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We've written before on the importance of registered dietitians in workplace wellness. Now comes a piece from Huffington Post that provides additional support.

Krista Yoder Latortue, MPH, RD, CSP, LDN is a Registered Dietitian and CEO of Family Food. She was awarded the Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year award by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Latortue rightfully focuses on prevention as a key to workplace wellness, and she notes the role that registered dietitians play an important role in keeping employees healthy.

She writes: “Prevention is effective and has become the nucleus of wellness programs. But how do we ensure the prevention programs we are putting into place will work? We need to rely on qualified employee wellness practitioners, like registered dietitians (RDs) who are pros at prevention, rather than resorting to ambiguous standards which do not exist for employee wellness practitioners.”

How important is prevention in maintaining good health? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states: “Increasing the focus on prevention in our communities will help improve America's health, quality of life and prosperity. For example, seven out of 10 deaths among Americans each year are from chronic diseases (such as cancer and heart disease), and almost one out of every two adults has at least one chronic illness, many of which are preventable. Racial and ethnic minority communities experience higher rates of obesity, cancer, diabetes and AIDS. Children are also becoming increasingly vulnerable. Today, almost one in every three children in our nation is overweight or obese which predisposes them to chronic disease and the numbers are even higher in African American and Hispanic communities.”

“Focusing on preventing disease and illness before they occur will create healthier homes, workplaces, schools and communities so that people can live long and productive lives and reduce their healthcare costs.”

Concludes Latortue: “The secret to successful wellness programs? Use RDs as your employee wellness practitioners who will provide you with evidence-based wellness information that can address all three key components of an effective wellness program and help to lower your healthcare costs.”