Back to Where it All Began...

In case you didn’t know, March is celebrated as National Nutrition Month. Dietitians are known as the “nutrition experts” and are celebrated the second Wednesday of the month on National Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day. Because National RDN day falls on today (March 9, 2016), I wanted to take you back to where it all began…

Nutrition has been studied and experimented with since approximately 2500 B.C. The very first known dietary prescription was the avoidance of onions. As time progressed, nutritional deficiencies were discovered, such as scurvy and beriberi, as well as the nutrition therapies that could be used to cure them. The field of dietetics was established in the medical profession in the mid-19^th century, with the occupation of dietitians being established in 1897.  

 Dietitians in the food-service setting of a hospital

The American Dietetic Association, which officially changed its name to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in January 2012, stemmed from an unfortunate cancellation of the annual American Home Economics Association meeting, which was cancelled in 1917, due to World War I obligations. Due to the entrepreneuric mindset of several dietitians, they decided to hold their own meeting in October of 1917. The meeting was held in the basement of the Cleveland Hospital in Ohio, in which nearly 100 dietitians attended and laid the groundwork for the organization that would change the dietetics field in America. The first meeting established a constitution and by-laws, inaugural leadership and determined the qualifications for membership. This visionary group of women, led by led by Lenna F. Cooper and the organization's first president, Lulu C. Graves were about to impact the world and update the role nutrition and dietetics, as they knew it. One year later, in November 1918, World War I had ended, but the story of our beloved dietetics field was only just beginning.

Dietitians at the first American Dietetic Association Convention in October 1917 in Cleveland, OH

In 1919, a publication was produced by the ADA, outlining the roles and responsibilities of dietitians. This statement was sent to the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, hospital managers, and training schools with dietetics programs informing healthcare members of the up and coming roles that dietitians were needed and determined to play in the role of the healthcare team.

On October 24, 1940, an authorized seal for the organization was adopted by the Executive Board and presented to members. The seal contained three symbols which represent the characteristics of the profession: a balance scale, representing science as the foundation and symbolizing equality; a caduceus, representing the close relationship between dietetics and medicine; and a cooking vessel, representing cookery and food preparation. Around the main design is a shaft of wheat, representing bread, the staff of life, and stylized acanthus leaves, representing growth and life. Over the design is a cornucopia, representing an abundant food supply. Beneath the design is the motto, Quam Plurimis Prodesse ("To benefit as many as possible"). Around the edge is the name of the organization and the date of its founding written in Roman numerals.

When the name was changed to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2012, a new seal was also adopted to coincide with the evolving changes made to the organization and profession. According to the Academy, “the new name complements the focus of the organization to improve the nutritional well-being of the public, while communicating the academic expertise of Academy members and supporting the organization's history as a food and science-based profession. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics quickly and accurately communicates our identity—who we are and what we do. The field of nutrition has changed over this century, and we're evolving to meet these needs.”

The new seal was used on stationery and all official publications, and copy of the seal was embroidered on linen by Beula Marble, president of ADA (1939-1940), and presented to the headquarters office in Chicago, where it remains today. The seal is still in use on Registration Status Certificates for both registered dietitians and dietetic technicians, registered, as well as on the gold Member Pin.

Today, the field of dietetics ranges from clinical dietitians, to community dietitians, food-service managers, corporate wellness dietitians, private practice and everything in between. The possibilities within this field are practically endless. Dietetics is a field that never accepts complacency from its members. With food trends on the rise, physical assessments being incorporated into practice, medical advances being made and research to be done, dietitians are required to constantly be on their toes and learning more, doing more. 

With the Academy approaching its centennial year, much has evolved over the years, but our purpose remains the same- “to benefit as many as possible.” As time goes on and science advances, we are able to learn and study areas of nutrition that were not even known to exist when the ADA began in 1917. Through the vision of our founding members, their strife to be seen as crucial members of the healthcare team, in correlation with continued practice and the determination of our members today, the field of dietetics is determined to be successful. To train up a generation of passionate professionals whose goal is to work alongside the government to make healthcare not only more affordable, but to prevent diseases that can be avoidable through nutrition and diet education and awareness.  

Thank you to all the RDN’s who work to make our world a healthier place!

 

Shelby Pierceall, UCA Dietetic Intern

Resources: 

The Academy Website- http://www.eatrightpro.org/resources/about-us/academy-vision-and-mission/academy-history

"The First Fifty: A Pictorial History of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 1917-1967." The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2015.