An article by UK based contributor Sam Gatt.
It is a well-known fact that eating healthy foods offers many benefits, like decreasing the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Eating well is also a good idea if you’re trying to lose some weight or stay fit and active. Our bodies can take several days to digest the food we eat. If we have a diet where junk food makes up the majority, we will consume too many calories.
Healthy foods contain the vitamins and nutrients we need for a healthy mind and immune system. The trouble is many people don’t know what they should be eating or in which quantities! In a nutshell, the job of a nutritionist is to help people out in that respect. Rather than following potentially unhelpful information online, a nutritionist ensures that each person has the right eating plan for their needs.
Do you have an interest in promoting healthy eating? And do you care about people’s well-being? If the answer to both questions is yes, you should consider a career as a nutritionist! Keep reading to learn more about this exciting career path and how to get started on it.
What does a nutritionist do?
The job of a dietitian can be quite varied, and all kinds of interesting and exciting tasks are carried out as part of your daily activities. For example, you will often become part of practical nutrition research projects, which usually involves recruiting volunteers to take part in trials.
The primary role of a nutritionist is to promote healthy eating, often by devising campaigns for particular groups of people, such as mothers. Nutritionists would work with dietitians, doctors and other medical staff to achieve such goals.
When nutritionists aren’t promoting healthy eating, they are learning more about it. They’ll often attend seminars, continuing education, events and talks on the subject too.
What is the difference between a nutritionist and a dietitian?
Nutritionists who have registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration can call themselves Registered Dietitians, and are qualified to give specific advice to people with respect of their diet and how to improve it. While nutritionists can also dispense this kind of advise, it’s with the supervision of a dietitian or in a less medical setting. The primary role of a nutritionist is to promote healthy eating within the community, and is more focused on research and awareness than giving out individual advice.
How do you get started as a nutritionist?
Most nutritionist programs require a BA in a health related field, as well as some certification or training before you can practice. There are many diet and nutrition programs that you can select.
It’s also crucial that you become a member of a professional nutritionists body. That way, you have more of a chance of getting a job as a nutritionist, especially in the public sector.
You will also need a variety of personal skills to become a nutritionist. For example, you’ll need to have excellent communication skills. You should also be able to work with people from all backgrounds. Last, but not least, it pays to have good management and organisational skills.
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