Dietician vs Nutritionist, which one is right for you?

** This information is based on Canadian and Albertan regulations, and may look different in other countries or provinces. Please do additional research if you are from a different province or country.

With social media giving us access to so much, it's no surprise that as you scroll through your instagram feed it seems like so many people are experts in nutrition and health. But how do you know who is reliable? This is a quick break down of dieticians versus nutritionists and what you should be looking for.

Dieticians
Some dieticians do have job titles that include nutritionist, such as a community nutritionist, so it can be a little bit difficult to understand the difference between the two. One rule of thumb: look for the titles RD or PDt after their name. This is a protected title across Canada for dieticians, just like a physician, nurse, or psychologist.

What do they do?
A dietician will help you better understand the science of nutrition according to your own personal needs and considerations. They help people with a variety of health problems such as:

• diabetes
• heart health
• cancer
• infant feeding
• allergies
• digestive concerns
• sports nutrition

And so on. The advice and information a dietician provides is not just going to be a diet plan and then send you on your way, they are there to tailor it to your personal needs, challenges, tastes, food skills, and even accessibility. This grants them the ability to work with both healthy people and people who may have illnesses. 

What is their training?

Dieticians have a degree in food and nutrition from an accredited university program. In addition, they have to go through rigorous training, both during their schooling and in their jobs. In addition, being regulated means that they need to be registered. This is really important because it means that in order to keep their registration they need to stay on top of emerging research, skills, and techniques and be in good standing. 

Nutritionist
All registered dieticians are nutritionists, but not all nutritionists are dieticians. Nutritionists is a title now protected in Alberta, meaning that they need to registered to a college just like a dietician. Titles that are not protected under the college include:

• nutrition expert
• nutritarian
• natural nutritionist
• nutritional consultant
• certified nutrition specialist
• holistic nutritionist
• certified holistic nutritionist
• registered holistic nutritionist 

Now we are NOT saying these titles are bad. We are simply stating that they will have varying degrees of nutrition knowledge and may not have the same training or expertise as RDs. While they may not be registered but the college of Alberta for Dieticians, they may be registered elsewhere such as the Private Vocational Training Act in Alberta for the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. To learn some of the different types of nutritionists and what their training could involve click here It is important to recognize that if they are not a registered nutritionist, they usually are only able to work with healthy people who are just looking to make changes in their lives. We highly advise that if you do have an illness, to stick primarily with a dietician. 

If you are interested in what someone has to offer and you see any of these titles above, research for yourself what their training has offered them. Most should be open to letting you know where they have recieved their training and how long they have been doing this for.

What are the protected titles in Alberta?

• Registered Dietician
• Dietician
• Registered Nutritionist
• Nutritionist
• RD
• Dietetic Intern
• Provisional Dietician

*Please note that this WILL vary from province to province. For example in B.C. only a registered dietician, dietician, and RD are protected titles.

Where can you find an RD?

If you are looking at going down the road to get a dietician, a good start is talking to your family doctor for a referral. These referred dieticians would be covered by your province, meaning there is no cost to you to see them. If you belong to a Primary Care Network, they can also refer you to their dietician. 

In addition you can use this online tool (click here ) that can help you find a registered dietician in Canada. This can be especially useful for people who have specific needs that need to be met. The one thing to consider is that this many come at a cost, however some private insurance companies will cover this cost. 

Resources
https://www.unlockfood.ca/en/Articles/Nutrition-Month/What-is-a-Dietitian
https://www.dietitians.ca/About/Learn-About-Dietitians/The-difference-between-a-dietitian-and-nutritionis
https://eduadvisor.my/articles/major-differences-between-a-dietitian-and-a-nutritionist/