I have been called many names in my profession. Some include, “dietary,” “nutritionist,” “nutrition lady,” “food police,” and occasionally “dietitian.” (I’m sure some people have other names for me that I just don’t know about… 😉)
In my opinion, 9 out of 10 times when people refer to my profession they think I am a “nutritionist,” and many don’t know about “dietitian.” You may be wondering, “What the heck is the difference? They’re the same, right?” They are not! All dietitians are nutritionists, however not all nutritionists are dietitians.
Today’s blog post will outline the differences between a dietitian and nutritionist. I will speak about:
What is medical nutrition therapy?
Comparison between a dietitian and nutritionist
What is a certified nutrition specialist?
Difference between credential and certification
Real life story
Medical Nutrition Therapy
To start, I want to define medical nutrition therapy (MNT). This is important because it is a main component of being a dietitian and is within our scope of practice. MNT is nutrition diagnosis, therapy, and counseling for disease management. Per the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “MNT involves in-depth individualized nutrition assessment and a duration and frequency of care using the Nutrition Care Process to manage disease.” Essentially, it is only legal for a credentialed individual to provide individualized nutrition recommendations to those with underlying medical diseases.
Comparison: A Nutritionist Is Not the Same as a Dietitian
Dietitian (aka Registered Dietitian):
Bachelor’s degree OR master’s degree in dietetics (of note, by 2024 a master’s degree will be required to sit for the national exam)
Types of classes taken include the following: Chemistry, biology, anatomy, food science, metabolism, medical nutrition therapy (MNT), counseling, foodservice management and many more…
After graduation, completes a dietetic internship that is 1200+ hours of supervised practice in various areas of nutrition (clinical, community and foodservice)
Title is regulated by a governing body (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics )
Sits, and passes, the Registered Dietitian (RD) national exam (Commission on Dietetic Registration)
Completes 75 continuing education units (CEUs) every five years to continue to hold the RD credential
Upholds the code of ethics
Most states require licensure
Nutritionist:
No education requirements
No accreditation committee
No CEU requirements
Title not legally regulated – anyone can call themselves a nutritionist
Cannot provide medical nutrition therapy
Cannot provide meal plans
*This does not pertain to a Certified Nutrition Specialist (see in next section)
In 2013 the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics allowed registered dietitians (RDs) to also call themselves registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs). This change was put into effect to accurately represent what dietitians do, because many individuals do not know. This change also emphasizes that all registered dietitians are nutritionists, but not all nutritionists are registered dietitians.
Certified Nutrition Specialist
I want to highlight that the term “nutritionist” is not regulated. Essentially, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. However, there is a credential for a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS). A CNS needs to hold a master’s or doctorate degree in nutrition, take an exam, and needs to complete continuing education units to uphold their credential. After receiving the CNS credential, these individuals can obtain a license in their desired state to become a “licensed nutritionist.”
Main note here: A licensed nutritionist (or certified nutrition specialist) is different from a nutritionist.
There are many certificates that people can obtain to become a “nutritionist” and have letters after their name.
Okay, I’m not trying to upset anyone with the above statement. My objective of this post is to truly educate the general public about the differences between a dietitian and a nutritionist. Dietitians have gone through formal education and are experts when it comes to nutrition.
Side note: Of eight medical doctors I spoke with, only one had ONE nutrition course in medical school. The others did not have any courses specific to nutrition. At most, they had a lecture series that lasted a couple weeks. Your doctor is an expert in many things, however your doctor is not necessarily your nutrition expert.
Credential vs Certification
A credential is quite different from a certification. Registered Dietitian is a credential. There are many pathways one can take to obtain a certification in nutrition. This doesn’t make them an expert. Someone could take a course of 40 hours to become certified (and this likely seems like a lot), however there are literally thousands of hours put into a credential.
Example: I went to Iowa State University. I had to have a minimum of 120 credits to graduate. As a general rule of thumb, 1 credit is around 15 hours of contact time (this does not include any study time). This means that I had to have…
1,800 hours of class time (likely 2-3 times that amount to include study time)
to only
APPLY to my dietetic internship (which was another 1200+ hours of supervised practice)
in order to
SIT for my dietitian exam
which I had to
PASS to obtain my RD credential
And I continue to uphold this credential by completing a minimum of 75 hours of education every five years.
“I survived my Dietetic Internship”
I was one happy camper!
Real Life Story
There are many people that think they know everything about nutrition. I’m sure you’ve heard the story --- “This worked for me, so you have to try it!” Proceed with extreme caution when you hear this. These people may not know your medical history. They may not know if you have any underlying medical conditions, and they may not have been taught how to properly counsel someone through behavior change. This could truly cause much more harm than good.
Example: In general, we want people to have a whole food-based diet. I had a patient that was deathly afraid to eat any sort of “processed food.” He had swallowing difficulties and could not have the usual “healthy” foods he had previously been told to eat. Because he couldn’t have these foods, he barely ate. He was becoming malnourished, and in his case, I wanted him to eat anything. Yes, even items such as yogurt sweetened with sugar and ice cream. I specifically remember him saying, “You’re a dietitian, you should know that stuff isn’t good.” I know that it’s not optimal, however his situation was different. In his situation he could benefit from any energy his body could handle. Since he had been told multiple times by different individuals that these foods were not “healthy,” he felt like he couldn’t have them. In the long run, this was eventually what led to his increased weakness and inability to be independent.
Yes, I’m wrapping it up…
Conclusion
Here are some main takeaways:
A dietitian is a nutritionist, however a nutritionist is not a dietitian
The term “nutritionist” is not regulated
Only dietitians (and certified nutrition specialists) are legally allowed to treat and counsel on nutrition for specific medical conditions
If someone is giving you nutrition advice, review their credentials and ask questions
Be mindful about where you are getting your nutrition recommendations
This topic is one that can be sensitive to dietitians. We have put many years of education and experience into our profession. It can be frustrating reading nutrition information that is disseminated from unqualified individuals. It is our job to educate the public on where to find quality nutrition advice.
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