitian requires more schooling than a nutritionist.  In this post, I will answer all of these questions, and more...
A Nutritionist is a term that is used lightly.  The word is not legally protected, so many people who advise on nutritional matters, call themselves "nutritionists," even though they have no qualifications.  One course in nutrition may be all it takes to call themselves a nutritionist.
Dietitians are obligated to meet certain professional requirements.  They are considered to be experts in food and nutrition.  A Nutritionists is NOT a Dietitian as dietitians are  registered to a national board, and accredited and nutritionists are not.
Dietitians play a role in planning meals and food guidelines for groups of people or individual people.  They prevent and treat illness by promoting healthy eating habits.  They modify diet plans and participate in research to educate people on specific eating habits.  As an example, a dietitian might teach a patient how to use less salt if they have a problem with high blood pressure.  Or a dietitian can help create a diet of reduced sugar and fat for an overweight client.
Four specialties of dietitians are clinical dietitians, community dietitians, management dietitians or consultants.
Clinical Dietitians provide their services to hospital patients, nursing facilities, and other types of institutions.  They survey the needs of patients, develop and implement nutritional programs and evaluate and report the results of said patients.  Dietitians also consult with doctors and other health care individuals to collaborate on nutritional and medical needs.  In addition, some clinical dietitians specialize in weight management or patients in care of renal (kidney), diabetic, or who are critically ill.  Clinical dietitians can also be in charge of the food care services' in the health care buildings where they work.
Community dietitians counsel individual people or groups of people on practicing healthy nutritional ways to prevent disease and promote health.  This type of dietitian works in places like public health clinics, home health agencies and health maintenance organizations.  Community Dietitians evaluate the needs of individuals and their families.  They counsel in home agencies to provide grocery shopping and food preparation to the elderly, children and individuals with special needs.
Management Dietitians work on a more large-scale planning program.  They work in, but are not limited to health care facilities.  Other facilities that management dietitians work in are company cafeterias, prisons, and schools.  Their job duties include hiring, training and directing other dietitians and food service workers.  They also budget for and buy the food, equipment and supplies for the facility's menu.  In addition, the management dietitian also enforces sanitary and safety regulations and prepare the appropriate records and reports for such sanitary stats.
Consultant Dietitians usually work under contract with health care facilities or within their own private practice.  These dietitians preform nutrition screenings for their clients and give advice on diet-related issues.  Some issues they might counsel on are weight loss and reducing ones cholesterol.  Some consultant dietitians work for wellness programs, sports teams, grocery stores and other nutrition related businesses.  They may also confer with food service managers, providing expertise in sanitation, safety procedures, menu development, budgeting and planning.
The dietitian salary can range from $44,000 to $62,000.  The average annual rate that is paid to Registered Dietitians in the United States is around $52,000.   This is the average salary for dietitians, and a dietitian supervisor's average salary in around $54,000 annually.

Check out these books for some easy to understand facts about nutrition...

Ever wonder how to make a lemon last forever? Or how to use every part of a lemon in a creative way? 

Recipe for Rice Krispie Treats

When I was a little girl, my grandparents used to babysit me.  Since I always have been in love with food, it wasn't very hard for them to entertain me. 
My grandma would always be ready for my visits with four simple ingredients.  Rice krispie cereal, mini marshmallows, peanut butter and stick butter.  the marshmallow would be way too hot for me to go near during the mixing process, so my job was always to measure out all of the ingredients.  Rice krispies treats always made me smile and they still do to this day.
When my grandma, grandpa and I would make these treats, we each had a job.  I would measure, my grandpa would stir (mostly because my grandma said he was stronger), and my grandma would mush them into the square Tupperware and cut them when ready.  I have made rice krispies treats with my grandma a couple times since my grandpa has passed, and I have assumed the position of the mixer.  It feels good to have those memories!  I loved scraping the bowl after, when all of the sticky goodness made of marshmallows and peanut butter were caked.  The process of making these rice krispies treats has become more fun than even eating them.  Although I still love to do that too!

Here is my recipe for rice krispie treats...

