Registered Dietitian

What is a Registered Dietitian and how is it different from a Health Coach

Registered Dietitian

A Registered Dietitian (RD) or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) is a health professional who has special training in diet and nutrition. RDs offer advice on nutrition and healthy eating habits to help people improve their health and well-being. RDs also help people who are recovering from illness or surgery or who have medical conditions, such as food allergies, eating disorders, swallowing problems, diabetes, heart or kidney disease, or cancer, meet their nutritional needs. RDs may provide nutritional counseling, meal planning, medical nutrition therapy (such as a special diet, dietary supplements, or intravenous or tube feedings), and nutrition education programs.

Healthicare

HealthiCare employs RDs to provide 1:1 nutrition counseling for their members. In the HealthiCare telehealth setting, members are invited from all 50 states and from other countries. Some U.S. states have a legal requirement for RDs have state licensure (in addition to being a RD) to work under the title Registered Dietitian. Healthi does not employ RDs in all 50 states. If you live in a state where Healthi does not have a licensed RD, your RD will work under the title of Health Coach.

How does this affect you?

If your RD is practicing under the title of Health Coach, your experience will likely be very similar to what it would be like if your RD was licensed in your state.

Your Health Coach CAN

• Be your personal health cheerleader, guide and partner
• Educate you about healthy choices, food, nutrition, exercise, sleep, mindfulness, and other topics
• Help you implement lifestyle changes to improve your physical health
• Help you create goals by looking at what stage of change you’re in and assist you with moving through the next stages
• Support and encourage you with health decisions you make

Your Health Coach CANNOT

• Provide Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) - nutritional management of medical diseases
• Prescribe specific diets or supplements to treat medical and clinical conditions
• Prescribe specific diets to treat symptoms of medical and clinical conditions
• Diagnose a medical condition