Working with a dietitian
What is the difference between a dietitian and nutritionist?
- In New Zealand and Australia, the professional title “Dietitian” is a protected term under the health care practitioner competency assurance act. Dietitians in New Zealand are registered with the Dietitians Board and must have completed relevant postgraduate training in dietetics. The dietetic training pathways involves a focus on the nutritional management of a range of clinical (medical) conditions.
- A dietitian is also technically a nutritionist. However, not all nutritionists may meet the requirements to register as a dietitian. In my clinical training, I first qualified as a nutritionist after completing my bachelor’s degree in human nutrition and physiology. I then qualified as a dietitian after completing my masters in nutrition and dietetics.
Working with a dietitian nutritionist
Nutrition is the study of nutrients in food, how the body uses nutrients and the relationship between food, disease, and health. The body requires nutrients from food to function optimally. In that way, nutrition has a direct and indirect impact on nearly every system of the human body. Good nutrition can support a range of health concern including:
- Weight loss
- Low energy
- Digestive concerns including irritable bowel syndrome, coeliac and non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, food intolerance’s, ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease
- Mood disturbances, anxiety, depression
- Women’s hormonal health problems including PCOS, endometriosis, menstruation imbalances
- Lipoedema
- Skin conditions including acne, eczema, dermatitis, rosacea.
- Allergies
- Blood sugar imbalances, pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes
- Cardiovascular risk factors including high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol, and high blood sugar levels
Nutrition can also support optimising health by supporting:
- Weight loss, body composition optimisation
- Management and prevention of nutrient deficiencies and/or inadequacies
- Fertility
- Special diets such as vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free
- Optimal energy and vitality
Nutrition science is also controversial in varying aspects. This means practitioners can have vastly varying approaches and philosophies.
As a dietitian with both master’s degree and a PhD candidate (thesis submitted, pending examination and graduation), I aim to base my approaches on evidence-based nutrition rather than on the ideologies or dogma that flood the nutrition world. This means that when I work with clients, I am looking at their individual data and experiences to formulate a personalised approach targeted toward their goals.
