How to Find a Celiac Disease Dietitian or Nutritionist

People with celiac disease face complicated nutritional challenges, even if they are following the gluten-free diet. First, they must recover (as much as possible) from the nutrient malabsorption that occurred while they were still eating gluten, which might have caused anemia, low bone mineral density and osteoporosis, vitamin deficiencies, and other problems.

As if that weren’t enough, unlike gluten-containing products in the supermarket, few commercial gluten-free products are enriched or fortified with extra vitamins, making it difficult for people with celiac disease to get enough vitamins in their diet.

Gluten-free products are often low in B vitamins, calcium, vitamin D, iron, zinc, and fiber. In fact, research has shown that a gluten-free diet may even increase the risk of several side effects, including obesity, in people with celiac disease.

A person receiving a medical consultation

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Why a Dietitian Is Important

Because of all these nutritional risks, health experts recommend a registered dietitian should be part of the healthcare team that monitors the patient’s nutritional status and compliance with the diet.

Furthermore, studies show that for some people with celiac disease, a major reason why they can’t stay gluten-free is that they don’t understand the diet. Wouldn’t it be a relief to get some help from a professional?

Should You See a Nutritionist or Dietitian?

In the U.S., people with any disease, including celiac disease, who need nutritional counseling should consult a Registered Dietitian (also called an RD). RDs have completed academic and experience requirements established by the American Dietetic Association’s Commission on Dietetic Registration, including a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and an accredited pre-professional experience program. RDs must also pass a rigorous professional exam and participate in ongoing accredited continuing education programs to maintain their credentials.

Unlike the credential RD, there is no national standard and credential associated with the titles of “dietitian” (without the word “registered”) or “nutritionist” and no guarantee that the person using those titles has had any formal education in food and nutrition.

Sometimes a Registered Dietitian is also given the title of “Nutritionist” (for example, in public health, clinical specialties, and educational institutions). Sometimes, however, these titles are used by people with no formal training. Unless a nutritionist has the initials “RD” after his or her name, you must carefully verify the person's qualifications.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor, many states require that practitioners are licensed. Others only require state registration or certification to use certain titles. A few states have no regulations for this occupation.

Be sure that your nutrition professional has met the requirements for the state (or country) where they practice. You can verify your nutrition professional's credentials using the Commission on Dietetic Registration Online Credential Verification System.

How to Find a Registered Dietitian

In the U.S., you can visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' Find a Nutrition Expert site to find a dietitian near you. Of course, you can also ask your healthcare provider or members of your celiac disease support group if they can recommend a nutrition professional.

In Australia, visit Dietitians Australia; in Canada, Dietitians of Canada; in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Academy of Accredited Dietitians; in Ireland, the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute; in New Zealand, the New Zealand Dietetic Association; in the UK, the British Dietetic Association.

Will Insurance Pay?

The American College of Gastroenterology guidelines for the management of celiac disease say, "A visit with a dietitian after diagnosis is mandatory, and subsequent visits as needed to reinforce gluten-free diet (GFD) education and adherence should be encouraged."

Given these guidelines, insurance companies should pay for celiac disease patients’ consultations with RDs. Still, there's a good chance you'll need to convince your insurance company that you require care from a dietitian.

The only exceptions are patients with both celiac disease and diabetes. Because Medicare has ruled that patients with diabetes require medical nutritional counseling, other insurance companies will approve nutritional counseling for people with diabetes.

