Nutritionist vs. Dietitian: What’s the Difference?

*Disclaimer: This post is based on US terminology. Different countries have different terminology to refer to nutrition professionals.*

Working in the nutrition communications space, I am a big advocate of health literacy, and it didn’t feel right to get too deep into this blog without making a big disclosure: I’m not a dietitian, but I can call myself a nutritionist.

But what does that mean?

In the United States, dietitians go through a long and rigorous process to become a credentialed Registered Dietitian Nutrition (RDN). This includes:

A bachelors and master’s degree from an accredited program
At least 1,000 hours of supervised practice – called a Dietetic Internship which students must pay for
Passing a national RDN exam
Various requirements based on the state you’ll be licensed in
Continuing education to stay up to date on the latest science and remain credentialed

That’s a lot of work for a career which has an average salary of about $70,000. But all of this training makes dietitians experts in their field. They have (much) more nutrition training than physicians who are only required to take about 20 hours of nutrition training during their time in medical school. This also allows them to council patients on dietary changes to treat medical conditions.

So how are Nutritionists different then Dietitians?

One of the biggest difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist is who they can recommend dietary changes to. A dietitian can work one-on-one with patients to create meal plans that treat medical conditions. A nutritionist can make recommendations on a population basis but is not allowed to give advice to individuals for medical conditions.

So what is a Nutritionist?

While the RDN title is very clearly defined, Nutritionist isn’t. I’ve been through various levels of nutrition training and have been able to call myself a Nutritionist for nearly a decade now. Because the term isn’t well defined, I’ve been able to call myself a nutritionist in undergrad when I started studying nutrition, a few years later when I received my Precision Nutrition PNL1 coaching certificate, and after a two year master’s program at the only grad school dedicated to nutrition in the country. The only difference between my training and an RDNs’ training is a paid internship and another semester of biochem. (I said no thank you to both.) But as a result I will never give you the reader specific advice on how to treat a specific disease. I have plenty of amazing RD friends who can do that for me. I’ll stick to sharing my nutrition advice on a broader basis.

Without any regulation for the title, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. While this can be confusing for someone who is just looking for nutrition advice, there are some things to look out for.

When looking for nutrition advice, ask yourself a few questions:

Is this person a dietitian and if they aren’t are they being upfront about their credentials? Having an RD/RDN credential is an easy way to tell if someone has the nutrition knowledge to be giving advice, but there are many nutritionists who have also gone through various levels of nutrition training. Whether it’s a coaching certificate or classroom experience, people love to brag about their nutrition knowledge. If someone isn’t showing off how they got their experience, be wary of their advice.
Are there multiple sources I can find telling me similar things? The latest health trend on TikTok may be tempting, but when it comes to nutrition, science moves slowly. Take a step back and look beyond the trend, are there scientists you trust saying this is safe?