Nutritionist vs Dietitian: What’s the Difference?

Helping people transform their relationship with food creates lasting change in their lives. As a nutrition professional, you'll guide clients toward healthier habits that stick.

If this sounds like a career path you want to pursue, there are two main career options available to you: Nutritionist or Dietitian. Both provide a range of nutrition-based services to clients. We’ll explain the difference between the two in this article. 

What is a Dietitian?

A Dietitian is a qualified health professional who diagnoses and treats dietary problems at both individual and public health levels.

They’ve usually got a bachelor’s degree or some level of nationally recognised education in their field. They also need to have completed up to a year of supervised work in a healthcare facility, catering business or community body.

Dietitians have far greater expectations placed on their capabilities and professionalism. They continue learning after getting their degree by reading industry publications, keeping an eye on scientific journals and staying abreast of the latest research.

What is a Nutritionist?

A Nutritionist is a nutrition expert who gives dietary advice but cannot legally treat health conditions through Medical Nutrition Therapy like Dietitians can. A Dietitian is a type of Nutritionist, but a Nutritionist is not a Dietitian.

A person can become a nutritionist without extensive qualifications or accreditations. The term “nutritionist” is not protected by any regulations, and as such, anyone can label themselves as a nutritionist.

Generally, people who pursue nutritionist courses do so as part of a broader service offering. Some healthcare and fitness professionals will take a nutritionist course in order to broaden their knowledge and provide expanded advice to their patients and clients.

What’s the difference between a Nutritionist and Dietitian?

While some use the terms interchangeably, there are actually major differences between Nutritionists and Dietitians.

Accreditation

The major difference between Nutritionists and Dietitians is accreditation. There is no national industry authority governing Nutritionists and no stringent guidelines for practice.

Dietitians, on the other hand, are registered with nationally recognised bodies, such as the Dietitians Association of Australia. They must abide by the National Competency Standards for Dietitians that they’re taught in the Accredited Practising Dietitian Program. This program is recognised by many other national bodies, including Medicare and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, as well as some private organisations such as health insurance companies.

Knowledge

Nutritionist courses can vary in length and quality, with some as short as six weeks and covering far less content than a dietetics course. Depending on your education provider, you can gain a significant amount of knowledge through studying a simple nutrition course; however, it’s important to have a good look at the course provider and units before you start.

Dietitians usually have done a degree or course accredited by Dietitians Australia. Their professional learning is also continuous, as they attend industry seminars or read industry publications. 

Employment

Nutritionists can work in a wide range of fields, like public and private health.  Some research assistants and professional scientists will pursue Nutritionist qualifications in order to better understand their field of study.

Nutritionists can also work with sports organisations, gyms and schools, and advise media outlets on basic terminology and correct usage of terms. Often, people will look for a Nutritionist to help them get into shape.

Dietitians can work in most of the same roles.

They can also work in settings that aren’t open to Nutritionists. This includes private clinical practice, such as general practice, hospitals and other major healthcare institutions. Dietitians can also work in the medical nutrition industry in research roles where they can help further their field.

Clients

With the right qualifications, Nutritionists can work with a wide range of clients, from athletes to children and major organisations. They attract clients by staying on top of nutrition trends and proving their expertise through real results..

Dietitians often work with more medically sensitive clients. These can include those with diabetes, allergies, obesity, cancer and gastrointestinal diseases. Because of the extra knowledge required to provide services to these people, only accredited Dietitians are permitted to provide care.

Dietitian vs Nutritionist Australia: What’s right for you?

If you’re looking into getting into the nutrition field, your first course of action should be to figure out what you want to do after you study. If you want to treat medical conditions through diet, a dietetics course is your best bet. But, if you want to work as a Nutrition Advisor or expand your health and fitness business to include food, a Diploma of Nutrition is a better fit.

We offer a nationally recognised qualification, the 10967NAT Diploma of Nutrition, for anyone in the latter category. This course takes up to 12 months to finish and teaches you everything you need to know to give nutrition advice to healthy clients under the Australian Dietary Guidelines and Eat for Health Program.

Still have questions? Call us on 1300 616 180 to discuss your career goals. We’ll help you come up with a plan to get you where you need to be!