Navigating the world of nutrition professionals can be confusing, especially when it comes to understanding the roles and qualifications of Nutritional Therapists, Nutritionists, and Dieticians. This article aims to clarify some of these distinctions and to help you understand how I work and how it is different to a Dietician or Nutritionist.
Defining the Roles and Qualifications
Nutritional Therapist:
Nutritional therapy is the application of nutrition and lifestyle medicine sciences in the promotion of health, peak performance and individual care (BANT).
Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioners assess and identify potential nutritional imbalances and help an individual understand how these may contribute to an individual’s symptoms and health concerns.
Practitioners consider each individual to be unique and provide individual nutrition and lifestyle recommendations rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
Nutritional Therapists take into account your health journey, your health goals and dietary preferences. The practitioner may use functional tests to inform the recommendations that are based on your unique biological individuality that are not available on the NHS (such as microbiome testing – see https://www.melodymackeownnutrition.com/is-stool-testing-useful-to-find-out-why-youre-having-digestive-issues-such-as-bloating-reflux-diarrhoea-and-constipation/). A Nutritional Therapist cannot make a diagnosis, but frequently work alongside medical professionals to support individuals’ wellbeing.
Personalised nutrition consultations are relevant for individuals with chronic conditions, such as persistent digestive issues or any condition associated with digestive function and their microbiome. They also support other conditions, such as those wishing to support an autoimmune condition and those looking to enhance their health and wellbeing.
Recommendations are not a replacement for medical advice.
A Nutritional Therapist should be registered with a recognised regulatory body, such as British Association of Nutrition Therapists (BANT) or Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) and have a degree or Diploma in Nutritional Therapy.
Nutritionist:
While there are some overlaps with both a Nutritional Therapist and Dietician, a registered Nutritionist provide evidence-based nutrition information and guidance to people at an individual, group or population level or to animals and their carers. They work within sectors including charities, academia, industry (such as food industry), policy and healthcare or in a freelance capacity. For more information, please see the Association for Nutrition (AfN).
Dietician:
According to the Association of Dieticians (BDA), dietitians are health professionals that assess, diagnose and treat dietary and nutritional problems at an individual and wider public-health level, something a Nutritional Therapist doesn’t do. Their title is also protected by law.
They differ from a Nutritional Therapist because they work in the NHS and in private clinics and they can work in the food industry, workplace, catering and education. Other care pathways they work in include mental health, learning disabilities, community, acute settings and public health.
Specifically, they may work with patients outside the remit of a Nutritional Therapist, such as someone with kidney disease or who needs specialist dietary advice while in hospital.
Unsure which nutrition professional to consult for your specific health goals? Book a consultation with me to understand how I can help you.
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