Understanding the difference between dietitians, nutritionists and nutritional therapists

Nutritionist, nutritional therapist, dietitian, sports dietitian, registered dietitian – with so many different titles and terms used by professionals, individuals seeking help for matters concerning their diet and lifestyle may be overwhelmed and confused about which professional will best suit their needs. This fact-sheet will cover the differences between a nutritionist, nutritional therapist, and a dietitian, so that those seeking support from a professional can make an informed decision about what qualifications and experience they would ideally like their practitioner to hold.

Despite the extensive list of titles and terms used to describe professionals who work in the field of nutrition, the key titles you need to know about are:

  • Dietitian
  • Nutritionist
  • Nutritional Therapist

(Please note, throughout Nutritionist Resource, we will use the term ‘Nutritionist’ to refer to all of the above professionals, unless stated otherwise).

Dietitians

Dietitians apply their expert knowledge in the science of nutrition to help individuals seeking advice about disease and general health, to make educated decisions about their food choices and lifestyle.

As it stands, dietitians are the only professionals in the field of nutrition who are ‘statutorily regulated’. This means they are governed by law, and an ethical code of practice is in place to ensure that work is carried out to the highest possible standards.

Law protects the title ‘Dietitian’, and only those who are registered with an organisation known as the Health Professionals Council (HPC) are able to refer to themselves in a professional capacity using this term.

The HPC is an independent UK regulator, responsible for defining the level of professional training, conduct, and performance for 14 different professions. They have a register of all of the professionals who meet their standards, and in the event that any practitioner falls below the standards set or a complaint is made about treatment given, an investigation will be launched and appropriate action will be taken where necessary.

In order to be eligible for registration with the HPC, individuals must have a minimum of a BSc Hons in Dietetics or a BSc Hons in a biological science of relevance along with a postgraduate diploma or degree.

All courses must have incorporated supervised practice, including some time in an NHS setting, and throughout this practice an individual must have demonstrated their competence in the field in order to be eligible for HPC registration.

The British Dietetic Association is the professional body for dietitians and therefore is in control of creating the curriculum for dietitians. This organisation is also the Trade Union for dietitians.

Dietitians work in a variety of settings, from the NHS right through to education, publishing, sport and in government roles. Their expertise can be applied on a one to one basis to treat complex conditions in an individual, or on a wider scale such as informing the general public about food and health policy or educating other health professionals or community groups about nutrition.

Whatever the situation, a dietitian must apply knowledge that is supported by evidence, research and trials, as opposed to advice that is based upon personal opinion and beliefs or upon anything from which they could gain financially.

Dieticians are an essential component, or ‘cog’ of a complex machine which involves many different teams of professionals who work together to treat complex conditions. This means that a dietitian may be consulted to assist in the recovery of eating disorder, or advice may be sought from them to help with digestive disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome or for formulating an eating programme for an individual who requires a special diet as part of their medical treatment, for example in patients with: cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, oncology.

They will also be able to give advice on maintaining optimum nutritional status when patients wish to explore what are considered to be ‘alternative therapies’, such as an exclusion diet or a diet for autism.

They may well provide this care from an NHS setting, or it may be that their help has been sought on a freelance basis from an individual. Either way, their treatment and advice will incorporate the science of nutrition as well as practical advice for their patients.

Legally, dietitians are allowed to dispense or supply medication that is prescription only, such as insulin, and they are also permitted manage dosages of nutritional supplements, meaning they are able to adjust quantities on a patients drug chart.

Key points about dietitians:

  • Many work principally within the NHS
  • They are statutorily regulated by the Health Professions Council (HPC)
  • Must be trained to university degree level or above
  • The British Dietetic Association is the single professional body for dietitians and is responsible for the design of the curriculum.
  • Typically a dietitian will advise people with special dietary needs such as those with kidney disease diabetes or cancer.

Nutritionists

Nutritionists typically work for public bodies or for the government as opposed to seeing individuals on a one to one basis. They generally advise organisations on matters of health and nutrition and formulate information for the public or for their employer.

Unlike ‘Dietitian’, the title ‘Nutritionist’ is not protected by law in the UK, thus meaning that anyone is able to assume the title in a professional capacity, even if they do not possess adequate training and experience. However, only those who are registered with the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN) (regulated by the Association for Nutrition) are able to refer to themselves as a ‘Registered Nutritionist’, or as a ‘Registered Public Health Nutritionist’.

In terms of what qualifications an individual must hold in order to qualify for registration with the UKVRN, individuals can either study on a course that has been accredited (meaning courses have met strict standards laid out by the organisation and any graduates are automatically accepted onto the UKVRN), or must provide adequate evidence of strong knowledge in the field.

