What is the difference between a nutritionist and dietitian?
A dietician is the only nutrition professional to be regulated by law. A dietician often works in a clinical setting such as a hospital and works with patients with chronic diseases, psychological disorders, the elderly or people recovering from illness such as cancer. In addition to this a dietician is qualified to give healthy eating advice to various population groups. The role of a dietician is explained in more detail by the British Dietetics Association .
A nutritionist generally works in a non-clinical setting and can be qualified in many different fields for example animal nutrition, human nutrition, sport and exercise nutrition or nutrition for various population groups. Currently the nutritionist title is not protected by law however a registered nutritionist with the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN) will confirm a high level of competency and professional standards. For more information regarding the difference between various nutrition professions please visit The Association for Nutrition.
I have been a proud practicing Registered Nutritionist with the UKVRN since 2006. I study accredited CPD courses every year to keep up-to-date with the changing science/trends of nutrition. As a professional it is important that I am current in my practice.
It is crucial that when you are seeking advice for a dietary issue whether it is weight change, gut health, improving general health or you have decided to run a marathon that you check the qualifications of the professional before working with them. There are many self-proclaimed ‘nutritionists’ offering services on social media and it can be a health risk to work with someone who is not fully qualified to give advice. I hope that the information above can help steer you towards a qualified professional to achieve the outcome you desire.