Nutritionist v Dietician - What is the Difference?

When you start getting into health and want to find the right professional it can confusing to know who to chose and what their accreditation or claims mean. So let's unpack what is the difference between a Nutritionist and Dietitian.

What is a dietitian?

A dietitian is a healthcare professional specialising in nutrition science and can help you lose weight by providing expert advice on healthy eating habits.

An Accredited Practising Dietitian (which is what I am) undergoes 5 yrs of university training specialising in all things nutrition and chronic disease management.
It is a protected title and if you see anyone having listed APD behind their name than you know they have done some serious educational training and are being regulated by DAA to ensure their are keeping up to date with their training and code of ethics.

Our training entails lots of practice in the kitchen trying and modifying recipes, hospital, community and organisational placements and some seriously difficult exams.
An APD is recognised by Medicare, NDIS and Private health which means you can get some money back on your consultations.

What can a dietitian help me with?

A dietitian can create a personalised meal plan for you based on your specific needs and goals and can guide making healthy food choices to help you with different health conditions and it is not always for weight loss!
Some of the conditions that a dietitian is consulted for is:

They can be especially helpful if you have special dietary restrictions or requirements due to conditions such as:

• Food Allergies and intolerances
• Heart health including high cholesterol
• Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
• Gut Health conditions such as IBS, Chrons disease or Diverticulitis
• Auto Immune diseases like Coeliac disease or Endometriosis 

As well as helping people with their weight!
This can include weight gain for some people recovering from illness or injury and the other extreme which is weight loss.

Additionally, a dietitian can help you develop healthy eating habits if you are choosing to change your lifestyle and try a vegetarian or vegan diet.
A dietitian will provide support and motivation to help you stick to your plan. to
They can also help you identify and overcome any obstacles or challenges preventing you from reaching your health goals.

What is a nutritionist?

A nutritionist is a professional specialising in studying nutrition and the relationship between diet and health. They can help people develop healthy eating habits and manage various health conditions through diet.
Some points to be aware of!

The term Nutritionist is not regulated and if tomorrow you wanted to start calling yourself a nutritionist you can, as there is no association or regulatory body,
Nutritionists in the industry have maybe if lucky 3 years of study with no placements and no practical experience.
They are not recognised by health funds or Medicare and not regulated
They can list anything they want on their website and you wouldn't know better.
It is a hit and miss and often they boost their credentials through various external institutions that are again nor recognised.

A bit of a wild Wild West here!. So thread carefully.

Dietitian Specialties

Dietitians will often specialise in some health areas - Such as working with children or working with geriatric patients.
This takes different skill sets and understandings of what these clients and families face.
Other dietitians will have a broader base of clients.

Overtime I have developed the skillsets and understandings of working with women who have difficulty with loosing weight.
This is my area of genius and I have so many tools under my belt that help to deal with the entire body and soul as weight gain is linked to many areas that includes the sub conscious, endocrine system and other health factors including injuries and overwhelm of dietary information 

Weight Loss Dietitian

The top Nine reasons why clients come to my dietetics practice and how I differ in how I approach weight loss

1. To develop a personalised meal plan tailored to their individual needs and goals.
2. To learn about healthy eating habits and portion control.
3. To address any underlying medical conditions or dietary restrictions contributing to weight gain.
4. To improve their relationship with food and develop healthier relationships with their bodies.
5. To gain a better understanding of the role of nutrition in overall health and wellness.
6. To receive education and support to make lasting lifestyle changes.
7. To receive accountability and motivation to stick to their weight loss plan.
8. To address emotional or psychological factors that may be impacting their eating habits.
9. To receive techniques to overcome  additional barriers to weight loss, such as stress, trauma and poor breathing techniques.

Are all Dietitians created Equal?

Now does this means that all APDs are great and all Nutritionists rubbish. No.
There are some rubbish APD and great Nutritionists.
So ensure you ask you practitioner lots of questions to ensure you are selecting the right practitioner for you.

Get in touch with me today if you would like to know more about how I treat the body as a whole when undergoing a weight loss program.

Anca Vereen is an APD and Integrative Dietitian and Nutritionist, Psychotherapist, Breathing Coach and Nutrigenomics Lecturer who specialises in weight loss, gut health, mental health and stress management.

For bookings please visit www.ancavereen.com

For more information please visit https://dietitiansaustralia.org.au/working-dietetics/credentialing-dietitians