What is the difference between a nutritionist and dietitian ?

lorib642
lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I have seen a dietitian before. I hear people say nutritionist. I see posts that people saw one or are one. Is that the same thing? Do they have the same training? Does it depend on locale?

I asked about a nutritionist once and I got a phone number for a children's hospital that deals with digestive problems.

Replies

  • CanuckCyclist
    CanuckCyclist Posts: 14 Member
    Dietitian: Requires a bachelors degree with yearly certification and a governing body to keep up standards.
    Nutritionist: Requires no formal education but typically has still studied and taken courses. Not required to have yearly certification and has no formal guidelines like a dietician has to follow.

    That's how it was explained to me, but I suspect there's a whole variety of opinions depending on the locale.
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
    Thank you. That makes sense.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    CanuckCyclist wrote: »
    Dietitian: Requires a bachelors degree with yearly certification and a governing body to keep up standards.
    Nutritionist: Requires no formal education but typically has still studied and taken courses. Not required to have yearly certification and has no formal guidelines like a dietician has to follow.

    That's how it was explained to me, but I suspect there's a whole variety of opinions depending on the locale.

    Definitely depends on location - a bachelors degree where I am qualifies you as a nutritionist. Becoming a dietician requires a masters degree...
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Standards for nutritionists vary by state, so it's going to depend on where you are. In some places, it's very easy to call yourself a nutritionists. In others, they are required to have more training.
  • CanuckCyclist
    CanuckCyclist Posts: 14 Member
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    CanuckCyclist wrote: »
    Dietitian: Requires a bachelors degree with yearly certification and a governing body to keep up standards.
    Nutritionist: Requires no formal education but typically has still studied and taken courses. Not required to have yearly certification and has no formal guidelines like a dietician has to follow.

    That's how it was explained to me, but I suspect there's a whole variety of opinions depending on the locale.

    Definitely depends on location - a bachelors degree where I am qualifies you as a nutritionist. Becoming a dietician requires a masters degree...

    Sorry yes you are quite right, in my location as well! I had to look it up to be sure.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    In Canada they use the terms interchangeably
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    edited May 2018
    Yeah, it depends where you are. In lots of countries the terms are interchangeable.

    In the US, a registered dietitian has advanced nutrition degrees, passed a registration exam, and has to re-register at regular intervals. You must be an RD in the US to "prescribe" a specific diet to deal with a medical condition, and in many states you must be an RD to legally create a personalized meal plan or even give nutrition advice.

    Nutritionist is not a nationally defined term. In some states you must have a degree, in others you don't need anything, and there's very little oversight.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    In the US, nutritionist is a job title with no qualifications required. There are lot of people in that job that know what they are doing though. Dietitian requires education and passing boards to be certified by a professional organization. that doesn't guarantee that they are good at it; there are lots of lousy dieticians. But I think your odds are better with a dietitian as far as finding a good one.
  • CanuckCyclist
    CanuckCyclist Posts: 14 Member
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    In Canada they use the terms interchangeably

    I'm in Canada and we definitely do not! That's why we have the Dietician's Association of Canada that oversees them.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    CanuckCyclist wrote: »
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    In Canada they use the terms interchangeably

    I'm in Canada and we definitely do not! That's why we have the Dietician's Association of Canada that oversees them.

    My Dietitian calls herself a nutritionist and she definitely is a "registrated dietitian". At my hospital it says nutrionist on their doors.
  • happytree923
    happytree923 Posts: 463 Member
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    CanuckCyclist wrote: »
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    In Canada they use the terms interchangeably

    I'm in Canada and we definitely do not! That's why we have the Dietician's Association of Canada that oversees them.

    My Dietitian calls herself a nutritionist and she definitely is a "registrated dietitian". At my hospital it says nutrionist on their doors.

    I’m in the US and when I worked in a medical setting, my coworkers would use nutritionist and dietician interchangeably to refer to an RD. The letters after their name are the important part.
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