If you are faced with the challenge of convincing your insurance company to give its approval, you need to prove that medical nutritional therapy from a registered dietitian is (1) medically necessary in your case and (2) the standard of care for patients with celiac disease. The following suggestions might help:

  • Try to have as much of the “conversation” in writing as possible. If you speak with an insurance company phone representative, write down the name of the person you spoke to and the date, and take notes on what was said.
  • At a minimum, send the insurance company a prescription for nutritional therapy from your healthcare provider, or a referral. Even better, ask your healthcare provider—and the nutritionist, if you've already had your consultation⁠—to write letters to the insurance company on your behalf explaining why the consultation is medically necessary and that this treatment is the currently accepted standard of care. If you have any other conditions that could be considered nutritional problems, such as anemia or vitamin deficiencies, mention that in your correspondence with the insurance company and remind your healthcare provider and the nutritionist to mention it in their letters, too. If they send letters, get copies and enclose them with your correspondence to your insurance carrier, too.
  • To prove that counseling from a nutrition professional is the standard of care for patients with celiac disease, it helps to send copies of significant articles from the medical literature that emphasize this point. At a minimum, include quotes from important papers, such as the American College of Gastroenterology guidelines.
  • Whenever you enclose any documents with your correspondence (copies of letters, medical test results, articles, etc.), be sure to state in your letter what it is you've enclosed.
  • Every time you send anything by mail to your insurance company, call them a week later to verify that the documents have been entered into their "system."
  • If your insurance company denies pre-approval or denies your claim, find out what you need to do to formally appeal the ruling. When you make your appeal, send copies of all your correspondence with them to that point as well as any supporting documentation, even if you sent it before.
  • If your insurance is provided by your employer, ask your employee benefits manager to get involved. The benefits manager carries more weight with the insurance company than you do as an individual.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Aguiar EV, Santos FG, Krupa-Kozak U, Capriles VD. Nutritional facts regarding commercially available gluten-free bread worldwide: Recent advances and future challengesCritical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2023;63(5):693-705. doi:10.1080/10408398.2021.1952403

  2. Marciniak M, Szymczak-Tomczak A, Mahadea D, Eder P, Dobrowolska A, Krela-Kaźmierczak I. Multidimensional disadvantages of a gluten-free diet in celiac disease: A narrative review. Nutrients. 2021;13(2). doi:10.3390/nu13020643

  3. Abdi F, Zuberi S, Blom JJ, Armstrong D, Pinto-Sanchez MI. Nutritional considerations in celiac disease and non-celiac gluten/wheat sensitivity. Nutrients. 2023;15(6). doi:10.3390/nu15061475

  4. Villafuerte-Galvez J, Vanga RR, Dennis M, et al. Factors governing long-term adherence to a gluten-free diet in adult patients with coeliac disease. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2015;42(6):753-760. doi:10.1111/apt.13319

  5. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Becoming a registered dietitian nutritionist.

  6. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. About RDNs and NDTRs.

  7. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook, Dietitians and Nutritionists.

  8. Rubio-Tapia A, Hill ID, Semrad C, et al. American College of Gastroenterology guidelines update: diagnosis and management of celiac diseaseAm J Gastroenterol. 2023;118(1):59-76. doi:10.14309/ajg.0000000000002075

Additional Reading
  • The American Dietetic Association
  • American Celiac Task Force, Digestive Disease National Coalition and Gluten Intolerance Group of North America. Dietary guidelines and implementation for celiac disease. Gastroenterology 2005;128: S121-S127
  • Green PHR and Cellier C. Celiac disease. New England Journal of Medicine 2007;357:1731-43.
  • Hallert C et al. Evidence of poor vitamin status in coeliac patients on a gluten-free diet for 10 years. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics 2002; 16: 1333–1339.
  • Leffler DA et al. A prospective comparative study of five measures of gluten-free diet adherence in adults with coeliac disease. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics 2007;26:1227–1235
  • Mariani P et al. The Gluten-Free Diet: A Nutritional Risk Factor for Adolescents with Celiac Disease? Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition 1998; 27: 519-523
  • Niewinski MM. Advances in celiac disease and gluten-free diet. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2008 Apr;108(4):661-72
  • Pietzak MM. Follow-up of patients with celiac disease: achieving compliance with treatment. Gastroenterology 2005;128:S135-41
  • Southern Illinois University Didactic Program in Dietetics

By Nancy Lapid
Nancy Ehrlich Lapid is an expert on celiac disease and serves as the Editor-in-Charge at Reuters Health.