Does Anne Collins need to be a Registered Dietition to provide advice on vegetarian weight loss, vegetarian nutrition and online weight loss support?

Message for Savvy Vegetarian:

I’m really bothered by the fact that you keep telling people to go to Anne Collins’ website. I had to search for quite a few minutes to find her credentials and, to my surprise, she is not a Registered Dietitian.

I believe only a Registered Dietitian specialized in vegetarian diets should give advice to vegetarians. On weight loss, weight gain, pregnancy, teen diet, disease etc.

They are trained, they undergo an examination to be “registered”…, they get a lot of hours of practice in different settings and continue to learn to keep themselves informed in their area of expertise.

I cannot call myself a doctor if I read a few anatomy and physiology books, can I? Thank you for your time – A. H.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi A. H. Thanks for writing about this issue. Much appreciated!

After reviewing her site again, and reading a lot of reviews, some con, mostly pro, and looking at the options, I stand behind my recommendation of Anne Collins vegetarian weight loss program for several reasons:

1. It’s true that MDs and RDs get years of training, and keep up the required continuing education throughout their careers. But just because someone can add Dr. or RD after his/her name is no reason to assume that person knows much about weight loss or vegetarian diet.

2. I know of just a handful of publicly available RDs who specialize in vegetarian nutrition. Many of these are vegan, which is a small percentage of the already small vegetarian niche. Plus, there is a great deal more to successful weight loss than the medical and nutritional aspects – self-esteem, family, culture, food addiction, body type, exercise etc.

3. Which means that being an RD isn’t necessarily a qualification for running an online weight loss support program. There are many NON-RDs writing books and running support sites on diet and weight loss – including me. My expertise is based on over 40 years experience as a vegetarian, and extensive self-education. I regularly consult qualified vegetarian or vegan RDs, either in person or by reading their books and sites. I have a hunch that Anne Collins also stays informed, and she is clearly knowledgeable about weight loss.

4. Even though she isn’t a Registered Dietitian, I’m satisfied that the Anne Collins weight loss programs are sound. There aren’t so many sensible options in low cost vegetarian weight loss programs and support groups available for people wanting to lose weight through a vegetarian diet, and Anne Collins is one of the best rated options. The fact that she isn’t a vegetarian herself, and doesn’t specialize in vegetarian nutrition is a minor point, in my opinion, compared to what she offers for $19.95 per year.

I recommend books and websites from the following officially qualified people, who address the topic of vegetarian weight loss: Vesanto Melina, Brenda Davis, Dina Aronson, Virginia Messina, Dr. Dean Ornish. I’m sure there are more, but their names escape me – my apologies for leaving out anybody important.

And here are 100 weight loss tips from Top Dietitians of the American Dietetic Association – they’ll work whether or not you’re vegetarian.

Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

More Posts About Vegetarian Weight Loss:
Busy Vegetarian Wants To Lose Weight, Get Fit Without Exercise
Overweight Mom Wants to Lose Weight
Vegetarian Weight Loss and Heart Health Success Story
Will vegetarian diet help me lose weight and get healthy?

Calories in cheese and cheese in processed foods are reasons for unexplained weight gain in a vegetarian diet. Cut the cheese for vegetarian weight loss.

A while back we received a letter from a reader who was asking about vegetarian weight loss.  She had experienced unexplained weight gain on her new veggie diet instead of the usual weight loss. Why do some vegetarians experience weight gain instead of healthy weight loss on a vegetarian diet?

Eating less meat and more fruits and vegetables normally allows for weight loss but some vegetarians experience weight gain.  And the core reason is more calories.  Where do these extra calories come from?  Interestingly enough, they come mainly from more dairy, or specifically cheese and butter.

The letter reminded me of when I first went vegetarian. Yep! I started eating a lot more cheese and butter—to the point where my cholesterol went through the roof.  I was concerned about getting enough protein.  But I didn’t know back then what I know now about protein. (See our Protein Report.) So let’s talk about cheese and we’ll cover butter in another blog post.

According to the USDA’s Agriculture Fact Book, in the 1950’s, the average U.S. consumer ate just 7.7 pounds of cheese per year.  In 2004, the average American packed away 31.3 pounds of cheese, a 300% increase. Thirty-one pounds may not sound too bad, but there are over 52,500 calories in cheese and 4000 grams of fat. Once past the lips, this can turn into an extra 15 pounds on the hips.

So are consumers sitting around eating big wedges of cheese? Some are, but two-thirds of cheese is found in processed foods, such as frozen pizzas, sauces, instant pasta meals, bagel spreads, breads, and packaged snack foods. Often, we don’t even know that there’s cheese in our food.

This is actually good news for those who are willing to cut the cheese.  Following a cheese-free diet encourages us to eat more natural and minimally processed foods – like vegetables. This means less chemicals, saturated fats, and hydrogenated oils; three major health hazards in our diets.

Thanks to a growing natural foods market, and the online information explosion, a cheese-less diet has become even easier.
Visit GoDairyFree.org for food label guidance, cheese-free product suggestions, non-dairy recipes, and substitution ideas. Get a copy of Dairy Free Made Easy by Alisa Fleming (read the Savvy Veg review).

For vegetarian weight loss, try eliminating cheese from your diet. Savvy Vegetarian has many delicious dairy-free recipes such as Cream of asparagus and spinach soup and Cashew Cream.