Wait! Before you think about ‘how to be healthy?’ ‘What foods should I eat?’ or ‘how to lose/gain weight’, where are you looking to get your information? Is it from a friend who heard it from another friend? A family member who has been watching YouTube videos? A blog post from a health coach? An article written by a ‘nutritionist?” A celebrity who claims they are ‘experts in food and nutrition’, or someone on TikTok who has somehow convinced you that potatoes are the only healthy vegetable out there? There are endless ways to retrieve nutrition claims, but which ones are true? A lot of individuals aren’t aware that there is a scientific aspect to nutrition, and how intricate it can be to comprehend its impact on our body’s hormones, energy levels, and brain health, among other things. It’s quite sad even when some people who say they are ‘nutrition experts’ convince others through impressive marketing skills and sell products just for monetary gain. They don’t understand they are harming people in the long term and that may have consequences in the end.

Did you know that every single individual on the planet has different nutritional needs? For example, there are two people who are the same height and weight. One person, named Dylan, may need more protein and less carbohydrates. The other person, named Sam, may need less protein but more carbohydrates. Everyone is different because of genetics, how our environment affects us (pollution, stressors, smoking, etc.), and our body composition makeup (muscle mass vs bone mass vs fat storage).

Another great scenario is that both people take multivitamins. Dylan may absorb more vitamins than Sam and it has nothing to do with fast or slow metabolism. Why is that? This may be because Dylan is not eating a variety of foods, so the body absorbs more of it; here’s the tricky part: Dylan’s body may not use it for various reasons.) However, Sam absorbs less because he already get the nutrients from eating a variety of food daily.

Therefore, the nutritional information available should be quite fundamental and broad. However, when it comes to discussions about the ideal foods to consume, weight loss strategies, or specific recommendations regarding calorie and protein intake, the advice can be highly variable and may not yield desired results since each person is exceptionally unique.

 Now, let’s get into comparing a nutritionist and a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist so we can help you decrease some confusion and increase your confidence in where to get your nutrition knowledge from. 

What is a Nutritionist?

In several states, such as California, Oregon, Alaska, Washington and many others, ANYONE can call themselves a ‘nutritionist’. Individuals who seek nutrition information from blogs or websites created by personal trainers or fitness coaches, for instance, may sometimes be referred to as ‘nutritionists’ without the necessary qualifications, such as completing a nationally recognized standardized exam or obtaining certification or licensure from a credentialing agency. Similarly, even someone with only a bachelor’s degree in nutrition can also be called a ‘nutritionist.’

It may be a little more complicated than we thought but let’s break it down. There are nutritionists with different credentialing.

“Limitations: Nutritionists are limited in what they can do in many states. For example, because nutritionists do not necessarily have a certification, license or clinical experience, they might not be allowed to perform specific nutrition counseling or diagnose and treat medical conditions. Many states and insurance providers place limitations on specific nutrition counseling. Some states allow nutritionists to perform nutrition counseling, but they cannot seek reimbursement from insurance. There are states that require nutritionists to be licensed before they can provide nutrition counseling, and others require a professional to be a registered dietitian (RD) to lawfully provide nutrition counseling.”  

• Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS®): An advanced nutrition certification, in which the healthcare professional obtains a masters or doctorate degree and is required to undergo a minimum of a highly customizable 1,000 hours of supervised practice but rarely involving obtaining experience in a clinical setting. Next, an exam is taken administered by the Board of Certification of Nutrition Specialists (BCNS^SM), which sets the standard for advanced personalized nutrition practitioners. They have continuing education requirements: 75 continuing education credits (CEU) every 5 years.
  • Some states do not license, certify, or recognize CNS practitioners and are not allowed to use the term ‘nutritionist’ like registered dietitians can: Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Georgia.
  • Legal to practice nutrition counseling except Medical Nutrition Therapy
  • Jobs usually involve private practice and in an educational or community setting.

• Certified Clinical Nutritionist (CCN): An advanced nutrition certification, in which the nutrition professional obtains a 4-year bachelor’s degree, undergoes a 900-hour internship and a 56-hour post-graduate intensive study in clinical nutrition or a master’s degree in human nutrition from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut or Bastyr University in Washington. Then, take a national board exam issued by the Clinical Nutrition Certification Board (CNCB).
  • Main area focus: assess nutritional needs. Assessment includes questionnaires and tests, anthropometric measurements, physical signs, laboratory tests, and nutrition/lifestyle analysis to determine an educational nutrition program. This assessment can be a basis for a referral to a licensed physician or other healthcare professionals.

What is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RD/RDN)?

A Registered Dietitian (RD) or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) are advanced nutrition professionals who have obtained a Bachelor’s in Nutrition and Dietetics, get accepted into a highly competitive internship program that require 900-1,200 hours of supervised practice in clinical/hospital settings, foodservice/product development settings, community settings, corporations, and private practice. Compared to CNS®, the internship program is highly structured. Next, is to take a nationally accredited exam by the Accreditation Council in Education and Dietetics (ACEND). In some states, it is required for RDs to be licensed within the state. All RDs are required to have 75 continuing education credits (CEU) every 5 years.

RDs can do all the things a CNS® and CCN can do but, in addition, they practice medical nutrition therapy. This is an evidence-based approach to prevent, manage, and treat chronic diseases or health conditions. Registered dietitians compared to nutritionists can work in hospitals or long-term care facilities collaborating with physicians, registered nurses, physical therapists, speech therapists, and more.

Registered dietitians are nationally recognized because of their credibility and adhere to the importance of using up-to-date information and evidence-based research. How do they do this? Through the Nutrition Care Manual (which RDs have exclusive access to this) and their ability to read and interpret research articles. This is the reason why large multi-billionaire companies like McDonalds have registered dietitians. Other positions RDs can hold include (but not limited to):

• Television/Media
• Schools
• Public health/community settings (government positions, food banks, etc.)
• Corporations: PepsiCo, Nike, McDonalds, Kellogg Co., Panera Bread, Chick-fil-A, etc.
• Private practice: pediatrics, weight management, diabetes, heart disease, etc.
• Clinics for eating disorder recovery
• Foodservice: work in restaurant or hospital kitchens, or on cruise ships to ensure food safety and sanitation
• Sport Dietitian (RDs can work with famous sport teams)
• Professor (with a PhD and can conduct and publish research studies)
• Writer for nutrition publications

A myth about registered dietitians is that they do not provide personalized nutrition, consider the ‘whole’ person, and think outside the box when they make recommendations. In rotations and in practice, they constantly must find creative ways to help people because after all, everyone is different!

Call (469) 294-9075 today for a FREE consultation to find out more about the Nutrition Services we provide at Next STEPS Worldwide.