§ 37-25-102 — Definitions

37-25-102 . Definitions. In this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise, the following definitions apply:
(1) "Accredited" means accredited through the council on postsecondary accreditation and the U.S. department of education.
(2) "Board" means the board of medical examiners provided for in 2-15-1731 .
(3) "Commission" means the commission on dietetic registration, which is a member of the national commission for health certifying agencies.
(4) "General nutritional information" means information on:
(a) principles of good nutrition;
(b) foods to be included in a daily diet;
(c) the essential nutrients needed by the body;
(d) recommended amounts of these nutrients;
(e) the action of these nutrients on the body;
(f) the effects of deficiencies in these nutrients; or
(g) foods and supplements that are good sources of essential nutrients.
(5) "Licensed dietitian" means a person licensed under this chapter to engage in the practice of dietetics and the practice of nutrition, including the provision of medical nutrition therapy.
(6) "Licensed nutritionist" means a nutritionist licensed under this chapter to engage in the practice of nutrition, including the provision of medical nutrition therapy.
(7) "Medical nutrition therapy" means the provision of any of the following nutrition care services for the purpose of management or treatment of a disease or medical condition:
(a) nutrition assessment;
(b) nutrition diagnosis;
(c) nutrition intervention; and
(d) nutrition monitoring and evaluation.
(8) "Medical weight control" means medical nutrition therapy provided for the purpose of reducing, maintaining, or gaining weight.
(9) "Nonmedical weight control" means nutrition care services for the purpose of reducing, maintaining, or gaining weight that do not constitute the treatment or management of a disease or medical condition. The term includes weight control services for healthy population groups to achieve or maintain a healthy weight.
(10) "Nutrition counseling" means a supportive process, characterized by a collaborative counselor-patient relationship with individuals or groups, to establish food and nutrition priorities, goals, and individualized action plans and general physical activity guidance that acknowledge and foster responsibility for self-care to promote health and wellness or to treat or manage an existing disease or medical condition.
(11) (a) "Nutrition diagnosis" means identifying and labeling nutrition problems managed and treated by a licensed dietitian.
(b) The term does not include a medical diagnosis of the health status of an individual.
(12) "Practice of dietetics" means the integration and application of scientific principles derived from the study of food, nutrition, biochemistry, metabolism, nutrigenomics, physiology, pharmacology, food systems, management, and behavioral and social sciences to achieve and maintain optimal nutrition status of individuals and groups. The term includes the provision of nutrition care services, including medical nutrition therapy, to prevent, manage, or treat chronic and acute diseases or medical conditions and promote wellness in inpatient and outpatient settings. The term encompasses developing and ordering therapeutic diets via oral, enteral, and parenteral routes and providing other advanced medical nutrition therapy and related support activities in accordance with the commission's scope and standards of practice for the registered dietitian.
(13) "Practice of nutrition" means the integration and application of scientific principles derived from the study of nutrition science, cellular and systemic metabolism, biochemistry, physiology, and behavioral sciences for achieving and maintaining health throughout a person's lifespan. The term includes the provision of nutrition care services, including medical nutrition therapy, in person or via telehealth, to prevent, manage, or treat chronic diseases or medical conditions and promote wellness in outpatient settings. Consistent with level of competence, the practice of nutrition may encompass the ordering of oral therapeutic diets, the ordering of medical laboratory tests related to nutritional therapeutic treatments, and the provision of recommendations on vitamin, mineral, and other dietary supplements.
(14) "Qualified supervisor" means an individual providing supervision who assumes full professional responsibility for the work of the supervisee by verifying, directing, and approving the provided nutrition care services, medical nutrition therapy, and other work being supervised.
(15) "Registered dietitian" means a person who is credentialed by the commission or its successor organization as a registered dietitian or a registered dietitian nutritionist and is authorized to use the title and the corresponding abbreviations "RD" or "RDN".
(16) "Telehealth" has the same meaning as provided in 37-2-305 .

Legislative History

En. Sec. 2, Ch. 529, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 48, Ch. 83, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 536, L. 2025.