What is a Nutritionist?

A nutritionist is a person who advises others on matters of food and nutrition and their impacts on health. Some people specialize in particular areas, such as sports nutrition, public health, or animal nutrition, among other disciplines. In many countries, a person can claim to be a nutritionist even without any training, education, or professional license, in contrast to a dietitian, who has a university degree, professional license, and certification for professional practice.

The professional practice of being a dietitian (also spelled dietician in the US) is different from a nutritionist. In many countries and jurisdictions, the title nutritionist is not subject to statutory professional regulation; thus, any person may self-title as a nutritionist or nutrition expert, even if self-taught and professionally uncertified. In the United Kingdom, Australia, parts of Canada, and most US states, a person self-titled as a nutritionist is not legally defined, whereas a dietitian is professionally certified and registered. People who have current registration with the appropriate regulatory body usually refer to themselves as Registered dietitian, and so may use the professional designation, "RD" or "SRD".