What is the difference between a dietician and a nutritionist

Jump to: Registered Dietitian | Registered Nutritionist | Nutritional therapist | Key differences | Alternative option | Pricing | Take home message

You might have been confused by seeing the different terms nutritionist, dietitian, and nutritional therapist.

When you are looking for a professional to help you make healthy lifestyle changes and improve your diet, it is important to understand the difference between these titles.

The titles dietitian, nutritionist, and nutritional therapist are all used for professional purposes, but they can’t be used interchangeably as they each hold very different qualifications and registrations.

This guide will explain in detail the differences between nutrition professionals to help you make an informed decision about what is best for you.

Registered Dietitian (RD)

Dietitians are the only nutrition professionals to be governed and regulated by law. This means that anyone who uses the dietitian title must be registered with the correct professional body and adhere to their standards, otherwise, they will be penalised with legal action.

In the UK, The Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) is the regulatory body that all dietitians must be registered with to practise in a clinical setting.

Dietitians provide practical guidance, to both healthy and sick individuals, to help people make appropriate, healthy choices. They often work as part of a clinical team (including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists etc) to treat complex health conditions such as diabetes, allergies, IBS, eating disorders, chronic fatigue, malnutrition, kidney failure and bowel disorders.

Other areas that dietitians often work in include the food industry, workplace, catering, education, sport and the media, and public health relations.

To become a dietitian in the UK, the minimum requirement is a bachelor’s degree (BSc Hons) in Dietetics, or a related science degree with a postgraduate diploma or master’s degree in Dietetics.

Dietetic degrees combine biochemistry, physiology, applied sciences, and research methods relating to nutrition science.

All degrees have a mandatory supervised placement within the NHS, which means that most dietitians have had experience in a clinical setting. After the degree and all placements are completed, individuals can apply for registration with the HCPC.

You can look up a dietitian and check their registration here.

Registered Nutritionist (ANutr or RNutr)

Registered nutritionists are qualified to provide information and advice about food and healthy eating, but not about special diets for medical conditions. Those with a medical condition could see a registered nutritionist as part of a medical team (including GPs, doctors, nurses etc).

Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist but only registered nutritionists have met the strict standards of professional education in nutrition.

In the UK, the professional body for registration is the Association for Nutrition (AfN). Only individuals registered with the AfN hold the title Registered Nutritionist (ANutr or RNutr). Registration requires a minimum of an undergraduate (BSc Hons) or postgraduate degree in Nutrition or a related discipline, such as Public Health Nutrition or Sports Nutrition.

The ANutr title stands for ‘Registered Associate Nutritionist’, whereas the RNutr stands for ‘Registered Nutritionist’. The only difference is that those with RNutr status have had a minimum of 3 years of relevant professional experience.

All AfN registrants are required to keep up-to-date with the latest nutrition science through Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

Registered nutritionists often work as freelance consultants. There are some nutritionists employed within the NHS working alongside Registered Dietitians.

They also work in many non-clinical settings such as in Government, food service, research, teaching, sports, international work in developing countries, media and communications, animal nutrition, and NGOs.

You can look up a nutritionist and check their registration here.

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Nutritional Therapist

Nutritional therapists practice complementary medicine, which is not valid as a treatment in conventional medicine. They provide recommendations for diet and lifestyle in order to reduce or prevent health issues and illnesses.

They work on the belief that the body has underlying nutritional and biochemical imbalances that lead to poor health including mental health problems. This approach is called functional medicine and is completely different from conventional medicine.

Nutritional therapists usually provide private consultations. Treatment methods can include high dose vitamins, detoxing, food avoidance, and supplements (non-NHS approved) for which currently there’s little scientific evidence.

Training for nutritional therapists is provided by the Institute of Optimum Nutrition (ION). The ION awards ‘Foundation Degree’ status to those who complete certain courses, however, these are not university degrees.

Nutritional therapists, un-registered nutritionists, ‘diet experts’, and ‘nutrition experts’ are not eligible to register with the HCPC or the AfN. Nutritional therapists can register with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council.

Key differences

To highlight and summarise the key differences between dietitians, registered nutritionists, and nutritional therapists:

Alternative option

If you are looking to make healthy changes and lose some weight, seeking the help of a nutrition professional is a great way to do so. The challenge with seeing a nutritionist professional is that you often have to take a few hours out of your week to travel to and from the session and have the consultation. There are also travelling expenses associated with face-to-face consultations.

In the current climate, most in-face appointments have been shifted to online but might still cost the same amount. On top of this, you’re limited to your appointment slot rather than getting support as and when you need it.

For this reason, many people prefer the convenience of an online programme, where they can communicate with their nutritionist or dietitian around their busy lifestyle.

Second Nature is a digital programme that helps you to lose weight and make sustainable lifestyle changes. Second Nature combines support from registered nutritionists and dietitians with the convenience of an app-based programme.

Many people are more familiar with Weight Watchers or Slimming World, so we created a guide comparing their digital programmes with Second Nature to help you decide what’s best for you.

The Second Nature programme focuses on three areas that lead to long-term habit change: tracking, support, and education. When you sign up for the programme, you receive:

• Daily support from a registered dietitian or nutritionist health coach
• A digital peer support group
• 2-week, risk-free trial
• Hundreds of in-app recipe videos
• Daily educational articles
• Meal planning and journaling tools
• Steps, weight, and habit tracking technology

Second Nature tackles weight loss by focusing on your habits and changing your behaviours. This means that any healthy lifestyle changes you make will be sustainable and last in the long term.

Take a look at our Trustpilot reviews to understand what members think of the programme.

Pricing

Weekly face-to-face consultations with a dietitian, nutritionist, or nutritional therapist at a clinic can be very expensive (£40-£100/hour).

To compare the prices of visiting any private nutrition clinic with the Second Nature programme, we have added a column representing this (Weekly Nutritionist).

Take home message

• Dietitians are the only health professionals regulated and protected by law.
• Registered nutritionists can provide evidence-based advice and information about food and healthy eating.
• Nutritional therapists provide alternative treatment, based on the idea that the body needs ‘healing’ and ‘correcting’.
• Only dietitians and registered nutritionists are required to hold a nationally recognised degree.
• Second Nature provides a cheaper, more convenient alternative to face-to-face consultations from a registered nutritionist or dietitian.

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