Last night I was at Target (for the 3rd time that day), strolling through the book aisles. Something caught my eye as I was looking at all of the cook books…sayings like “guaranteed fat loss forever” and “this diet will cure your diabetes”. Being the nerd that I am, I had to look through the books to see who and/or if there were any credible sources in these books stating these facts. To my surprise (not), there were no Registered Dietitians claiming these sayings or supporting these cook books.

There were, however, plenty of nutritionists in these cook books. Now you may be asking  yourself right now if a dietitian and nutritionist are the same thing; they are not! I still remember my teacher in my Intro to Dietetics class telling us “Every dietitian is a nutritionist, but not every nutritionist is a dietitian”. I often repeat this same phrase to people I talk to when they are confused like you might be right now. So, let me break down the qualifications needed to be a dietitian and to be a nutritionist:

Nutritionist 

1. Some states require nutritionists to earn a license from the Board of Nutrition, but some states don’t require any previous education or training
2. Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist…anyone

Registered Dietitian 

1. Bachelor’s Degree in Food and Nutrition/Dietetics from an accredited University
2. Verification statement to prove you actually completed all of the rigorous course work dietetics entails (organic chemistry, anatomy, biochemistry, medical nutrition therapy, biology, microbiology, nutrition counseling, food service, etc.)
3. Completion of a Dietetic Internship that contains 1,200 hours of supervised practice in multiple rotations in clinical nutrition, community nutrition, food service, and management rotations
4. To receive those lovely RD or RDN letters after your name, you must then pass the national exam to earn your credentials
5. Complete continuing education requirements each year to withhold said credentials and to be able to provide the most up to date evidence-based information to clients

Now that you know the difference between a nutritionist and dietitian, I urge you to be more cautious when reading articles online, watching documentaries, books, etc. That way, you know you are getting accurate, evidence-based information when you are reading from a Registered Dietitian!

Sources: https://www.nutritioned.org/dietitian-vs-nutritionist.html