NUTRITIONIST
A nutritionist is a person who advises people on dietary matters relating to health, well-being and optimal nutrition. It should be noted that anyone (whether with or without formal specialised education) can refer to themselves as a nutritionist. There is no regulatory body for nutritionists.
Nutritionists should not be confused with dietitians (although the latter may sometimes describe themselves as nutritionists). Dietitians are health care professionals who have received specialised formal accredited tertiary education and training, and undertake internship in hospitals, and who are required to adhere to their regulatory body's code of conduct. They are also the only non-medically-trained healthcare professionals permitted to practise clinically in hospitals or healthcare facilites. A dietitian would almost never refer to himself or herself as a 'nutritionist'.
Many nutritionists appear on television, in newspapers and magazines, and write bestselling nutritional books, often attaching themselves to assorted media celebrities.
Qualifications
High school students interested in becoming a dietitian should take courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics, health, and communications.
Dietitians need at least a bachelor’s degree in dietetics, foods and nutrition, food service systems management, or a related area. College students in these majors take courses in foods, nutrition, institution management, chemistry, biochemistry, biology, microbiology, and physiology. Other suggested courses include business, mathematics, statistics, computer science, psychology, sociology, and economics.
Nutritionists, by comparison, have varying levels of education, and can be anything from a well intended but undereducated individual who has worked as a shelf stocker in a health food store all the way up to someone who may have the equivalent of a master's degree in Physiology or Biology, and as a result the opinions by a self-described 'Nutritionist' can indeed be backed by science, along with others which cannot. It is also not uncommon to find that some nutritionists are quite willing to express a political agenda, often very anti-food industry, especially against the larger, more established food manufacturers and distributers.
See Dietitian#Qualification for more information on different academic routes to becoming a dietician.
Professional Associations
In Britain, a registered dietitian (RD) must be trained to degree level and have kept up-to-date in their studies; as a result, the term "registered dietitian" is a protected term. The professional association for dieticians in the UK is the The British Dietetic Association. The US equivalent of it is The American Dietetic Association.
Although Nutritionists in the UK do have a trade organisation, the Nutrition Society, the term "nutritionist" is not a protected term and, as a result, can be used by anyone who wishes to do so. Registration with the Nutrition Society is currently voluntary, the two categories of registration are Associate or Full registration which branch into Associate Nutritionist (ANutr), Associate Public Health Nutritionist (APHNutr), Registered Nutritionist (RNutr) and Registered Public Health Nutritionist (RPHNutr). The Society is currently actively working on complusory of registration for all nutritionists in order to protect both the profession and the public.
In the United States and Canada, the Dietitian, Registered Dietitian (RD) and so forth are similarly protected titles. The professional association in Canada is the Dieticians of Canada
In Australia a dietitian who participates in the continuing professional development program is permitted to use the term "Accredited Practicing Dietitian" (APD). The Association in Australia introduced an Advanced Practitioner program for experienced dietitians. Upon satisfying the program requirement, these dietitians are permitted to use the term "Advanced Accredited Practicing Dietician" (advAPD). The professional association for dietitians in Australia is the Dietitians Association of Australia.
The Professional body for dietitians in New Zealand is the New Zealand Dietetic Association.
External links
References
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