Dietitians Host Lunch, Highlight Need For Healthy Food Education

Nutritionists from Indiana held their annual lunch for lawmakers this week at the Statehouse.  

Executive director of the Indiana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Lorna O’Connell says they work with numerous organizations across the state.

"We are about health for Hoosiers through nutrition" says O'Connell. "We also want to make sure they know who to get into contact to get the correct information about nutrition and that is a registered dietician nutritionist."

Indiana has more than 2,000 registered dietitian nutritionists, or RDNs. And lawmakers are considering a bill to eliminate the dietitian certification board and move to a licensing board. 

O’Connell says RDNs aim to play a bigger role in healthy food education.

"Over the next three to five years we could make a huge turn to the health of Hoosiers if we could just get the word out there," says O'Connell. 

RDNs in Indiana support nutrition services at hospitals, schools, nursing homes and through public health agencies.