Navigating the differences between dietitians, nutritionists, and nutritional therapists can be confusing. While these professionals all operate within the sphere of nutrition, their training, methodologies, and scopes of practice differ.
Dietitians
Most dietitians work within healthcare systems like the NHS, whether in hospital settings or out in the community, as part of multi-disciplinary teams which can include doctors, nurses or other healthcare professionals. They help patients to manage their symptoms and conditions within the context of multi-disciplinary healthcare care.
Examples of the types of strategies that dietitians implement include enteral feeding, where a patient has a functioning gut but is unable to ingest food through their mouth so that food has to be fed into the gut through a special tube. They can also advise on suitable oral nutritional supplements in the form of sterile liquids, semi-solids or powders which contain nutrients needed for patients with conditions such as short bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, bowel distulae, dysphagia and other disease related malnutrition. Dietitians tend to work with patients who have been referred to them by GP's or other healthcare professionals due to a medical diagnosis.
Dietitians qualify with either a 3 or 4 year BSc degree in dietetics or if they already have a health sciences degree, they can also qualify with an additional 1 year Master’s programme. The terms ‘dietitian’ is a legally protected title and dietitians are regulated by the British Dietetic Association (BDA).
Nutritionists
The term ‘nutritionist’ is not legally protected, but “registered” nutritionists are governed by the Association of Nutrition (AfN) who acts as a voluntary regulator. Registered nutritionists undertake a 3 or 4 year undergraduate degree or a one year postgraduate course in nutrition science. They then choose one of five specialisms (from nutrition science, public health, food, sports & exercise or animal nutrition) and complete a portfolio of their work experience. By demonstrating this experience, this allows them to become registered with the AfN. The AfN has a register of registered nutritionists which can be checked on their website.
Registered Nutritionists provide nutrition information to people at an individual, group or population level or to carers or keepers of animals such as in the farming industry. They work within charities, industry, academia, policy and healthcare or in a freelance capacity. Registered nutritionists can also work with people who have pre-existing medical conditions in collaboration with health-care professionals or, if working independently, provide general nutrition information to individuals as long as its not for the nutritional management of a medical condition.
Nutritional Therapists
Nutritional Therapists are regulated by one of three bodies: Federation of Nutritional Therapy Practitioners, General Regulatory Council of Complementary Therapists or the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC). They are additionally members of a professional body, the British Association for Nutrition & Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) or the Association of Naturopathic Practitioners. There are several routes into becoming a registered Nutritional Therapist, however in order to register with BANT, NTs must complete either a 3 year (BSc) degree from a recognised university with accreditation for nutritional therapy practice. Those already holding a degree can also study post-graduate qualifications such as a Master’s course to become registered. Accredited courses include practical experience in clinic settings where students see clients one-to-one, supervised by a qualified NT, to ensure they reach the necessary clinical competencies as laid out in the National Occupational Standards (NOS).
Nutritional therapists mostly work independently, offering one-on-one consultations to both healthy individuals and those with health conditions. Their approach is holistic, viewing the body as an interconnected system and focusing on root causes rather than just symptom management. NTs recognise that everyone is unique - both in their biology and medical history, but also in their circumstances - and as such they work collaboratively with their clients to ensure that changes are implemented in a way that works for each individual. NTs develop plans that may include dietary changes, lifestyle adjustments, supplements, and referrals for specialised testing and can support clients with a broad spectrum of health concerns such as fatigue, IBS and depression. Nutritional therapy is considered a form of complementary medicine, emphasising whole-body wellness and sustainable lifestyle changes.
Nutritional therapists sometimes use specialised laboratory tests to assess clients' health, focusing on physiological functions rather than just symptoms. The aim of nutritional therapy practice is to optimise the function of body systems and bring the body back into balance.
If you want to learn more about Nutritional Therapy or check the register for Nutritional Therapists, you can visit the BANT website: https://bant.org.uk/