Nutritionist

In many jurisdictions a nutritionist is a health specialist who devotes professional activity to food and nutritional science, preventive nutrition, diseases related to nutrient deficiencies, and the use of nutrient manipulation to enhance the clinical response to human diseases. They can also advise people on dietary matters relating to health, well-being and optimal nutrition.

In many some jurisdictions such as the UK and some US states the term "nutritionist" is not a legally protected term. As a result, some nutritionists who appear in the media in these jurisdictions may give advise on diet that is of questionable informational value.

Training

There are a wide range of courses available which vary in duration from several days to several years. A person who represents him or herself as a nutritionist may have several different levels of education including a degree in nutrition or dietetics from a university (of which several may be accredited by nutritionist governing bodies such as the Nutrition Society accrediting degree courses in the UK) or certification in nutrition education and/or counseling from a private vocational/professional training school.

Regulation of the title "nutritionist"

Canada

The title "nutritionist" is protected in Quebec and Nova Scotia. ¹ It is not protected in British Columbia. There were discussions about this when the dietitian designation was protected in British Columbia, but as of March 2008 "nutritionist" is not currently protected there.

United Kingdom

Nutritionist, unlike dietician, is not currently a protected term. Anyone in the UK can refer to himself or herself as a nutritionist without any formal qualifications. Different organisations promoting holistic and alternative therapies may use their own criteria to define a nutritionist. According to one of these, the Nutrition Society of the UK ², the function of a nutritionist is to elicit, integrate, disseminate and apply scientific knowledge drawn from the relevant sciences, to promote an understanding of the effects of nutrition, and to enhance the impact of food on health and well-being of animals and/or people. They accredit nutritionists, conferring the titles Associate Nutritionist (ANutr), Associate Public Health Nutritionist (APHNutr), Registered Nutritionist, (R Nutr.), and Registered Public Health Nutritionist (RPHNutr). For these they consider an undergraduate training ³ sufficient to be entered on their Register of Nutritionists.

United States

The term "dietitian" is legally protected. Dietitians are registered with the American Dietetic Association and are only able to use the title "dietitian" when they have met strict, specific educational and experiential prerequisites and passed a national registration examination.

The title "nutritionist" is protected and designated by many but not all states in the United States. It is important that a person seeking the counsel of a nutritionist, check with their local state's licensing agency to find out if prospective practitioners are duly licensed.

Traditionally, dietitians work in institutional settings, such as hospitals, schools and prisons, rather than in private practice. Nutritionists sometimes work in such instititions but more often work in private practice, in education and research. Some overlap exists within the two professions.

Development of a certified registry

The Certification Board For Nutrition Specialists (CBNS) was founded in 1993 by the American College of Nutrition (ACN) to help meet the growing demand for knowledgeable, responsible professional nutritionists. The protected title of Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) is awarded by CBNS to those nutritionists meeting defined educational, experience and examination requirements. ⁴ Similarly and as mentioned above, the Nutrition Society of the United Kingdom has established a Register of Nutritionists. This is to recognize and encourage high standards of professional training in nutrition as well as to protect the public.

Types of Nutritionist

Nutrition Scientists

Nutrition scientists are those individuals who use the scientific method to study nutrients, both as individual compounds and as they interact in food and nutrition. The role of the nutrition scientist is to develop new knowledge related to nutrients or nutrition or to develop new processes or techniques to apply existing knowledge. For example, nutrition scientists have been involved in developing food preservation processes, determining nutrient requirements for various animal species, describing how individual nutrients function within the cells of the human body, and identifying nutrition-related problems in various populations.

Public Health Nutritionists

Public health nutritionists are professionals who view the community as their client. They specialize in diagnosing the nutritional problems of communities and in finding solutions to those problems. Some classic examples of public health nutrition interventions include the fortification of salt with iodine to prevent Goitre or the enrichment of grain products with B vitamins to prevent deficiency diseases.

References

^ "Sports Nutritionist". Peak performance. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
^ "Guide to registration as a Nutritionist". Nutrition Society. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
^ "Undergraduate courses accredited by the Nutrition Society". Nutrition Society. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
^ "Welcome to the ACN Nutritionists Certification arm". ACN. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.

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