How to spot a qualified Nutritionist
Nutrition is a truly HOT topic – with more and more people searching for that wonder-diet that will give them the figure of a supermodel with minimum effort in terms of physical activity or allow them to eat whatever they like whilst shedding the pounds. The media is well aware of this and rarely a day goes by when there isn’t some headline highlighting a new diet or scientific finding suggesting we should all be eating or avoiding certain foods. With friends, family and virtual strangers also increasingly eager to tell you what you should or should not be eating, where do you turn for information you know you can trust?
A professionally qualified Nutritionist is the obvious answer. However, something that isn’t common knowledge is that, at present, there is no statutory regulation of the term ‘Nutritionist’, which simply means ANYONE can call themselves a Nutritionist regardless of their qualifications, experience and skills. Imagine if the average Joe claimed to be a GP or a surgeon without having had any medical training – the potential for harm is unthinkable. The Nutrition Society is currently trying to protect the public by attempting to regulate the use of the title ‘Nutritionist’ to those who have appropriate qualifications (almost without exception, this means a minimum of a degree from a well-established university) and a minimum of 3 years of experience in the field.
Sadly this is a long process, so how can you spot a properly qualified Nutritionist in the interim? Again the Nutrition Society is doing it’s best to protect the public: a voluntary register has been established and only those who provide evidence that they have suitable qualifications, experience and adopt an appropriate and ethical approach when providing nutritional advice to the public are accepted for registration. Individuals on the register can call themselves Registered Nutritionist or Registered Public Health Nutritionist and use the letters RNutr or RPHNutr after their name. The register is freely available for anyone to use to find a Nutritionist or check that someone is currently registered.
Whilst Nutritionists give general advice about diet and health, it is worth noting that if you are seeking personalised dietary advice to ease the symptoms of an illness; this is the job of a Registered Dietitian. The title ‘Dietitian’ is protected by the Health Professionals Council (HPC), meaning that Dietitians must be fully qualified and registered with the HPC and demonstrate that they have kept up-to-date in order to provide safe, reliable and evidence-based advice to the public. You can contact the British Dietetic Association for further information or, alternatively, search the Dietitians Unlimited website or the HPC website for the contact details of freelance Dietitians in your area.