• 4 cups of mini marshmallows (fill the measuring cup to the top, don't stop at 4!)
• 1/2 stick of salted butter
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 4 cups rice krispie cereal

Put the marshmallows and butter into a bowl that is twice as big as the marshmallows.  The marshmallows will expand when cooking and it could get very messy!
microwave for about 3 minutes, but sand by the microwave and watch.  As soon as the marshmallows rise up and almost touch the top of the microwave, open the door to stop cooking.  Pull the bowl out and start mixing (slowly as it is extremely hot and could splash and stick to you).  Add the peanut butter and allow the heat to soften it.  Start to slowly pour in the rice krispies while you mix.  If the mixture seams to be getting too dry, stop adding the cereal.  I like mine to come out gooey and sticky.  Yumm!
While the rice krispy mix is still warm, pour it into a tupawear.  (I use a 9x9)  Then put a little butter on your hands and mash the mixture down until it is evenly compressed. 
That's it! Such a simple recipe that only takes a few minutes. 
When I was a little girl, my grandma used to cut them into little squares, but now that I am an adult, I love to pull it apart...
Now they sell the already made rice kripsie treats for snacks.  I tried them once, but there is no comparison to homemade!  Plus the peanut butter is just the right ingredient to make it the ultimate comfort snack.









Ever wondered what a Registered Dietitian is? Or how it differs from a Nutritionist?

Recipe for Apple Crisp

This is a dish that can be made "on the fly," a kitchen term used when a food item needs to be rushed.  If you have a dinner party and have no clue what to make for dessert... here you go!  All you need is four ingredients and about 45 minutes total.  It can even be baking while you are wining and dinning your guests.
Here are the four ingredients for a recipe for Apple Crisp.

• 1 can of apple pie filling
• 1 box of white or yellow cake mix
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 3/4 stick butter

In a 9x9 baking dish, spread out the pie filling.  Keep in mind that any pie filling can be used as a substitute. ( I have even tried the cherry pie filling and it is incredible as well.)  

Sprinkle half of the box of cake mix on top of the filling, evenly.  Then add the nuts atop of the cake mix.  Less or more than a cup can be used, it is all personal preference.  

Slice the butter in about quarter inch or less slivers.

Then place the butter slices on the 

dish as evenly as possible.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 - 40 minutes.  When it is golden brown and bubbling through, it is ready.  Be sure to let it sit for a couple of minutes before serving as it will continue to cook straight out of the oven.

Once it has cooled, it is ready to scoop and eat.  Try it with some vanilla bean ice cream and let me know what you think.  Enjoy!

Check out my childhood Recipe for Rice Krispies Treats.

A Passion For Food

I have always had a passion for food; I grew up loving to eat it which turned into me loving to cook it.  I became the Executive Chef for a hotel in Laguna Beach by the time I turned 26.  People in the industry know this is not an easy achievement.
Before I reached this goal of mine, I had a chef who liked to challenge me.  The Aries in me loved this!  Unfortunately I didn't love the way he went about it.  It was always, "you can't do that," or "that is not a realistic goal Kelly!"  Well, for all of you Aries out there, tell us we CAN'T do something, and we WILL prove you wrong!  I had heard someone talking about going to school to be a dietitian and wanted to know more about what that entailed.  I asked my chef what was involved to the process of becoming a dietitian; he looked at me and said, "you don't want to do that!  You will never do that, it is too much schooling!"  I tabled it for the time being, but it grew more and more in the back of my mind.
After I became an Executive Chef, I was happy with my accomplishment, but I wondered if that was it.  I knew that I would never have learned all that I could learn in the culinary arts, but I also knew that I would not be learning anything further where I was, because there was no one above me to teach and mentor me.
As I mentioned before, I love a good challenge.  So I took this opportunity to really push my goals again.  I had already accomplished some pretty large goals in my life thus far, so why not add another to the list to tackle.
I decided to go back to school to become a Registered Dietitian.  This is going to be a longer process for me, because of two reasons.  One, I only took a few community college general educational classes out of high school, because I knew I wanted to be a chef and go to culinary school.  For this reason, I have to pretty much start from scratch at a community college.  The second reason is because I also work full time during the day to pay my mortgage payment.  For this reason, night classes aren't as easy to come by.  They fill up quicker and are not as easy to take two at a time because they overlap.  I have been taking all four terms per year, trying to get as much done as my schedule possibly allows.
I am only in general ed right now, but I am super excited for my new start.  My new journey down a different avenue of food should be a very exciting one!  I can't wait to share all of my ups and downs along the way. In-between all of those posts, I will be sharing recipes I have created, tried, liked, dis-liked... and sharing all of my experiences with everyone who is just as passionate about food as me.

In my next post, I will tell you about an easy recipe for apple crisp.