Dietitian are legally considered experts in food and nutrition. They often work in hospitals, outpatient clinics, community and public health settings, culinary and food services, businesses, private practices, and other health care facilities. Some dieticians may work in universities and research facilities where they teach and study the effects of food on human bodies. Dieticians help promote healthy eating habits to prevent and treat illness through supervision of food preparation and service, dietary modifications, and public education. Their role in medical facilities and nursing homes is especially important as they provide sound advice to patients on healthy eating habits and evaluate dietary treatments of diseases.
Dieticians provide an extremely reliable and unbiased source of information for the entire medical team, including doctors, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and pharmacists. They often develop dietary plans to meet the nutritional requirements of individual patients according to their medical charts.