Nutrition Program at SUNY Plattsburgh - About the Program

What is Nutrition?

Over the past five years, 88% of SUNY Plattsburgh Nutrition Program graduates passed the National Registration Examination for Dietitians on their first attempt.

Human nutrition is the study of nutrients found in food and how they sustain the human body. The American Heritage Dictionary defines nutrition as "the process, especially the interrelated steps, by which a living organism assimilates and uses food." Krauses' Food and Nutrition Therapy text by Mahan and Escott-Stump explains that "food provides energy and the building materials for the countless substances that are essential for growth and survival of living things. The way nutrients become integral parts of the body and contribute to its function, depends on the physiologic and biochemical processes that govern their actions."

Did you know?

• Nutrition is a relatively "young" science. The first vitamin was discovered in 1897, the structure of a protein in the mid 1940s.
• The science of nutrition is evolving as research uncovers more answers about food and how our bodies use food for health.
• Our body needs six types of essential nutrients for health. Other food components affect health as well.
• About 40% of the world's population has a vitamin or mineral deficiency.
• The "average" American teenager drinks more soda than milk each day.
• Nutrition profoundly affects health and well-being, both short and long-term. Of the six leading causes of death in the United States, four are related to nutrition.
• Registered dietitians are the nationally recognized food and nutrition experts, who can translate the science of nutrition into practical solutions for a healthy lifestyle.

About the Nutrition Program

The mission of the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) at SUNY Plattsburgh is to graduate students who are successfully prepared to enter an internship, a graduate program, or employment in clinical, community, or food service settings.

The nutrition program is Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetic Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association

The goals of our program are to:

• Prepare you with the requisite knowledge, skills and experience to successfully obtain and complete a dietetic internship and pass the national registration examination for dietitians.
• Prepare students who do not pursue a dietetic internship, with the necessary knowledge, skills and career information to obtain a nutrition-related job, advanced training or be accepted into a graduate degree program.
• Maintain CADE accreditation for the DPD Nutrition Program.

Questions, Comments, Suggestions?

If you would like to find out more about the nutrition program at SUNY Plattsburgh, please contact:

Dr. Ena Joseph, Program Director
Office: Hawkins Hall 215B
Phone: (518) 564-4223
Fax: (518) 564-3100
E-mail: josephe@plattsburgh.edu