The ADSA FAQ about Dietitians

What is a Dietitian?

• A qualified health professional registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA)

• who has a minimum qualification of a four year scientific degree

• with training in all aspects and fields of nutrition therapy

   
Click here to view the Regulations defining the Scope of the Profession of Dietetics.

What can a Dietitian do for me?

Your first thought might be weight loss, and you would be right, but that’s not all… obesity is only one of a great many nutrition-related conditions that Dietitians can treat. Nutrition is in fact one of the cornerstones of good health for all.

Some of the well known conditions managed with nutrition therapy:

• diabetes, heart disease (high blood pressure, high cholesterol), liver disease, kidney disease, cancer, HIV / AIDS, TB, throat, stomach and intestinal disorders (IBS, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, constipation, flatulence, diarrhoea)

• food allergies and intolerances

• eating disorders

Other nutritional advice would include:

• sports nutrition and

• the various stages during a person’s lifecycle i.e. pregnancy, infancy, childhood, adulthood right through to old age

Why do Dietitians need to be registered?

Nutrition is a science and Dietitians are the recognised experts in the field of evidence-based nutrition. There are many unscientific health and nutrition publications, fad diets and nutrition gimmicks around – when you consult a Registered Dietitian, you are protected from misleading treatments and misinformation.

• Registration protects the public from nutrition misinformation
• By law Dietitians need to keep up to date on the latest nutritional information in order to remain registered, ensuring that anyone who makes use of their services is given the latest evidence based information
• All Registered Dietitians will gladly provide proof of registration upon request. In fact you should ask to see proof of registration with the HPCSA when you see anyone claiming to be a nutrition expert
• RD(SA) is the notation used for Registered Dietitians in South Africa

What do foreign qualified Dietitians need to know before registering to practise in South Africa?

All the information a foreign Dietitian, nutritionist or food service manager needs to know can be found in the following file. Click here to open it.