is now overweight, and one-fifth of children are obese. In 2008, the United States spent $190 billion on obesity-related health care costs. (8) An estimated 29 million Americans have diabetes. Another 86 million adults have prediabetes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predict that one in three children born in 2000 will develop diabetes at some point in their lives. Diabetes cost the government $116 billion in 2007. Research has shown that nutrition therapy is a key component of diabetes management and can improve clinical outcomes. (9) Cancer kills approximately 570,000 Americans each year, accounting for one in every four deaths. More than 1.5 million new cancer cases are diagnosed annually. In 2010, the direct costs of cancer were $102.8 billion and that number is expected to rise to $172 billion by 2020. More than 33 percent of cancers are diet related and could be prevented with a healthful diet. (10) Eating is a complex social phenomenon influenced by family, social networks, culture, socioeconomic and educational status. An interprofessional approach to nutrition education for clinicians may not necessarily overcome these forces but may help the health professions team, including physicians and non-physicians, identify effective strategies for nutrition counseling and management. (11) Physicians are an important source of information and motivation for patients’ health behavior. Multiple studies have shown that physician counseling on weight loss increases the likelihood that patients will attempt weight loss, increase physical activity, improve diet, and lose weight. (12) Leading medical bodies recommend that physicians address diet with overweight patients. Guidelines from leading medical bodies such as the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and the Obesity Society recommend that physicians counsel overweight and obese patients on the benefits of lifestyle changes through lifestyle changes such as diet and physical activity.