Nutritionist vs Dietician..?

‘What is the difference between a Nutritionist VS a Dietitian and what are the current standards set by the relevant governing bodies’

 

Have you ever wondered what the difference between a Nutritionist and a Dietitian is? Or the difference between a Sports Nutritionist and Sports Dietitian? They all sound pretty similar, right? Previously, you may have used these terms interchangeably, however there is a quite a significant difference between the two and it is important to understand these differences in order to find the right professional for you! After reading this blog you will know how to tell if your nutrition professional is highly qualified and associated with a relevant professional governing body.

 

Let’s break down these differences…

 

Nutritionist

 

A Nutritionist is an individual who provides advice on matters relating to food and how it impacts on health. Nutritionists are typically qualified to offer broad health advice to the general population. Appropriately qualified Nutritionists, have the expertise to provide a range of evidence based nutrition services related to community and public health nutrition, food science, food policy and nutrition research.

 

What’s confusing is that the term ‘Nutritionist’ is not well regulated. A Nutritionist can be a tertiary qualified nutrition professional who has completed a 3 year minimum university degree and work experience, whilst can also be an individual who jumped online and completed a 3 week online nutrition course! Crazy, right?

 

There are a variety of ways to become a Nutritionist in Australia and there are no real specific requirements that you must meet to call yourself one.

 

Though there is no specific regulation to become a Nutritionist in Australia, there are governing bodies which help to decifer between someone who has completed years of study and work experience compared to someone who’s barely scraped the surfaces of understanding nutrition. Professional accreditation and regulation of nutrition professionals in Australia relies on industry bodies such as the Nutrition Society of Australia (NSA).

 

NSA is a governing body in Australia that has a professional registration program that promotes and encourages high standards of training. Inclusion on their voluntary register, and to gain title of a Registered Nutritionist (RNutr), requires a minimum 3 year undergraduate degree in human nutrition or a related health/nutritional science degree combined with at least three years of advanced postgraduate study or professional work experience in nutrition. To uphold this title you must meet certain standards and complete professional development tasks each year.

 

Sports Nutritionist

 

As it sounds, a Sports Nutritionist is an individual who provides nutrition advice to the general exercising population and otherwise healthy athletes, in order to optimise their body composition, athletic performance and health. Even with a 3 year degree, years of work experience and the title of being a qualified and registered Nutritionist, an individual would be practicing outside their scope of practice if they were to provide specific meal plans for improving body composition or performance, without being qualified and registered through Sports Nutrition Australia! Sports Nutrition Australia sits under the Sports Nutrition Association, a governing body responsible for regulation, education and standardisation of best practise in the sports nutrition profession.

 

Completing a Certificate in Applied Sports Nutrition and registering with Sports Nutrition Australia enables you to become an accredited and insured Sports Nutritionist in Australia. Students begin with Provisional Accreditation for 3 years, which after this period the requirements are that you become Openly Accredited via a relevant university degree or a Post Graduate Diploma in Performance Nutrition. A Certificate in Applied Sports Nutrition is the MINIMUM fitness industry standard to provide insured nutrition advice, it is a self-paced course and takes anywhere from 4-6 months. Once again to uphold this accreditation, you must complete annual continuing professional development. Are you an otherwise healthy athlete or weekend warrior looking to enhance your performance in sport or exercise? An Accredited Sports Nutritionist may be the professional for you!

 

Now we have briefly touched on the terms ‘Nutritionist’ and ‘Sports Nutritionist’ as well as outlined the current standards set by their relevant governing bodies, it’s time to look at how a dietician differs to this.

 

Dietitian

 

Dietitians can be nutritionists, but not all nutritionists can be dietitians.

So, what is a dietitian? A dietitian is a professional who is qualified to practice medical nutrition therapy in clinical settings such as hospitals, as well as a range of other settings such as community, private practice and aged care. This means that any time a medical condition is involved, for example diabetes, gastrointestinal diseases or food allergies, a dietitian should be the professional you seek guidance from. A Nutritionist is not qualified to provide medical advice or medical nutrition therapy!

 

To become a dietitian you must complete a minimum four year undergraduate degree at university in Nutrition and Dietetics or a relevant 3 year degree followed by a 2 years Masters degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. Either of these options must be through a course that has been accredited by Dietitians Australia.

 

Dietitians must meet a minimum standard of professional development, while also meeting other requirements to remain accredited. Accredited Practising Dietitians (APDs) are also the only credential for nutrition recognised by Medicare, The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and private health insurers. However, your dietitian must be registered with Dietitians Australia for you to be eligible for rebates for their service.

Sports Dietitian

 

A sports dietitian is a dietitian who has gone on to complete further study in the field of sports nutrition.. to become a sports dietitian you must be an Accredited Practicing Dietitian first! Accredited Sports Dietitians are qualified across the full nutritional requirements of any individual, including those athletes with medical conditions, thus generally classified as the experts when it comes to optimising body composition and improving athletic performance using dietary approaches.

 

Generally, sports dietitians require a minimum of one year of clinical experience in the field before they are allowed to undertake the 4 day intensive sports nutrition course through Sports Dietitians Australia. Becoming an accredited sports dietitian requires a minimum of 6 years of study and once again to maintain accreditation, you must complete extensive professional development requirements. Athletes with medical conditions or who require any type of clinical care must seek guidance from Sports Dietitians as these professionals have the clinical experience a Sports Nutritionist does not have.

 

Summary

 

As you can see there are some similarities between a Nutritionist and Dietitian, aswell as a Sports Nutritionist and Sports Dietitian however the scope of practice between all of these professions differ. The key takeaway is that a Nutritionist works with the general healthy population whilst a Dietitian may work with this population too, they work with individuals who require clinical health care and have medical conditions or chronic diseases. Overall the professional you choose to work with should be appropriately qualified, insured and registered with their relevant governing body. At the end of the day, choose a professional that has experience working with your specific goals and nutrition requirements, whilst also provides the highest quality service!

 

Written by Annabelle Buttery, Accredited Sports Nutritionist and Founder of AB Performance Nutrition