What’s the difference between a nutritionist, a health coach, and a dietitian?
I feel like this is the lead up to a really bad joke …
But it’s not.
I am asked almost everyday to explain the difference between these three fields, and so I thought it was time to help you understand what we each do and how we are different.
The bottom line is – each field has its own training and legalities that need to be followed. Once you know what each field can provide you, you’ll know what options suit your needs best.
Watch the video below, or scroll down for the written version.
Can’t see the video? No worries – just click here!
NUTRITIONIST VS HEALTH COACH VS DIETITIAN
1. Health Coach
- Works to steer clients towards their basic health goals: ie weight loss and eating healthy, etc.
- Motivates clients to look at the whole lifestyle picture
- Approximately 9 months of training, studies surface areas of almost 100 different diets and covers holistic lifestyle approaches, but no in-depth nutrition studies
- Cannot medicate, test, or prescribe supplements
- Cannot prescribe specific dietary recommendations or meal plans
- Not covered by medical insurance
Choose a Health Coach when you are wanting guidance or motivation to get healthy.
2. Nutritionist
- Helps patients reach specific health goals to help heal by discovering the root cause
- Holistic nutritionists look at the whole picture
- Does 2-4 years of training, studies deep into nutrition, physiology and anatomy, and much more
- Can prescribe specific diets, supplement protocols, and tests
- Cannot diagnose
- Only Nutritional Counsellors are covered by some insurance companies (this is not all nutritionists!)
Choose a Nutritionist when you are struggling with any digestive issue, emotional issues, nutritional imbalance, food allergy, hormone imbalance, weight loss, etc – or if you want help finding the root cause. Your can hire a Nutritionist for anything except diagnosing and treating disease.
Learn more about what a nutritionist actually does in my latest article.
*Please note: The title “Nutritionist” is not protected, and therefor anyone can essentially call themselves a Nutritionist.
When looking to hire a Nutritionist, make sure to check what their degree is, where they did their schooling and where they are registered. If they are registered, that means they have gone to an approved school, have the proper insurance, are required to take continued education courses annually, and abide by a specific code of ethics. This provides protection for you and your health!
I received my Certified Nutritional Consulting (CNC) degree through Alive Academy, am registered with the Canadian Examing Board as a Registered Nutritional Counsellor (RNC), and I’m also registered with the Canadian Association of Natural Nutritional Practitioners as a Natural Nutrition – Clinical Practitioner.
3. Dietitian
- Helps patients in treatment and disease management
- Has strict regulated rules that they must abide by – like following the food guide
- Has a protected title
- Takes years of schooling, receives a bachelor in nutrition sciences and are required to do an internship (usually lasting around 1 year and usually in a hospital or clinic setting)
- They can diagnose
- Covered by medical insurance
Choose a Dietitian if you are dealing with a disease or will need multiple follow-ups (they are usually covered under medical).
TO THE HEALTH COACHES, NUTRITIONISTS, AND DIETITIANS READING THIS …
- Check your ego: Your field is not better than the other fields … we all have the same goal.
- Stop being territorial: There’s room for all of us to help people get healthy.
- Safety first: Know where your training stops and when to refer them to someone with the appropriate training.
- Don’t try and help everybody: Know your niche and own it … but know when to refer them to someone who is passionate about the area they need help in.
- Be friendly: Find friends in the health industry that you can trust enough to refer people to when your field of practice is not what they need (trainers, acupuncturists, nutritionists, massage therapists, dietitians, health coaches, therapists, etc).
- Take it seriously: People’s lives are in your hands! Don’t claim a title that you haven’t earned, don’t claim to treat things that you aren’t legally allowed to or haven’t been trained for, don’t take on clients that are beyond your scope, and don’t take this lightly – people’s lives are in your hands!
- Remember: We’re all in this together, so let’s create a supportive environment.