Nutritionist

Below is some information explaining what a nutritionist is, and what a nutritionist can offer compared to other professionals.

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The title of nutritionists is not protected by law, meaning that anyone can advertise their services as a nutritionist. So it's important to find a nutritionist who is appropriately qualified and registered by a trustworthy professional body.

I am registered with the Association for Nutrition (AfN)

A member of the Association for Nutrition

To become a member you have to have a minimum of degree-level nutrition science and be committed to adhere to the AfN Standards of Ethics, Conduct and Performance. I have a first-class degree in Human Nutrition, which is accredited by the AfN. I am also entitled to use the letters ‘ANutr’ after my name. To be able to use 'ANutr' you typically need to graduate from a BSc (Hons) or MSc in nutrition science within the last three years. ANutr stands for Registered Associate Nutritionist, and the title states that they can prove underpinning scientific knowledge in evidence-based nutrition, but has yet to acquire the significant experience of the practical application of this knowledge required to transfer to RNutr status. My aim as a nutritionist is to gain this practical experience to then apply to change my status to RNutr.

What do Nutritionist do?

Nutritionist provide evidence-based information and guidance on food and nutrition, and it's impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals. Therefore, they will have a good understanding of the scientific basic of nutrition.

Please be aware that the title ‘nutritionist’ is not protected by law in the UK, and you are advised to check your chosen professional has had adequate training. Those who are registered with the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN - regulated by the AfN) are able to refer to themselves as a ‘Registered Nutritionist’.

It is not required for nutritionist to join a register by law, but joining a voluntary professional register is a way of checking qualifications, provide insurance and experience, and have a code of ethics and complaints procedure so that potential clients can feel assured of their practitioner’s professionalism.

Nutritionist typically offer the following:

Provide customised advice on health and diet for specific individuals
Explain how important nutrition is for health
Assess clients' health and nutrition needs
Develop meal plans, taking into consideration of factors such as costs, cooking facilities, time, preferences, to ensure meal plans are suitable and individualised to each client
Evaluate the effects of meal plans and adapt plans whenever needed
Promote better nutrition, diet, healthy eating habits, improving food relationship and providing information about preventing or managing diseases through nutrition
Keep up to date with the latest nutritional science research through Continuing Professional Development (SPD)

Although nutritionist are not able to offer dietary advice to those with medical conditions, they can make recommendations about food and healthy eating to help prevent or alleviate certain aliments.

What's the difference between a Nutritionist, Dietitian and a Nutritional Therapist?

You might have been confused by seeing the different terms nutritionist, dietitian, and nutritional therapist.

When you are looking for a professional to help you make healthy lifestyle changes and improve your diet, it is important to understand the difference between these titles.

The titles dietitian, nutritionist, and nutritional therapist are all used for professional purposes, but they can’t be used interchangeably as they each hold very different qualifications and registrations.

Registered Nutritionist (ANutr and RNutr)

Registered nutritionists are qualified to provide information and advice about food and healthy eating, but not about special diets for medical conditions. Those with a medical condition could see a registered nutritionist as part of a medical team (including GPs, doctors, nurses etc).

Registered Dietitian

Dietitians are the only nutrition professionals to be governed and regulated by law. This means that anyone who uses the dietitian title must be registered with the correct professional body and adhere to their standards, otherwise, they will be penalised with legal action. The Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) is the regulatory body that all dietitians must be registered with to practise in a clinical setting.

Nutritional Therapist

Nutritional therapists practice complementary medicine, which is not valid as a treatment in conventional medicine. They provide recommendations for diet and lifestyle in order to reduce or prevent health issues and illnesses. They work on the belief that the body has underlying nutritional and biochemical imbalances that lead to poor health including mental health problems.