Voice of an Accredited Dietitian

Cooking is an art the special feeling towards food is universal. We respond well to a good meal with a delight and our memories are still fresh about the food what our grandmother has given us when we were kids. 

In those days food is the medicine and medicine is the food but in this fast world everything has got changed and food is not an exemption to put our world in great distress. We go for easy cure which medicines does which is temporary instead if we change our lifestyle then permanent cure will be there for most of our illness.

I always think food can be used as an alternative for most the ailments since my school days where I understood biology is my sole interest during my high school and wonders about our food remedies as medicines for most of the ailments. Since childhood I am a healthy person and I have not taken any medicines from a doctor and always scared of injections and tablets and refuse to visit our family doctor with the agreement of no injection and tablet apart from syrups. Simultaneously I go for Holi basil (Thusli) and sweet basil  (thiruneetru pachai) for nose congestion and enjoyed the positive changes that makes inside my body. 

When I was in my higher secondary education I was not fancy about medicine as I am always scared about blood and allied health was my natural choice . I thought if I select physiotherapy I should treat patients physically and I denied; If I select biochemistry I have to deal with samples and I denied that too. If I select diet and nutrition there would be some distance and I should use my mouth with utmost care and can heal the patients and I decided dietetics is my favorite and ultimate destiny in my profession even though I was quite interested in psychology though.

My father advised me to get statistics so that I can settle in abroad with better life style and no need to fight for my increments and to fight with people who does not have proper education but are very well experienced in what they do. He was a great visionary of my future at my age of 17 and I truly miss him in my life decisions. I put application to nutrition, psychology and statistics and received invitation from all of these courses. My father said only my decision is final and I selected nutrition and dietetics course. 

While I started my dietetics course one of our relatives asked my father as why did you put her in a cooking course?  She can study that at home itself?? And my father explained  him dietetics is not only food but it teaches the way how to use the food in a wise way in our lives and my daughter decided to change people’s life in her perspective. I have done my bachelors in nutrition, FSM and dietetics and masters with the encouragement from my mother. When I was advised by my guide and head of the department to start my career as a tutor I denied that and with thousands of dream started my profession as a dietitian. 

The role of a dietitian has come a long way ever since early 1900s unfortunately our role is still unfamiliar to many though. We are the connection between the patient and the medical team or a doctor in assisting on complicating decisions making about nutrition care. For many years and to some extent even now there is no awareness about the importance of a dietitian in our country which should be amended.

The importance of a dietitian starts from home and extends to the society. Nature has gifted us with numerous food resources and we have to use them in the right way. When this changes, disorders and diseases occurs where a dietitian’s role comes. Dietitians help to change one’s food habits which are not suitable for their health and directing towards the betterment.

Dietitians more importantly play the disease prevention role which requires discipline, exercise and more effort in the kitchen.  If everyone gets access to a dietitian it saves our economy in the sense, the overall costs we spend on tax, medicines, surgery etc. to manage the diseases like diabetes and heart diseases especially coronary heart disease which are as a result of poor eating choices over many years.

In my words, medicine should be used as complementary but I do agree as only the medical world is saving our dear and near ones in critical condition and I would like to say, if we set the base in the appropriate way through lifestyle mostly through food since childhood most of the health issues will be gone in no time. 

At this point, I would like to stress at this point that to select an appropriate dietitian who has done their proper education and not to go with any certification done and so called nutritionist or a dietitian in this world for the sake of your betterment. 

So I would say, each one of us should be aware of the importance of an Accredited Dietitian and to approach them for the prevention and cure THROUGH FOOD mostly ……..and " not to the so called Dietitian"