Nutritionist

Nutritionist or a dietitian?

I was just looking into all this, as I was going to do the same thing, but in looking into it I found my transfer school would be farther away than I though. So I won't be able to do it.

Here's a link that I was looking at. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos077.htm

I was thinking about this today as well. What is the difference between a nutritionist and a dietician?

The best thing is to go to your community college,. and meet with a counselor. They can guide you through what you need to know to get started. See if they have a transfer program, or if it would be best to go directly to a University. Also if you are going to need Financial aid, go to that page http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ Make sure it has .ed.gov in the link, there's another site you have to pay for to apply. The deadline for Spring term is Nov 4th. so you want to jump on that if your anxious to get going.

Tinking about going to scool to be a nutritionaist. Does anybody know anyting about how to get started?

I was thinking about this today as well. What is the difference between a nutritionist and a dietician?

From the ADA website: https://secure.eatright.org/cgi-bin/lansaweb?procfun+prweb28+p28fn01+prd+eng:

Registered Dietitian - The Commission on Dietetic Registration defines the Registered Dietitian (RD) as an individual who: (1) has completed the minimum of a Baccalaureate degree granted by a U.S. regionally accredited college or university, or equivalent; (2) has met current minimum academic requirements (Didactic Program in Dietetics) as approved by the Commission on Accreditation/Approval for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association; (3) has completed pre-professional experience accredited/approved by the Commission on Accreditation/Approval for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association; (4) has successfully completed the Registration Examination for Dietitians; (5) has remitted the annual registration maintenance fee; and (6) has accrued 75 hours of approved continuing professional education within a specific five-year reporting period.

A "nutritionist" is:

Someone who calls him- or herself a "nutritionist".

A "nutritionist" is:

Someone who calls him- or herself a "nutritionist".

In the United States, at least. This is not the case everywhere, as I understand it. For example, I believe that the term "nutritionist" is a regulated title in Canada.

Also, the fact that someone calls him/herself a "nutritionist" doesn't mean that they aren't highly educated in nutrition. either. It's just not a regulated title in the U.S. So, while some people called nutritionists might have, for example, a graduate degree in biology, hundreds of additional hours of nutrition coursework, and an internship, others might have no training whatsoever.

(I am just making this point because I think some people have the mistaken idea that anyone calling him/herself a "nutritionist" is a quack selling snake oil or something.)

Without a license or a common set of legal, defined qualifications, there is no way to tell the difference. Hence, my original quote. As far as I am concerned, anyone calling themselves a "nutritionist" IS a quack until proven otherwise. The number of serious professions who have pursued a "real" nutrition certification (e.g. Certified Nutrition Specialist) are vastly outweighed by those who have taken a "shake and bake" certification test to fluff up their business cards. Buyer beware!

I've said this before --whether it's dietitians or personal trainers--if you want to be taken seriously as a professional, then get professional training and certification/license.

(Disclaimer: my remarks are directed to the US only--my knowledge of requirements/titles in other countries is limited and I thank you for calling that to my attention.

We're all qualified to call ourselves a nutritionist

huh no!

A dietician is more qualified.

I've just about finished my second year of my 3 year nutrition degree at university. After I have finished my degree I will be a nutritionist. Anyone can become a nutritionist.
Becoming a dietician is a bit harder though. I will be applying for the post graduate dietetics course which is more hands on and competitive.

A "nutritionist" is:

Someone who calls him- or herself a "nutritionist".

In the United States, at least. This is not the case everywhere, as I understand it. For example, I believe that the term "nutritionist" is a regulated title in Canada.

Also, the fact that someone calls him/herself a "nutritionist" doesn't mean that they aren't highly educated in nutrition. either. It's just not a regulated title in the U.S. So, while some people called nutritionists might have, for example, a graduate degree in biology, hundreds of additional hours of nutrition coursework, and an internship, others might have no training whatsoever.

(I am just making this point because I think some people have the mistaken idea that anyone calling him/herself a "nutritionist" is a quack selling snake oil or something.)

Without a license or a common set of legal, defined qualifications, there is no way to tell the difference. Hence, my original quote. As far as I am concerned, anyone calling themselves a "nutritionist" IS a quack until proven otherwise. The number of serious professions who have pursued a "real" nutrition certification (e.g. Certified Nutrition Specialist) are vastly outweighed by those who have taken a "shake and bake" certification test to fluff up their business cards. Buyer beware!

I've said this before --whether it's dietitians or personal trainers--if you want to be taken seriously as a professional, then get professional training and certification/license.

(Disclaimer: my remarks are directed to the US only--my knowledge of requirements/titles in other countries is limited and I thank you for calling that to my attention.

A nutritionist is a person who advises on matters of food and nutrition impacts on health. Different professional terms are used in different countries, employment settings and contexts — some examples include: nutrition scientist, public health nutritionist, dietitian-nutritionist, clinical nutritionist, and sports nutritionist.

Some use the terms "dietitian" and "nutritionist" as basically interchangeable.[1] However in many countries and jurisdictions, the title "nutritionist" is not subject to professional regulation; any person may call themselves a nutrition expert even if they are wholly self-taught.[2] In most US states, parts of Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, the term nutritionist is not legally protected, whereas the title of dietitian can be used only by those who have met specified professional requirements. One career counselor attempting to describe the difference between the two professions to Canadian students suggested "all dietitians are nutritionists, but not all nutritionists are dietitians."[3]

:laugh:

Are certificates really taken seriously? I am a certified instructional assistant, and I'm nothing, and am treated like nothing. Except to little kinders who see me in the grocery store and don't get that there is a difference between me and their teacher. lol.

I'm guessing that is highly dependent upon the particular certificate under question. Why did you get a certificate if not to be "taken seriously" by someone, even if that person was only the person responsible for hiring you/giving you a promotion?

Edit to add: If I was a kindergarten teacher (or school principal, I suppose) looking for someone to help out in a class, I am guessing that you would be taken a bit more seriously than the Average Joe with little to no knowledge of child development/pedagogy (or whatever). Does it mean that the average person gives you more respect because of that certificate? Or that the certificate alone is the path to professional prosperity? Probably not.