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The History of Nutritionists

Nutrition is about getting the materials necessary for an organism to sustain life. A nutritionist is trained in the science of nutrition and is an expert regarding the vitamin and mineral content of foods, and their effects on an organism. Their history can be traced back thousands of years, and their role has evolved as man's diet has changed from consuming foods found in nature to eating more manufactured, processed foods.

  1. The Beginning

    • The beginnings of nutrition as a science occurred around 400 B.C. when Hippocrates first associated food and nutrition by proclaiming, "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food." In 1747, a British physician named Dr. James Lind discovered that lime juice could lessen the effects of scurvy. In the 1880s, Kanehiro Takaki noted that adding meat and milk to the typical Japanese rice diet reduced the risk of contracting beriberi, a disease that affects the heart and leads to paralysis.

    The Modern Age of Nutrition

    • In the 1900s, the science of nutrition began to develop. Early in the century, Carl Von Voit and Max Rubner measured the expenditure of caloric energy in animals. As the century progressed, nutritionists' role developed to where they began to more closely study vitamins, their effect on the body, and how they could be effectively added to food. In 1941, the National Research Council established the first Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) as a guide for people to consume a healthy diet.

    Need for Education

    • As the science of nutrition became more complex, the need for education, training and certification became apparent. In the United States, many states now mandate that a nutritionist meet requirements through a licensing procedure. In 1993, the American College of Nutrition established the Certification Board of Nutrition Specialists, where qualified nutritionists are given the designation of Certified Nutrition Specialist.

    Types

    • The need for different types of nutritionists has grown along with the profession. A nutrition scientist studies the components of food to understand its effects on the body. Public health nutritionists work with communities and individually with clients to determine specific nutritional needs and solve problems of nutritional deficiencies.

    Ancillary Occupations

    • Today, the need for nutrition information and study has led to the development of other areas for nutritionist-related occupations, particularly in the fitness industry. Additionally, the increase in the interest of people desiring to live a healthy lifestyle and the large numbers of aging baby boomers has resulted in a specialized branch of nutritionists that deal with the needs of older people.

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