What is the difference between what dietitians do and what nutritionists do?
In: 315
Nutritionists can do whatever they feel like. Dietitians have to earn a curriculum-based certification and maintain professional standards to keep the “Registered Dietitian” title.
Dieticians are formally educated, trained, and licensed, at least in the USA. It’s like a lawyer or doctor, there’s official educational standards and paperwork required for becoming a dietician. Nutritionist *is not* a protected title. Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. It means nothing.
As to what they do, a dietician will give someone guidance on diets and nutrition. A nutritionist does whatever they feel like.
Dieticians have to be licensed to use the labels RD or RDN, much like being an RN or an MD. Nutritionists don’t.
Nutritionists may have a lot of knowledge and be a big help or they may just be some weirdo who thinks kale is magic and gluten is the devil. If you wind up on a structured diet in a hospital, for example, you WILL be working with a dietician, not a nutritionist.
In most places, dietician is a regulated profession and a protected title, while nutritionist is not.
I can’t legally call myself a dietician without the required education and professional licensing. But I can advertise my nutritionist services tomorrow, even though I don’t know anything about nutrition. In fact, my cat is a nutritionist too, because I said so. She has strong opinions on wet food vs dry food and we would like to charge you by the hour for her recommendations on what you should eat.
Note that in some jurisdictions, such as some Canadian provinces, nutritionist is also a protected title and registered profession, so the difference between a dietician and nutritionist can really depend on your local regulatory framework.
Dieticians are professionals with qualifications. A literal degree and license to practice
Nutritionists are anyone who calls themselves one, because “Nutritionist” isn’t a professional title
One is educated, the other is your idiot ex friend trying to get you into nutrilife and young living. Nutritionists aren’t licensed and you can call yourself one. I am one, go drink beer and have a hot dog, bam.
You see little Jimmy, a dietitian is an actual trained expert with education and credentials.
Nutritionists are self-labled people that promote alternative medicine and pseudoscience. There is no regulation on the title; anyone can call themselves a nutritionist.
Dara O”Briain described the difference: “*Dietitian is to Nutritionist as Dentist is to Toothiologist*”
Anyone can call themselves a Nutritionist or a Toothiologist, only a person having completed the appropriate qualifications can call themselves a Dietitian or Dentist.
To begin with, one has an actual education and KNOWS what they are talking about… The other one js on the same shelf as a spiritual healer.
I think Dara O’Brien explained it best. A dietitian is the equivalent of a dentist, a nutritionist is like a toothiologist
Latest Answers