Inspiring Trust & Action: Registered Dietitian Nutritionists As Food & Health Ambassadors

The evidence is undeniable: Americans continue to fall short of Dietary Guidelines recommendations. Yet the reasons this gap endures—and how to turn motivation into better diet quality—are far less clear.

Insights from the 2025 IFIC Food & Health Survey and IFIC Spotlight Survey: Americans’ Trust in Food & Nutrition Science highlight a path forward: build trust, reduce confusion, and make healthy eating feel more doable.

The Power Of Trust

“Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair.”

Trust may be one of the most important yet missing ingredients in improving diet quality. Fewer than four in 10 Americans strongly trust the science of food, nutrition, and diet. Among those with lower trust, more than half say they would be more willing to change their diets if they had more trust in science.

Consumers most often turn to medical doctors, nurses, as well as food and nutrition scientists for nutrition information—with friends and family close behind. Although a smaller percentage say they get most of their information from registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs), approximately two-thirds of Americans feel that RDNs are the most qualified experts to provide recommendations on making healthy food choices. That trust comes with opportunity.

The Cost Of Confusion

Nutrition strikes a chord as most Americans say they are interested in the topic. Just over half (52%) report participating in a private social media group focused on food, nutrition, and diet. And, about four in 10 consumers who notice food, nutrition, and diet headlines in the media say they search for additional information online. However, an abundance of mixed messages can work against them.

Eight in 10 Americans say that it is hard to know what to believe because it seems like recommendations about what to eat and drink are always changing. This sentiment has persisted and even intensified over time. Consumers who agree with this statement say they experience negative feelings as a result, with confusion at the top of the list. This sentiment also runs counter to what nutrition professionals know: the fundamentals of healthy eating have remained remarkably stable over time.

The Hard Part: Taking Action

Even when trust and interest are present, behavior change is hard. In 2025, we asked consumers about the ease or difficulty of various tasks compared to healthy eating. The majority of respondents said that eating a healthy diet consistently was more difficult than doing taxes, exercising regularly, sleeping eight hours a night, finding the perfect gift, and cooking Thanksgiving dinner. The only activity considered more difficult: learning a foreign language.

The takeaway is clear: we can’t simply prescribe action— we need to make healthy choices easier and break big changes into bite-sized steps.

The Trust Blueprint

Research on trust points to four key elements: consistency, competency, communication, and compassion. How can we bring these principles to life in the consumer messaging environment to make food and nutrition guidance more credible and clear?

IFIC’s latest consumer data shows that consumers perceive nutrition guidance as inconsistent. Further, much of the information they receive comes from less trusted sources. And, finally, misinformation spreads fast—and sticks.

RDNs can help cut through this noise.

RDNs As Food & Heath Ambassadors

Improving diet quality isn’t just about spooning out more information—it’s about giving people reasons to trust the science, and tools to act upon what they know. As some of the most trusted food and nutrition messengers in America, RDNs are uniquely positioned to compel action by leaning into the building blocks of trust.

Compassion: Lead with empathy. Understand what motivates your audience and what stands in their way. According to IFIC data, the top benefits consumers seek from their diet are increased energy, weight management, healthy aging, and digestive health. Other growing interests include bone health, sleep, muscle strength, brain function, lower inflammation, and emotional well-being. Framing guidance around these personal goals—rather than abstract health outcomes—can be more compelling.

Competency: The messenger matters. RDNs bring unmatched expertise and credibility. Use it to help people navigate a crowded information landscape and connect science to everyday choices.

Consistency: Be a clear, steady voice. Reinforce the stable foundation of dietary guidance and help consumers scroll past misinformation and focus on what’s trustworthy and actionable.

Communication: Speak to what consumers value most. Acknowledge that taste, price, and convenience (as well as healthfulness) are top drivers of food and beverage choices. Simple, easy, practical, and relatable communication builds bridges between knowledge and action.

IFIC supports all RDNs—regardless of their role or setting—in being strong, visible messengers of credible, science-based food and nutrition information. We will continue to reinforce the critical role RDNs can play in inspiring trust and action through our research and science communication efforts. Together, we can inspire action and build lasting trust.