Why Nutrition Sciences?
Eating is one of life's greatest pleasures! The news media and marketing industry are bombarding us with more information than we can process about the miraculous benefits of foods and, at the same time, warning us of the potentially harmful effects of foods. There are advertisements about nutraceuticals, phytochemicals, functional foods, herbs and dietary supplements. In a health care setting, we may be determined to help a critically ill patient. On the playing field we wonder if a dietary supplement may help improve athletic performance.
Where do we begin to find answers to these questions and more? Nutrition Sciences may be the field of study you have been looking for! Come join us as we use an evidence-based approach to medical nutrition therapy and nutrition counseling.
The study of nutrition is popular.
Today, public awareness in nutrition is very uplifting as the public looks for ways to take control of their own health. The increasing number of baby boomers is driving a new surge of interest in healthy eating that will lead to healthy living, well into active retirement years. Nutrition is very popular among the sports-minded and the daily jogger. Finding the right fuel for the right event may make or break an Olympic medal. Our insatiable quest to develop new foods using biotechnology introduces more questions. For example, does the general public want to know if there are fish genes in a new tomato species, designed to withstand cold temperatures in cold growing climates?
Persons knowledgeable about nutrition are needed to answer some of these popular questions.
Nutrition is central to preventive medicine.
How many heart attacks can be prevented through proper nutrition? Strokes? Cancers? Birth defects? Blindness? How many young children can be sheltered from the social anguish of obesity? Although it is difficult to provide numbers for each of these questions, we have known for decades that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Emerging, slowly but surely, is the scientific support for the role of nutrition in the prevention of disease. The role that folic acid, a B vitamin, plays in the prevention of neural tube defects, is just one recent example of the emerging science behind the health benefits of foods and nutrients.
Nutrition is an integrated science.
Nutrition draws from both the basic and applied sciences. A strong understanding of nutrients as chemicals and how the body handles these nutrients is fundamental to nutrition and dietetics. Thus, the curriculum for Nutrition Sciences students requires courses in general chemistry, organic chemistry, anatomy and physiology, microbiology and statistics. At the same time students must also become the food and nutrition experts, knowing the fundamentals of food service management, food purchasing, and food science. Thus, courses in the Department of Food and Beverage Management are also required.
Medical nutrition therapy (MNT) is gaining legal ground.
Our congressional leaders are recognizing the value of nutrition in today's health care environment. In 2002 legislation went into effect that makes dietitians eligible providers of medical nutrition therapy services in Medicare Part B for patients with diabetes mellitus and renal disease. The ADA continues to advocate the effectiveness of medical nutrition therapy in the treatment of cancer, osteoporosis and HIV/AIDS. In the future, it is likely that legislation will expand to support medical nutrition therapy for many more disease states.
Hunger is domestic and international.
All food and nutrition professionals are affected by hunger and environmental issues, however, some have chosen to focus their careers specifically on issues related to how our food is grown, how our eating affects the environment in which we live, and who gets the food which is produced. They may be working with a food reclamation project, making restaurant 'extras' available for the homeless or a government employee with EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program), WIC ( Women, Infants and Children) or the FAO/WHO (Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization). Regardless of their title, they believe that all people have access to food from a healthful, sustainable environment.
Preparation for professional programs in the health sciences. A degree in nutrition also provides an excellent foundation for students continuing their education in the health sciences, i.e., medical school, dental school, or physical therapy. In Nevada, students desiring a professional program in health care are encouraged to consider the University of Nevada, School of Medicine, the UNLV School of Dental Medicine and the UNLV Physical Therapy Program. A degree in Nutrition Sciences provides an excellent undergraduate program from which to apply to these professional programs. In most instances only a few additional courses are needed to fulfill the required courses for admission to these professional graduate programs.
What jobs can graduates in Nutrition Sciences expect to find upon completion of this program?
Graduates will have a B.S. degree in Nutrition Sciences. They may also have chosen to complete the requirements set by the Commission on Accreditation of Dietetic Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) for the Didactic Program in Dietetics. If the student goes on to complete the requirements to be come a Registered Dietitian (completing the CADE accredited dietetic internship and passing the national Registration Examination for Dietitians) they will have earned the Registered Dietitian (R.D.) credential. With the R.D. the graduate's career choices are much broader enabling them to be eligible for positions as clinical dietitians in hospitals and other health care facilities, such as long term care agencies.
Nutrition Sciences graduates may also enjoy helping professional or student athletes in sports ranging from sprinting to stock car racing. Others may find employment in health clubs, spas, or neighborhood gyms. Others may work in food service for corporations, schools, airlines and the military. Those with inquiring minds may prefer the laboratory, conducting experiments for quality assurance departments, new products offices or drug companies to delineate metabolic pathways. As a young, emerging science, nutrition will be offering opportunities in the future that today are unforeseeable.