Nutritionists, nutritional therapists and dietitians in Cornwall –- with a plethora of different titles it is tricky and overwhelming for individuals seeking a professional to know who best suits their specific requirements. Learn the key differences between them, including their qualifications and how each can assist you in achieving your dietary, lifestyle and health goals. This will allow you to make an informed decision and help you find a registered professional in Cornwall and online.
This is especially important in the new year when so many people claim to be experts in nutrition. Although this article is focused on Cornwall it will also apply to wherever you live in the UK.
Understanding nutrition and dietetics
Nutritionists, nutritional therapists and dietitians provide expertise about food and nutrition for the purpose of promoting health and/or managing a health condition. They have different qualifications and their roles may overlap, but each professional has a unique set of skills. Dietitians (sometimes spelt dietician) often work principally within the NHS. They typically advise people with special dietary needs such as those with kidney disease, autism or cancer. Nutritionists often work in research, industry or education. Whereas, nutritional therapists use an evidence-informed, whole-body holistic approach to nutrition and lifestyle medicine. They address potential underlying causes of ill health, rather than focusing on symptoms. Nutritional therapy is used to promote optimal health through nutrition and lifestyle support and the focus is always on the individual.
Dietitians
Registered dietitians in Cornwall tend to work in the NHS (e.g. Royal Cornwall Hospitals Dietetics service), although some do work privately. They interpret the science of nutrition into practical dietary advice to enable people to make healthier food and lifestyle choices. Dietitians assess, diagnose and treat dietary and nutritional problems. They often work as part of a multi-disciplinary healthcare team on complex clinical conditions such as diabetes, eating disorders, kidney failure and malnutrition. For example they may be consulted to assist in the recovery of someone with anorexia or to formulate an eating programme for an individual requiring a special diet as part of their medical treatment for cancer. Others work in the community and often have an important role training health professionals and the public about nutritional issues.
Dietitians must have a BSc Hons in Dietetics, or a related science degree with a postgraduate diploma or higher degree in Dietetics. They are the only nutrition professionals to be regulated by law in the UK and must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), who maintain standards within this profession.
Nutritionists
Nutritionists tend to work for public bodies, the government, research or food companies. They generally advise on matters of health and nutrition, formulating information for the public or employees. Nutritionists are not statutorily regulated, however they can register with the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN) if they have studied an accredited course.
Registered nutritionists can work across both human and animal nutrition and provide advice to individuals and groups. Many work at a senior level in public health and nutrition science within the health service, education and in the commercial sector e.g. providing advice regarding food products and labelling.
Nutritional Therapists
Nutritional therapists use a wide range of tools to assess and identify potential nutritional imbalances and understand how these may contribute to an individual’s symptoms and health concerns. They will then work with clients on a one to one basis providing a personalised, evidence-informed, approach to address nutritional balance and help support the body towards maintaining health using nutrition and lifestyle recommendations.
Nutritional therapy is recognised as a complementary medicine and nutritional therapists may work with chronic conditions to help minimise symptoms and uncover contributing factors or with healthy individuals looking to prevent future illness and further optimise their health. They often work with conditions such as digestive disorders and hormonal imbalances, taking into account the unique dietary requirements of each individual. It’s important to note that it is not an alternative or replacement for medical advice and practitioners do not diagnose or treat disease.
The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) is a UK voluntary regulator for complementary therapists (including nutritional therapists). They were set up with government support to protect the public. It is for this reason the professional body for Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioners, the British Association for Nutrition & Lifestyle Medicine (BANT), will only accept CNHC registered members. As the title ‘nutritional therapist’ isn’t protected by law, it is important to ensure you check your practitioner is registered with both CNHC and BANT. This helps ensure they are trained and qualified in clinical practice to meet national standards in a one to one setting, in addition to continuing professional development (CPD) standards.
Tips on finding the right professional for your needs in Cornwall (and online)
When it comes to choosing between a nutritional therapist and dietitian, it’s important to find the right specialist for your individual needs. Typically, you won’t be looking for a nutritionist as they don’t generally work on an individual level.
You want to look at factors like….do they have experience with the nutritional problems you are facing? Are they taking the time to get to know you and understand your specific health concerns? Are they going to help you get to the root cause of your condition? Do you want to see someone face to face or are you happy to meet virtually? Is the person offering a magic pill/quick fix (this would be a red flag for me, as lasting sustainable changes take time)? These are all important considerations when making a choice.
A few tips to find nutritional therapists or dietitians in Cornwall (or ‘near me’)….
- Try typing ‘nutritional therapist near me / in Cornwall’ or ‘dietitian near me / dietitians in Cornwall’ into Google. Click on the results and see how their website resonates with you. Check their ‘About’ page for their registrations and professional body membership i.e. CNHC and BANT for a nutritional therapist and HCPC and BDA for a dietitian.
- Search for freelance dietitians in Cornwall via the British Dietetic Association (BDA) website entering your postcode, city or country.
- Search for a nutritional therapy practitioner via the BANT website using postcode, town or region. You can also filter by your health concerns.
Next steps
I am a CNHC and BANT registered nutritional therapist and would love to chat further with you. If I fit who you are looking for please click to book in a free discovery call with me to talk through your health concerns. Alternatively schedule a free no obligation health coaching session. You can find further information on the 1:1 programmes I offer here.
[…] NOTE: This article was originally published here. […]