Dietician and Nutritionist - What is the Difference?

strongarm

Trusted Member
Dietician and Nutritionist - What is the Difference?

Dietician and Nutritionist - What is the Difference?


With this entire new found craze for weight loss and fitness, there are terms like diets, dieticians, nutritionists and calories floating around. It is popularly assumed that a dietician and a nutritionist are just two ways at looking at the same job. This is however, not true and with the advances in health awareness in today's world, it becomes all the more important to know the distinction between both these job titles.

While both these jobs deal with more or less the same things, they differ in terms of the clients they serve and the nature of their role. In effect, the only singular aspect that can differentiate a dietician from a nutritionist is the clientele and their educational qualifications. While any dietician can call himself a nutritionist, not every nutritionist can call himself a dietician.

A dietician is a specialised physician. He is educated as a Bachelor of Health Sciences at any recognised university and has completed the 3-4 year course and has cleared all the required examination levels. After he clears all the examination levels, he is to be registered with a centralised authority before he begins his practice, like a doctor. He is trained at what he does and so receives offers for his services from the most exclusive of clients such as movie and sports stars who are looking to become fit. He can work in hospitals as a health specialist or can set up his own private practice, so that he may choose his clients.

A nutritionist, on the other hand is not generally a registered and specifically educated on matters of health. He is however, skilled on the nutritional aspect of the food he is involved with. Anybody who runs a grocery store to a vitamins supplement business can call himself a nutritionist. He is not officially granted the title and cannot work in hospitals as he is not licensed to do so. A nutritionist, on the other hand can be knowledgeable on most of the same subjects. He would know what kind of nutrition a particular food product has and how it may affect the digestive system. He may also know how a particular diet may be formulated and followed.

So, if you are looking to consult with one of them, make sure you do it soon. It should be simple enough, now that you know what separates one from the other.


By Sneha T
 
Top