Zelenn Wrote:Thanks for the links.

I found this:

Central Arizona College - Degree Requirements - Dietetic Technician AAS

And these courses seem like what I'm looking for. This pathway ends with a AAS as a Dietetic Technician. That's more what I lean towards. Nutritional counseling and diet planning. I'd also like to teach people how to cook simple healthy meals (I love to cook.)

Now, the question is "How do I make something like this faster and less expensive?"

I don't suppose you can test out of a degree in Dietetics? I haven't seen too many Nutrition CLEPS lol.

I'm wondering if it wouldn't be a good idea to test out of a generic AS in General Studies from Charter oak and then bring that degree to a distance learning school like Central Arizona College and just add their Nutrition courses to a degree I'd already have?

Thoughts?

And, I know I'm gonna get smacked in the mouth for this, but what exactly are Charter Oaks requirements for an AS degree? I've been to their website and I found this:

Charter Oak State College - General Eductaion Requirements

Its the degree requirements, but its for their BA degrees. Is there something that I'm missing? Perhaps a link on their website I've missed?

cookderosa Wrote:>>

Just so you're aware, diet techs work in hospitals and nursing homes putting food on trays, they don't cook and they'll lose their licenses if they do ANY COUNSELING at all. Regulations are very clear, and each state has very specific laws as to what you can call yourself. (nutritionist, etc. are all regulated heavily)

sanantone Wrote:For what purpose? Do you want to become certified or licensed? The simplest method would be to call CAC and ask them how many CLEP credits they'll accept. Attending Charter Oak and then CAC would make the process more expensive and longer. You'll be taking more tests/FEMA courses than you need to get an associate's in nutrition. COSC also requires a cornerstone course for its associate's programs. You can't transfer your test out credits from COSC to CAC. CAC will require a CLEP transcript to be sent directly to them, and they will determine which tests they will grant credit for. Applying to COSC, sending transcripts to them, paying their fees, and taking their cornerstone course just makes the process more complicated. And, you probably still wouldn't have the needed degree in nutrition in order to become certified/licensed.

You need to look into what your state requires. If your state doesn't require that dietetic technicians be registered, then you need to look at what employers require. If you don't need any kind of special certification, then just complete some of the natural health certificates at Penn Foster.

Zelenn Wrote:I like where you're going with this. I'd like to be licensed as a dietician, but as an interesting benefit of the fitness/ health/ wellness community, it's fairly unregulated (for now and I bet it's driving our government crazy just thinking about a group of people they don't have total control over. ) and I may not need a degree to make my mark in this field. I could 'cert stack.' Not sure if that's a real term, I kinda just made it up, but that doesn't matter right now-- I know that being a CPT (Certified Personal Trainer) is enough to work with people and get them moving on the path towards a better healthier body, and the awesome life that goes with that. But legally, it falls short in nutritional aspects. I can't legally tell anybody "eat this not that"... "Lets tailor your diet to get you fat adapted as opposed to sugar adapted"

sanantone Wrote:If you want to become a dietitian, you're going to need more than the associate's degree from CAC. Your state will more than likely require a bachelor's degree. They might even require ACEND accreditation. You would also need an internship. ACEND requires 1200 hours. Now, you can call yourself a natural health consultant without being a dietitian. You probably won't get a job in any clinical setting except for maybe a chiropractor or naturopath's office, but you could open up your own business or do something at a health foods store. I think only 14 states license naturopathic doctors. Chiropractors and acupuncturists are probably licensed in all 50 states, but I can't remember.

I haven't gotten into any special diets, but I am into home remedies and natural treatments. When my vet was pumping expensive medicine with a lot of side effects into my dog that did nothing, I turned to home remedies that worked well.

Zelenn Wrote:I'm glad you found something that worked for your dog. Herbal medicine is a hobby of mine.

OK, so it seems that I need to be very clear and careful on words here. A "Dietetic Technician" as far as my research has revealed, is trained and credentialed to be a Registered Dietician's assistant, but could go into business for himself (i.e. consulting, counseling,) if he wanted to. A "Dietary Aide" is usually an employee at a hospital or nursing home that works in the kitchen on the tray line, setting up residents trays and such, but does not cook. I was a CNA in a nursing home and that's what we called them.

What I want, is the legal wiggle room to recommend/ instruct/ (dare I use the word?) 'prescribe,' clients to adopt certain eating habits to facilitate their health/ wellness goals. I want these 'dietary recommendations/ instructions/ 'prescriptions,' to be based on clinically proven scientific knowledge (I don't want to hurt or scam anybody). I also want to be protected form legal/ political backlash if some guy happens to be unknowingly allergic to something I recommend. "I'm suing you, cuz you said, 'Eat more chicken.' and I'm, allergic to chicken and I faceplanted my chicken alfredo last night, so here's my $4000 medical bills. BTW Bryan, thanks for helping me draw a disability paycheck for the rest of my life."

I'm being a little overdramatic, but I trust you get the point.

Quote:DTRs work under the supervision of a registered dietitian (RD) when in direct patient/client nutrition care in practice areas as:
Hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, retirement centers, hospices, home health-care programs and research facilities conducting patient/client screens, gathering data and performing assigned tasks to assist RDs in providing medical nutrition therapy.
DTRs may work independently in providing general nutrition education to healthy populations in a variety of settings as:
Schools, day-care centers, correctional facilities, restaurants, health-care facilities, corporations and hospitals, managing employees, purchasing and food preparation and maintaining budgets within foodservice operations.
Women, Infants, Children (WIC) programs, public health agencies, Meals on Wheels and community health programs, assisting registered dietitians with the implementation of programs and presentation of classes for the public.
Health clubs, weight management clinics and community wellness centers, helping to educate clients about the connection between food, fitness and health.
Food companies, contract food management companies or food vending and distributing operations developing menus, conducting nutrient analysis and data collection, and overseeing foodservice sanitation and food safety.

Zelenn Wrote:cookderosa: Thanks for chiming in.

Paleo has mountains of scientific evidence and a growing network of Paleo RD's and Physicians who accept the science behind Paleo. Paleo is difficult for many to accept because it flies in the face of everything we've been taught and everything Big Pharma and Big Agra subsidize. Its hard to tell the massive political and financial structures funding grains, dairy, and soy that "Hey, we're going to eat our evolutionarially effective diet of meat and veggies, with boat loads of omega 3's and stay away from all your antinutrient containing grains, acidic and inflammatory dairy products, and your crazy genetically modified soy and the laundry list of problems that go with them. We've decided that saturated fat and cholesterol is actually, kinda necessary... oh and we're going to value magnesium over calcium since they use the same absorption pathways and all the calcium you're dumping into our foods is choking out our magnesium intake. We're also going to stop working ourselves into a neurotic mess over money and start going to bed at a reasonable hour. We also think its healthy to sleep for 9-10 hours in total darkness, but when were up we're going to expose large portions of our bodies to that dreaded enemy in the sky SUNLIGHT... and... we're not going to use sunscreen GASP!"



You can't tell that, even with stacks and stacks of peer reviewed scientific evidence, to the powers that be.

cookderosa Wrote:You may find good philosophical fits in the alternative medicine schools. I'd caution you to try and find an accredited one, but these schools are likely where you'll find a lot of support for WELLNESS through food as a lifestyle. This program is accredited and may be a good fit for you. Good luck! Nutrition Degree Programs | Bastyr University