Nutritionist versus Dietician
Have you ever wondered about the difference between a nutritionist vs dietician?
This blog will explain the differences and help you decide which may be best for you.
What does a Nutritionist Do?
A nutritionist helps clients to improve their eating habits in a practical and results oriented way.
They give recommendations on daily calorie intake, macronutrient intake, water, meal timing and sample meals. They will help you learn about the different types of hunger and how to implement better eating habits.
A good nutritionist should give you flexible meal suggestions, appropriate calorie guidelines and meal timing guidelines. They should also help you listen to your body, enjoy food and social eating and develop a balanced approach.
If a nutritionist suspects you have any eating disorder or other health condition, they should refer you to a registered dietician.
Is Getting a Nutritionist Worth it?
Getting a nutritionist can be worth it. Working with a nutritionist can help you to understand how to eat, your body’s needs and how to achieve your goals.
A good nutritionist will make these recommendations doable within the confines of your life. While you might have to make some lifestyle choices, a good nutritionist will make realistic recommendations for you without making nutrition the center of your life
However, if you have medical problems like type 2 diabetes, cancer or obesity it may be better to consult a registered dietician first before meeting with a nutritionist.
What is the Difference Between a Dietician and a Nutritionist?
Think of the difference between dietician and nutritionist as the difference between physical therapist and personal trainer.
The dietician can help you use nutrition to treat medical conditions or diseases. They are also the licensed providers for people with eating disorders like binge eating disorder, bulimia, etc. Just like a physical therapist uses exercise to treat musculoskeletal problems, the dietician uses food counseling to help you treat medical problems and achieve your goals. Dieticians can also order labs and bloodwork. Some registered dieticians also specialize in sports nutrition and can help guide your nutrition for peak performance.
A personal trainer uses exercise to help you reach your fitness goals but does not delve into specific treatment for physical problems or injuries. Likewise, a nutritionist can help you change your diet to reach your goals but does not help you diagnose, cure or treat disease with nutritional changes. The scope of a nutritionist is more general.
You can usually see a nutritionist and pay out of pocket if you wish. You could also see a dietician and choose a self pay option, or your insurance might cover the visit.
Dietician vs. Nutritionist
As long as you do not have any chronic diseases that would need to be managed with nutrition therapy, you can consult a dietician or a nutritionist.
One of the advantages of seeing a dietician is that they have more formal education and training than a nutritionist and are licensed by their state to give nutrition recommendations.
On the other hand, qualified nutritionists who prescribe evidence based recommendations might be able to provide you with more ongoing support and accountability than a dietician.
In reality, good nutritionists and dieticians will give recommendations that mirror each other and are based on solid evidence.
However, the dietician will usually have more advanced clinical knowledge and ability to treat disease with nutrition.
Nutritionists, on the other hand, should give roughly the same guidelines but might be able to give you more support.
In the rare case that you have chosen to see both professionals, the nutritionist should defer to the registered dietician before making any further recommendations.
Additionally, a good nutritionist will refer you out if you have ongoing health problems that lie outside their scope of practice.
Dietician Role
- Order Labs
- Diagnose Nutrient Deficiencies
- Treat Sisease
- Treat Eating Disorders
- Degree in Nutrition
- Board Certified
- May Specialize
- See Patients Roughly 2-4 times per year
Nutritionist Role
- Do Not Treat Disease
- Do Not Order Labs
- Should Provide Evidence Based Guidelines
- Scope Based on State
- Variable Education
- More Frequent Feedback
Conclusions
Hopefully this article showed you the difference between working with a nutritionist and a dietician. If you are interested in working with a qualified nutritionist, please click on my nutrition coaching. However, if you feel you have complex metabolic or health issues that might require a dietician visit, that’s fine too!
