People often describe me as a nutritionist, and I politely correct them by telling them more specifically, I am a registered dietitian (RD). There is a difference and most don't understand that difference.

In the state of Michigan, there isn't licensure for dietitians, so anyone can say she's a nutritionist and not legally get in trouble. You could read a book on nutrition, label yourself as a nutritionist and give out advice.

It pays in time and money to check the background and schooling of any nutritionist before taking their advice.

Recently, a colleague of mine had several triathletes referred to her when their performance had radically declined after consulting a personal trainer who claimed to be a certified nutritionist. The trainer recommended, and the athletes followed, an extremely restrictive diet.

They had complained numerous times of early fatigue during exercise, and the trainer began to belittle them, telling them to toughen up and just do it. That's when they stopped seeing this individual and sought the help of my colleague.

The athletes were justifiably frustrated, as they had spent thousands of dollars on their bikes, wetsuits, and all the equipment necessary to compete in triathlons, yet their performance had been jeopardized due to poor nutritional advice.

These particular athletes could have had much better results in their training program and performance if they had done their homework from the start. If they had consulted with an RD who is a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD), they would have been advised on how to use food to fuel performance.

They could have been eating to increase stamina and endurance and would have known the right food to eat before, during and after exercise or sport. The athletes would have learned how to best drink fluids before, during and after their sport. Overall, they would have made better food choices when buying and preparing foods.

CSSDs are RDs with a minimum of two years of professional practice experience. Many CSSDs hold exercise and/r athletic training credentials, and most possess postgraduate degrees. They are specialists in sports nutrition who are also qualified to deliver medical nutrition therapy, nutrition consulting that focuses on medical conditions.

A CSSD can assist athletes who have food allergies or intolerance and want to know the best choices for their condition and how food and medicine can interact. The CSSD will also be able to assist an athlete who has a medical condition such as diabetes, cardiovascular risk factors, compromised bone health, abnormal iron status or gastrointestinal problems, such as gluten sensitivity.

This video gives a good picture of how a sports dietitian can help:

http://gambit.blob.core.windows.net/ada/scandpg/resources/FLV/freevideo/scansports.wmv

If you are seeking nutrition advice to improve your performance, whether you are a novice athlete or an experienced athlete ready to take your performance to the next level, do your due diligence and seek an RD, CSSD, who specializes in your sport.

If you are looking for a CSSD in your area visit the Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutrition website: www.scandpg.org and click on Find a SCAN RD, or email scandpg@gmail.com for more information. SCAN is a dietetic practice group of the American Dietetic Association, the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.

Melissa Gerharter MS, RD, CSSD is co-owner of Joust Strength and Fitness of Ann Arbor, www.joustfitness.com. She is also a personal trainer and an adjunct lecturer at Eastern Michigan University. She can be reached at melissa@joustfitness.com.