Nutrition Outlook

with Annette Maggi, Registered Dietitian

You Tell Me – Are Chefs Nutrition Experts?

I’m trying to decide whether to be ticked off or not.  Here’s what set me off:

Chefs Move to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids

This headline appeared in my email inbox this morning.  As a part of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, the group has called on chefs across the country to partner with schools to help kids build healthier eating habits. 

Really, chefs pushing healthy eating habits?  When you go out to eat, is it obvious in the menu that the chef is interested and knowledgeable about nutrition?  How are the portion sizes in restaurant foods?  How many “fried” foods are offered?  How often is fruit offered as a dessert? 

I took a look at the curriculum offered in the Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary Arts at the Culinary Institute of America to better understand the nutrition training that chefs might have.  From the curriculum listed online, six credits are dedicated to nutrition in this four-year program.  For desserts, there are more than 15 credits offered.  Really, chefs are who the Let’s Move group sees as the authorities on nutrition??

Hello, have you not heard of a group of 70,000 credentialed health professionals called dietitians who are the nutrition experts?

I can’t decide whether to be ticked off or not because I don’t know if it’s dietitians’ fault for not getting to the Let’s Move group and showcasing who and what dietitians are and how we can help drive this movement or whether it’s the Let’s Move group’s fault for not doing their research and reaching out to credentialed nutrition professionals.

So, I’m sitting here stewing. . .

Visit www.nuval.com to try a nutrition scoring system developed by a team of leading credentialed nutrition and health professionals.

June 7, 2010 | Categories Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

4 Comments »

  1. Comment by Audrey Nelson | June 10, 2010 @ 9:17 am

    I totally agree with your blog this morning – it would make the most sense that dieticians/nutrition professionals would be the most credible resource. However, they’re not quite as sexy or cool as chefs. Annette – you’re cool, you could take them on. Write a letter to Michelle.

    Also – I wonder if they’ve made nutrition too complicated. Whatever happened to the basic 4 – you could understand it, it was easy to eat around. I know there are many other factors – but when the Basic 4 was in place, obesity wasn’t as prevalent as it is now.


  2. Comment by Eric Esterling, RD | June 13, 2010 @ 3:46 pm

    As a dietitian, something that ticks me off is dietitians being elitist about their hold on nutrition knowledge. Plenty of chefs are knowledgeable enough to make a difference. And there is nothing in that article that holds them up as “nutrition experts.” They are, however, vital gatekeepers. I’m happy to hear that chefs are on board with improving kids nutrition. Dietitians will make excellent advisors to those gatekeepers, but are not in a position to make a substantive difference. The chefs are on the front-line. Without their cooperation, what we teach won’t make it to the table.

    The article is nothing but good news for dietitians. It is vital that chefs be on board with the concept of serving healthier foods. This is an opportunity for dietitians to cooperate with those chefs, sharing their knowledge to create meals that are both healthy and tasty.

    The best way for dietitians to make a difference is to stop being protective of their turf and get out there making alliances with people in a position to make a difference.


  3. Comment by Mairlyn Blasiar | June 14, 2010 @ 11:58 am

    Annette- I agree with you. In response to comments- I agree that Chefs get the food to the table- and how to cook and they are definately our allies in the Eat Smart Eat Healthy message. Please remember that RD’s know how the food impacts our bodies, the right combination of foods, vitamins, minerals and medical nutrition therapy. When it comes to losing weight and doing it healthfully- it is going to take all of us – RD’s and Chef’s to get the message out there. RD’s need to be at the table – and part of the program! We should be there along with the Chef’s. We bring different skills and knoowledge to the program. RD’s are the nutrition experts- we have the education, training, and testing to prove that. It is obviously different from that of a Chef – but we can work together. We need RD’s at that table!!!! They We (it is a national issue) need the medical nutrition guidance that we have!


  4. Comment by Samantha Cernock | June 16, 2010 @ 6:37 am

    I completely agree with you! This is at the core of the problem in the United States. So many are so uneducated when it comes to matters of health.


Post Comment

RSS Feed Comments