That’s right! Today is the first annual Registered Dietitian Day, so if you see your friendly dietitian today, wish him or her a happy day! And no, I didn’t make this day up.

On this day, think of taking care of your nutritional health and schedule an appointment with a registered dietitian. Many times, we schedule check-ups to make sure that our cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose is within normal range, our “female” or “male” parts are working normally, and that our teeth are shiny and clean. But how many of us schedule check-ups to make sure that our diets are healthy and will lead us to lifelong health and wellness? Probably not many of us!

Today, why not schedule your diet check-up with a registered dietitian (RD)? Some insurance companies now cover your visit to a dietitian, or you may be able to pay using your “flex spending” account.

So, why schedule a check-up with an RD?

The following points taken from the American Dietetic Association website

1. You have cardiovascular disease (like high cholesterol), high blood pressure, or diabetes.
2. You are thinking of getting or have had gastric bypass surgery. This changes the amount of food you can safely eat at a time, and you may be missing important nutrients from your diet.
3. You have digestive problems like Crohn’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, gastric reflux, ulcerative colitis, irregular bowel movements, etc. An RD can help you avoid trigger foods that may exacerbate your symptoms.
4. You are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant. It will be important for you to take a multivitamin and eat foods high in folate.
5. You need guidance and confidence in breastfeeding your baby and want to know the best diet for you and the best feeding guidelines for your baby. Calcium, iron, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and fluids become an important part of your diet when you are breastfeeding.
6. You, your teenager, or your child has issues with food and healthy eating. An RD is helpful if you think you or your child has an eating disorder like anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or binge eating disorder.
7. You or your child want or need to lose or gain weight.
8. You are caring for an aging parent. Your parent may not be getting the nutrients he/she needs, the amount of medicines that he/she is taking may interact with some foods, and your parent may not be getting the fluids he/she needs.
9. You want to eat smarter. You want to know if the latest diet is healthy, if what you hear in the media about a food or nutrient is really true, etc.
10. You want to improve your performance in sports. If you are an athlete or if you work out regularly, you may want to talk with an RD to find out how you can optimize that workout!

Whatever your reason, take some time today to look up a registered dietitian in your area and schedule that appointment! And don’t forget to schedule one for your child and your elderly parent as well. Just as physicians specialize in different areas, so do RDs. So the RD that you see for your diet may not be the same person to counsel you on your child’s diet or your parent’s diet.