Alikay2 wrote:Thanks for all the great feedback, people!
I checked out that website and basically it seems that there isn't any credibtable institute that involves vegan or holistic nutrition. Bummer!
There just has to be institutes out there that are friendly towards people who desire to write and study the effects of a vegan diet on health. I'll definitely look into Loma Linda. I'm just afraid that I'll go to a program and argue with my professors about things like the well established link between animal protein and cancer (The China Study).
Any other institutes people know of??
Regardless of the profession, you will never (ever) find a course of study that will suit your beliefs 100%. But, that is not a bad thing. While you and I may think we know better, it is still good to be open minded and see what is taught in traditional education. After all, it is good to know what everyone else is being taught, what they know and why.
In addition, what we are really trying to learn is the basic fundamentals of the science and not how they may (mis)apply the application. This is an important issue. Nutrition is an art and a science. The amino acid content of the foods is a science. Do plants have all the essential amino acids or not? The answer does not depend on your belief about it. But, how they (or you and I) may choose to apply this information, is the art and may be influenced by their beliefs.
Also, you will have the opportunity to present papers and do some research along the way in your areas of interest. In addition, you could do things like start a journal club, to review the new and relevant research. This is something that I did as an RD Student.
Yes, many of the professors and instructors and institutions you will work with hold outdated, inaccurate beliefs. But, remember not everyone may have gotten into the profession for the same reason you are. It is really helpful to not see it all as an "us" and "them" because while many of them may not seem to be on the side of "us", they are not all willfully on the side of "them" either. They may just not know any better, or ever been exposed to any different info.
You may want to go to a RD conference or communicate with some of the RDs in the Vegetarian Practice group and talk to them about what they think about their careers and what they thought about their education. I think you will find that most all of them are quite satisfied with their education (in spite of its limitations) and greatly satisfied with their careers and the opportunities that their education gave them
http://www.vegetariannutrition.net/
Somebody once said that they best way to change a system is from within.
Come on in.
In Health
Jeff