Many people on Gold Coast think about transforming their eating habits to achieve optimal health. Yet, the terms dietitian Gold Coast and nutritionist are things that confuse many people.
While a dietitian Gold Coast and nutritionists play crucial roles in good health preservation, their roles are completely different. The important differences between a dietitian Gold Coast from a nutritionist include:
Dietitians are often regulated by the government while anyone can consider themselves a nutritionist
A dietitian is heavily regulated ranging from meeting specific requirements to registering with the right government body. Further, a dietitian can only practice as such when they pass an exam and get licensed. It is because the nature of dietitians is diagnostic and medical.
Nutritionists, on the other hand, is a title that can be claimed by anyone. While some possess the proper qualifications, others don’t have genuine qualifications. It is why a “registered nutritionist” is emphasized to distinguish them from non-registered ones. It is also the reason for many countries to attach the term “registered” as a means to distinguish nutritionists that have undergone formal schooling and training from self-taught ones.
Dietitians have a different workplace from nutritionists
While good nutrition is the common goal in health promotion between dietitians and nutritionists, their workplaces are vastly different.
Health clinics and hospitals are the usual workplace settings for dietitians. They work closely with patients in assessing their nutritional needs. They help in treating and managing diseases by prescribing the right dietary changes. Sometimes, dietitians also work in other healthcare industries such as insurance companies and pharmacies.
Fitness and wellness centres are common settings for nutritionists. They help in formulating meal plans and offer dietary consultations as well. Some of the workplaces hiring nutritionists include in-house cafeterias of big corporations, government agencies, and health food restaurants.
Sick people need help from dietitians while nutritionists can only work with healthy people
Promoting and treating medical conditions using the therapy of medical nutrition is the role of dietitians. People sick with chronic diseases needing dietary changes need nutritional assistance from dietitians. For instance, someone diagnosed with obesity, diabetes or high cholesterol manage their condition with a comprehensive meal plan designed by a dietitian.
A balanced lifestyle and healthy eating habits are the main focus of nutritionists. Treating illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and more and not handled by nutritionists. Their work is exclusively focused on healthy people wanting to improve their lifestyle and eating habits.
Dietitians are educated and trained differently from nutritionists
Dietitians and nutritionists share a similar curriculum at the start of their educational program. They will both take the same basic courses such as microbiology, food preparation, anatomy and physiology, food science, and genetics.
In later years, dietitians go a different educational route as they take on more medical-related courses. Included in the medical courses are therapeutic diet preparation, clinical biochemistry, and medical nutrition therapy. They are also required to undergo three kinds of industrial placements including food service, clinical placement, and community dietetics.
Nutritionists, in contrast, go deeper into learning more about nutrition education and promotion and nutrition planning, including nutrition for physical activity and sports.
While optimum health through proper nutrition is the ultimate goal of both dietitians and nutritionists, their roles are not the same. Contact the top Gold Coast nutritionist or dietitian for your health needs.