But how do you choose the best sports dietitian? And what difference does it make anyway?
You need nutrition advice to get past some issues and be a better athlete, but you’re not really sure where to go. You’ve heard of sports dietitians, but don’t know what one is. And your friend down the street just went into business as a nutrition coach but you left with more questions than you came with. How do you know what to look for when you want quality nutrition information and helpful behavior change support?
What you want is the credentials Dr. Schubert has accrued in the last 20 years. She is fully qualified to work with you, your child, your significant other, your team or your athlete. She can work on their athletic goals and with their medical conditions in a respectful manner. The athlete is always the main focus in discussions.
What is a Dietitian?
Definition: a dietitian (or dietician, or in this case, a sports dietitian) is a medical professional with expertise in identifying and treating nutritional issues related to disease, performance, or public health.
Dietetic clients/patients cover all ages, medical conditions, and dietary needs. Dietitians work in clinical care, public health, environmental health and planning, business, marketing, food service, food science and private settings. Dr. Schubert is a sports dietitian, so she’s had at least some experience with all of the above.
Required education for sports dietitians is a bachelor’s degree in nutritional science that includes a variety of sciences and health sciences (biology, chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, medical nutrition therapy, food science, nutrition across the lifespan) and related disciplines (management, food service, cultural aspects of foods, community nutrition, program development, public health). Masters degrees are required starting 1/2024, although previous dietitians will be grandfathered in. Dr. Schubert has an undergraduate degree in chemistry, with a PhD in nutritional sciences – basically the biochemistry of nutrition. After a 1200 hour supervised internship, students must pass a national registration exam to earn the Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist (RDN) credential.
Because they’re members of the medical care team and they have access to health information and identifying data, dietitians must to follow the HIPAA rules. Also, in the US, the Joint Commission requires dietitians to be on staff in all facilities they’ve accredited and the International Labor Office and World Health Organization recognize dietitians as key members of medical staff.
What is a Sports Dietitian?
Registered dietitians become Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) after a sports dietitian has 1500+ hours of direct interaction with athletes. This can be one-on-one consults by phone, online or in person as well as team talks and behavior change programs. There is a certification exam to take every 5 years – if one can show that they’ve had 1000 hours of direct interaction with athletes since their last exam.
Some sports dietitians are in private practice, but many of them work for the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, professional sports teams, NCAA schools (often DI, but not always), the US military or for sports-focused medical facilities.
What is a Nutritionist?
Nutritionist is not a protected term, so it can mean… anything!
Here’s an example. Many of the big-name researchers in sports nutrition have a very focused expertise in protein or a particular supplement or gut function during exercise. They’re amazing at answering questions and providing advice in their area of expertise. But don’t ask them about breastfeeding, what to eat during chemotherapy, or food service management. They don’t know! So they restrict their advice to their area of focus.
Here’s another example. Many nutritionists set up shop after they try a myriad of diets, find one that works for them, read a couple of books about why that diet might work, and want to spread the good word. They MIGHT have an educational background in nutrition or science or public health, but most don’t. There are no educational requirements for breadth of knowledge, basic scientific principles, disease states, food science, or behavior change. And there’s no oversight unless there are state licensing laws.
In the state of IL, nutritionists need to be licensed and accrue continuing education like a dietitian. That’s something to ask about when shopping around.
Dr. Schubert is a sports dietitian, but she does use the term “sports nutritionist” in her marketing, because she knows that most of her clients don’t know about the credentials needed to get good nutrition advice.
What is a Health and Wellness Coach?
The National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches states that “health and wellness coaches partner with clients seeking to enhance their well-being through self-directed, lasting changes, aligned with their values.” They’re not credentialed mental health professionals; they’re credentialed health professionals who have learned to help their clients solve their own problems. Just as Dr. Schubert is a sports dietitian who became a health and wellness coach to expand her skills, nurses, therapists, doctors, social workers and other medical specialists have too.
What is a Nutrition Coach?
Good question! Like “nutritionist,” “nutrition coach” isn’t a protected term. Shop carefully.
You might get a full credentialed and experienced health and wellness coach with an interest in nutrition that can work on behavior change. Or you might get someone who read a book or took a weekend class and set themselves up in business.
What to Look For in a Program
Accreditation with a nationally recognized organization.
Dietitians are credentialed through the Commission on Dietetic Registration, itself credentialed through the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). NCCA is the credentialing arm of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence, the highest quality credentialling organization in the United States.
Health and Wellness Coaches are credentialed through the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches, which is accredited with the International Coach Federation. NBHWC provides their national exams through the National Board of Medical Examiners.
Educational requirements, with a specific list of topics to be covered and skills to be acquired in a set time frame.
Supervised practice with a practitioner already in the field, for a specific number of hours.
Continuing education with the credentialing organization, to be acquired in specific amounts/unit of time.
Dietitians need 75 continuing education units (CEUs) per 5 year period. Licensed dietitians in the state of Illinois need 30 CEUs/2 year licensure period.
What Does This Mean For You?
It means that Dr. Schubert is one of the most qualified sports dietitians in the area.
Also, it means that Dr. Schubert knows her scope of practice and her limits of knowledge. She has an extensive referral list for eating disorders, mental health, sports psychology and injuries, because those aren’t her areas of expertise.
Next Steps
If you’re curious what it’s like to work with Dr. Schubert, find out how the magic happens. Or just contact Dr. Schubert to get started!