Though nutritionists are not required to be registered by law, many have opted to join voluntary professional registers. Registers such as these check qualifications, insurance and experience, and often implement their own Code of Ethics and Complaints Procedure so that potential clients can feel assured of their practitioner’s professionalism.

Employers who are looking for nutritionists will often prefer to recruit nutritionists who are registered with self-regulatory bodies such as the Association for Nutrition or the Nutrition Society, as opposed to those who operate independently without being bound by a code of ethics.

Nutritionists are not permitted to work on hospital wards unless they are supervised by a regulated healthcare professional such as a dietitian nor are they permitted to issue or alter any prescriptions.

Generally the term ‘nutritionist’ is used to refer to professionals who work in jobs which apply scientific knowledge to food, such as working in food production, for retailers, or in research facilities, as opposed to in jobs which are based around the public or require one to one consultations. However, nutritionists can also train as nutritional therapists or dieticians, in which case they can use their scientific knowledge to their advantage by applying it to their work with clients.

Nutritionists who are registered with the UKVRN will provide treatment and advice which is based on evidence and not personal opinion, but be aware that nutritionists who are not registered may make suggestions or give advice which is founded upon their own opinions and beliefs.

Though nutritionists are not permitted to issue or alter medical prescriptions, they may recommend certain supplements. Those who are UKVRN registered will generally only suggest supplements which have been approved by the NHS, whereas unregistered nutritionists may recommend supplements which are unapproved.

Unless a nutritionist has completed dietetic training, they have not received the training needed to provide individuals with personal dietary advice if they are ill. What they can do however is make recommendations about food and healthy eating which could help to prevent or alleviate certain ailments. This advice may include supervision and advice about detoxing or colonic irrigation, but not advise about restorative diets.

Key Points about nutritionists:

  • Often work in research, industry, education or jobs in which they apply ‘scientific’ knowledge to food
  • Are not statutorily regulated. However, there are various voluntary registers for nutritionists who are qualified to provide general information about food and healthy eating, but who are not trained to give specific information about therapeutic diets 

Please note, there are a number of additional self-regulatory bodies for nutritionists other than those mentioned herein. For more information about professional bodies, please visit our policy page. 

Nutritional Therapists

Similarly to ‘Nutritionists’, ‘Nutritional Therapists’ are also currently unregulated within the UK.

As it stands, The Nutritional Therapy Council is considered to be the key organisation for the registration of practitioners calling themselves ‘Nutritional Therapists’. They have their own code of ethics and complaints procedure so that potential clients can be assured of professionalism their practitioners.

Though there is much overlap between nutritionists and nutritional therapists and many refer to both as if they are the same, there are some key differences between the two.

Whereas nutritionists tend to take a ‘scientific’ approach and usually work in industry based positions, nutritional therapists more often than not work directly with clients.

Many will work in private practice and see individuals on a one to one basis, often receiving NHS referrals.

A nutritional therapist may be working with a healthy individual in order to prevent disease, or they may be working with a sick individual to ease and minimise symptoms of a developed disease. One way of distinguishing dietitians and nutritionists from nutritional therapists is to understand that though this is not necessarily the case for all, and there is a definite crossover in treatment approaches, nutritional therapists often deal with the outcome of a disease as opposed to focusing largely on the cause and treatment of the disease itself (like that of dietitians and nutritionists).

Nutritional therapists recognise that every person is unique and therefore has an individual set of dietary requirements. It is a nutritional therapists job to establish whether or not an individuals diet is right for their body, or if it is to blame, in part for ill-health. If this is the case a treatment programme will be formulated to ensure that diet is properly balanced and contains all of the necessary components.

Key points about nutritional therapists:

  • Can help to play a role in the treatment of symptoms caused by an illness, and in the optimisation of good health 
  • Often work with chronic conditions such as allergies, digestive and bowel disorders, hormonal imbalances and the overweight 
  • Help individuals to meet their health goals 
  • Take into account the unique dietary needs of each individual

Useful Resources

Each self-regulatory organisation will take a slightly different stance with regards to the definition of titles used to describe individuals working within nutrition. Below is additional information from various organisations about what they consider to be the key differences between dietitians, nutritional therapists and nutritionsts:

  • National Therapy Council (NTC) – Public Info

Information about how the NCT differentiate between nutritional therapists, dietitians and nutritionists.

http://www.nutritionaltherapycouncil.org.uk/publicinfo.html

  • British Dietic Association – Nutrition Therapist? Dietitian?

Information about the key differences between nutritional therapists and dietitians. www.bda.uk.com/publications/dietitian-nutritionist2010.pdf 

Please note, all of the information contained within, especially that which is concerning external organisations is subject to change. For full and up to date information, please visit their individual respective websites.