Growing importance of Registered Dietitians
March 5, 2014
National Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day is celebrated annually on March 12. The work done by dietitians has recently become more known to the general public, they are valuable assets to increasing and maintaining healthy communities. Dietetics has a job outlook of nearly double the average growth rate for most occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the coming years, the number of dietitians is expected to keep growing. There are various reasons for meeting with a dietitian. Whether it be for weight loss, treating an eating disorder or developing a healthier diet.
Iowa State University has a number of registered dietitians on staff, particularly in the College of Human Sciences. The athletic department even has their own dietitian consultant, Meagan Burnham.
Burnham typically meets with student athletes one-on-on. Burnham helps to find balance between diet and physical activity, determine the best nutritional treatment for an illness or injury, how to improve diet, as well as their sport performance. Burnham provides nutrition education, cooking classes for athletes and a variety of other requests from Iowa State athletic teams. Additionally, Burnham teaches Nutrition for Sport Performance, FS HN 102, a one credit elective course.
As a student athlete at Virginia Tech, the Sports Dietitian spoke to Burnham’s team about the impact of nutrition in athletic performance. Wanting to excel in her own sport, she began meeting with the dietician and found her self becoming increasingly interested in nutrition. This eventually led to her successful competition of a dietetic internship, licensure as a Registered Dietician, and graduation with a Masters degree in public health.
In her position as Iowa State’s Collegiate Sports Dietician, Burnham emphasizes the importance of working with the athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, and team coaches to gain a broad understanding of what the athletes are doing day to day. “With 16 teams, and one of me, there is a lot that I don’t know in regards to the specific training and weight room workouts the athletes are doing each day. I want to know how the athlete is progressing in terms of strength training, recovering from injury, or illness, and where the athlete is for their competition season, i.e. are they in the thick of their season, are they in the midst of a heavy training cycle, are they tapering for a competition, or are they in their off season? All these factors, and more, should be considered when I counsel an athlete for how they need to supply the correct balance of energy to their working bodies. Food not only supplies the energy their body needs, but it will also play a critical role in helping the athlete stay injury free, and helping their bodies recover faster, better and stronger. “
