In my more than 30-year career as a registered dietitian in gastroenterology, it has been exciting to see the role of dietitians in gastrointestinal conditions become validated and expanded upon, most markedly over the past 10 years.
As credentialed food and nutrition experts, dietitians play a powerful role in the care of GI patients. This makes sense — food first meets our body via the GI tract and is essential for life. Adequate, well-balanced nutrition is vital to our well-being, gut function and gut microbiota, and also improves health outcomes and GI symptom management.