Careers in Nutrition and Culinary Arts: What's Out there for Me?

Written by Kristen Rohrer, Culinary Institute of Virginia Nutrition and Arts and Sciences Faculty Member

We live in a rapidly changing world where modern citizens are thinking more about eating to live instead of living to eat. Currently, we all have access to nutrition information at the click of a mouse. But how can we sift through the misinformation and identify real, evidence-based data while having the ability to separate it from the personal opinion of an unqualified individual?

This is exactly where a culinary nutritionist can shine by sharing stout nutritional science and educating people in healthy cooking techniques that mirror exactly what the latest research is revealing when it comes to disease prevention and symptom modulation. Culinary nutrition is the newest field in the healthcare realm that allows culinary professionals to merge with dietitians and clinical nutritionists as a Certified Dietary Manager who oversees specialty food-based implementations with the ability to bring recipes to life for a multitude of populations.

How Can People Benefit from Nutritional Expertise?

A professional in the field of culinary nutrition can provide amazing resources across a vast spectrum of people. Including when it comes to cooking techniques that boost nutrient absorption in people with certain underlying conditions. Also, in relaying valuable information to someone just trying to lose weight who may not know where to start when it comes to eating healthy.

People face an uphill battle with busy lifestyles that thrive on convenience, but it becomes increasingly difficult when healthy food is not readily available at the corner drive through. It gets even tougher in the grocery store especially when trying to make sense of label ingredients that you can't even pronounce. This is why the field of culinary nutrition is gaining momentum. Culinary professionals can provide the background, relevant information and the hands-on cooking techniques that erase the guesswork, which may be holding someone back from optimal health.

Culinary Nutrition: A Rapidly Growing Field

Good food will never go out of style and the more we learn about dietary factors that may predispose chronic disease development, the more we can use food to our advantage and prevent these conditions before they even begin. The culinary nutrition arena is exceptionally flexible because it can pair the culinary professional with virtually any facility that serves food. From a traditional restaurant to an addiction center and everything in between.

Every day we learn more about the nutritional profiles of cancer patients, type 2 diabetics, and depression patients, people suffering from chronic pain, children with food allergies and countless other conditions that plague Americans today. We can use this new information to our advantage in delivering a personalized approach in the kitchen that speaks to the needs of a changing population.

A culinary nutritionist can enjoy a job in the field of healthcare as part of the dietary team, or in a school, private clinic, typical restaurant, as a personal chef, or any other place that may need unique services in overseeing dietary implementations. The possibilities are expanding every day and a culinary nutritionist has just the unique skillset that can allow them to transition out of the kitchen and provide valuable input for every kind of nutritional consideration.

Formal Training is Essential for the Culinary Nutritionist

Nowadays, everyone has an opinion about health and nutrition. The term 'nutritionist' can be thrown around even for people without formal training, so it is extremely important to not only gain the scientific background that can allow the culinary professional to merge their work with nutrition, but this also allows the culinary professional to exert themselves as a viable player in the nutrition world.

Do you have an eye for helping people succeed in reaching their goals? Are you constantly yearning to learn more about the latest and greatest nutritional science that can not only prevent certain diseases but also help people heal? You could turn your love for cooking into an extremely rewarding career as a culinary nutritionist who can deliver nourishing yet delicious foods one plate at a time.

Can you see yourself as a culinary nutritionist? There’s no time like the present to earn your Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts and Applied Nutrition. ECPI University’s Culinary Institute of Virginia offers this program at an accelerated rate. Helping you move from the classroom to real life applications sooner. For more information on this exciting program, connect with a helpful admissions counselor today.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

DISCLAIMER – ECPI University makes no claim, warranty, or guarantee as to actual employability or earning potential to current, past or future students or graduates of any educational program we offer. The ECPI University website is published for informational purposes only. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained on the ECPI.edu domain; however, no warranty of accuracy is made. No contractual rights, either expressed or implied, are created by its content.

Gainful Employment Information – Culinary Nutrition - Associate’s

For more information about ECPI University or any of our programs click here: http://www.ecpi.edu/ or http://ow.ly/Ca1ya.