2 answers
Tressie
Student
Berkeley, California
2
Questions
Updated
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What are better ways to balance prevention and intervention in the dietetics profession?
As someone preparing for my dietetic internship, I’m passionate about preventative care and helping people build healthier habits before disease develops. However, I’ve noticed that much of dietetic work happens in inpatient settings, often after prevention isn’t an option. How do you balance the desire to focus on prevention with the reality of working in treatment-focused roles? #Fall25
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2 answers
Michelle M.
Actress
3276
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Tressie !
This is such thoughtful, awesome question !
Well, since you are in an academic path to become a Dietician, you may already know that the American Medical Association had historically set the rules for the nutrition field and defined it, but now the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the mainstream governing organization that lays out the guidelines as to what dieticians can or cannot do. That being the case, the mainstream format for nutrition does not exactly resemble holistic, prevention or natural healing, rather until the person is ill, they get a modification diet, across the board, for everyone with that illness. Root causes are not explored nutritionally. I think prevention is primarily useful through educating people at conferences or workshops, videos and other ways.
You are being taught the mainstream path for nutrition, so it's no wonder that you are seeking something that could be in addition to what would be expected in a clinical setting. This can be done, but it would mean some extra study. The best part is that once you become official as a holistic or natural nutritionist, you can have your own service and even work online or be a Nutritional Coach. People do not routinely go to health care for an analysis of their nutritional state, so prevention is very much overlooked and not too much in the main stream.
Several accredited institutions offer programs to become a natural or holistic nutritionist, with options ranging from certificate programs to doctoral degrees. The National Association of Nutrition Professionals has a list of approved schools whose programs meet rigorous academic standards, and graduates from these programs are eligible to apply for professional membership and sit for the Board Exam in Holistic Nutrition. If this is something you may want to do after you graduate, this could mean that you can have your own practice. It may be something worthwhile to look into. You could have both a clinical career and a freelance holistic career. The learning path will be very different from what they teach at University.
Your observation that when people are ill, "often after prevention isn’t an option". You may see that with holistic nutrition, it can serve as being restorative and they will teach you that illnesses come because of malnutrition. It's a completely different perspective than mainstream and can be considered strange by some people who adhere only to mainstream beliefs. So prepare to hear people's opinions if you start a path for holistic nutrition.
So I advise looking into the schools offered by The National Association of Nutrition Professionals and thinking about having a freelance service that you can do remotely or locally where you live. It's just something to think about for now. Remember that people always have their opinions about nutrition, but you have to go with what seems logical and beneficial to you.
I hope this helps and I wish you the best with your internship and in any pursuit to follow !
This is such thoughtful, awesome question !
Well, since you are in an academic path to become a Dietician, you may already know that the American Medical Association had historically set the rules for the nutrition field and defined it, but now the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the mainstream governing organization that lays out the guidelines as to what dieticians can or cannot do. That being the case, the mainstream format for nutrition does not exactly resemble holistic, prevention or natural healing, rather until the person is ill, they get a modification diet, across the board, for everyone with that illness. Root causes are not explored nutritionally. I think prevention is primarily useful through educating people at conferences or workshops, videos and other ways.
You are being taught the mainstream path for nutrition, so it's no wonder that you are seeking something that could be in addition to what would be expected in a clinical setting. This can be done, but it would mean some extra study. The best part is that once you become official as a holistic or natural nutritionist, you can have your own service and even work online or be a Nutritional Coach. People do not routinely go to health care for an analysis of their nutritional state, so prevention is very much overlooked and not too much in the main stream.
Several accredited institutions offer programs to become a natural or holistic nutritionist, with options ranging from certificate programs to doctoral degrees. The National Association of Nutrition Professionals has a list of approved schools whose programs meet rigorous academic standards, and graduates from these programs are eligible to apply for professional membership and sit for the Board Exam in Holistic Nutrition. If this is something you may want to do after you graduate, this could mean that you can have your own practice. It may be something worthwhile to look into. You could have both a clinical career and a freelance holistic career. The learning path will be very different from what they teach at University.
Your observation that when people are ill, "often after prevention isn’t an option". You may see that with holistic nutrition, it can serve as being restorative and they will teach you that illnesses come because of malnutrition. It's a completely different perspective than mainstream and can be considered strange by some people who adhere only to mainstream beliefs. So prepare to hear people's opinions if you start a path for holistic nutrition.
So I advise looking into the schools offered by The National Association of Nutrition Professionals and thinking about having a freelance service that you can do remotely or locally where you live. It's just something to think about for now. Remember that people always have their opinions about nutrition, but you have to go with what seems logical and beneficial to you.
I hope this helps and I wish you the best with your internship and in any pursuit to follow !
Yasmin Mohamed Alamin
Clinical Nutrition Student
63
Answers
Cairo, Cairo Governorate, Egypt
Updated
Yasmin’s Answer
Hi Tressie 👋🏻...
Balancing prevention and intervention in dietetics is something a lot of us think about, especially when most of the work feels reactive.
Even if you’re mostly seeing patients after problems have developed, there’s still room to weave in prevention. For example, while helping someone manage a condition in the hospital, you can teach habits they can continue at home to avoid future issues. Small conversations about meal planning, reading labels, or lifestyle changes can have a lasting impact.
Another approach is community or outpatient work alongside clinical work—like leading workshops, school programs, or nutrition counseling. That way, you’re directly supporting prevention, even if your inpatient role is intervention-heavy.
The key is to remember that prevention and treatment aren’t separate—they overlap. Every patient interaction is an opportunity to plant a seed for healthier habits, even in a treatment-focused environment. It takes creativity, patience, and a mindset that sees every small change as meaningful.
Balancing prevention and intervention in dietetics is something a lot of us think about, especially when most of the work feels reactive.
Even if you’re mostly seeing patients after problems have developed, there’s still room to weave in prevention. For example, while helping someone manage a condition in the hospital, you can teach habits they can continue at home to avoid future issues. Small conversations about meal planning, reading labels, or lifestyle changes can have a lasting impact.
Another approach is community or outpatient work alongside clinical work—like leading workshops, school programs, or nutrition counseling. That way, you’re directly supporting prevention, even if your inpatient role is intervention-heavy.
The key is to remember that prevention and treatment aren’t separate—they overlap. Every patient interaction is an opportunity to plant a seed for healthier habits, even in a treatment-focused environment. It takes creativity, patience, and a mindset that sees every small change as meaningful.