What is the Difference Between a Dietitian and Nutritionist?
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.
Accredited Practising Dietitians (APD - which is what I am) are the most educated nutrition professionals because they must undergo 5 years of training specialising in all things nutrition and chronic disease management. These qualifications are only offered by certain universities. It is a protected title and if you see a practitioner listing APD behind their name than you know they have done some serious educational training and are being regulated by the Dietetic Association of Australia (DAA) to ensure their are keeping up to date with their training and code of ethics.
You can find my listing on the Dietitians Australia APD Register.
Usually 2 years out of the 5 are spent in hospital, community centres and organisational placements to ensure dietitians are qualified to work in different industries addressing various nutritional and organisational demands. You can find dietitians working in hospitals, food service, community centres, NGOs, public health promotion and private practice addressing individual or community health and nutrition needs.
An APD is recognised by Medicare, NDIS and Private Health Insurers which means you can get some money back on your consultations. A GP can recommend you see a dietitian on an Enhanced Primary Care Plan which entitles you to a set number of visits per year with Medicare reimbursements per consultation. Contact me for more information on Medicare or Private Health reimburesments.
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.
However, anybody in Australia can call themselves a nutritionist. 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, meaning you can't apply for any rebates from a Nutritionist because the profession is not recognised by Medicare or Private Health Insurance funds.
The education and training received by Nutritionist is often a 3-year Bachelor program, which often doesn’t prepare students for work in a private practice setting. Most Nutritionists you will find in practice undergo diplomas with natural colleges that often lack credibility and recognition.
This is not to say that all Nutritionists are bad, however if you are looking for a nutrition professional ensure you know their qualifications and background and that they have enough experience to assist with your health and nutrition concerns.
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
- Navigating eating disorders
- Heart health including high cholesterol
- Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
- Gut Health conditions such as IBS, Chron's disease or Diverticulitis
- Auto Immune diseases like Coeliac disease or Endometriosis
Dietitians don't just offer support with weight loss, they can also offer support with weight gain. Being an appropriate weight is extremely important for your overall health and working with an expert to understand what your goals should be is better than trial and error on your own.
Additionally, a Dietitian can help you develop healthy eating habits if you choose to change your lifestyle and try a vegetarian or vegan diet. They will provide support and motivation to help you stick to your plan and help you identify and overcome any obstacles or challenges preventing you from reaching your health goals.
Dietitian Specialty Areas Of Focus
Dietitians will often specialise in certain health areas, such as working with children or geriatric patients.
This takes a different skill sets and understandings of what these clients and their families face. Other dietitians will have a broader base of clients.
Over time I have developed the skillsets and understandings of working with women who have difficulty with losing weight.
This is my area of expertise to which I have dedicated many years and I have many tools in my kit that will help you to deal with the entire mind, body and soul as challenges with weight are linked to many areas that includes the sub conscious, endocrine system and other health factors including injuries and overwhelm of dietary information.
your personal Dietitian
The top reasons why clients come to my dietetics practice and how I differ in how I approach weight loss and weight management:
- To develop a personalised meal plan tailored to their individual needs and goals.
- To learn about healthy eating habits and portion control.
- To address any underlying medical conditions or dietary restrictions contributing to weight gain.
- To improve their relationship with food and develop healthier relationships with their bodies.
- To gain a better understanding of the role of nutrition in overall health and wellness.
- To receive education and support to make lasting lifestyle changes.
- To receive accountability and motivation to stick to their weight loss plan.
- To address emotional or psychological factors that may be impacting their eating habits.
- To receive techniques to overcome additional barriers to weight loss, such as stress and trauma.
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.
