Generally, a Nutritionist must have completed a higher qualification or certification either in the field of food science, nutrition, or dietetics. Only then, they will be able to guide people for maintaining their health. They are responsible to help people achieving normal health by providing information about proper health and food choices.
Nutritionists interact with people regularly and work closely with them to achieve their set of targets, such as increased energy & motivation, weight management, or reducing existing nutritional deficiencies. Also, they monitor and design a set of dietary plans with the aim of improving the health and wellbeing of individuals as well as educating them on personal nutrition.
Responsibilities of a Nutritionist:
A Nutritionist is a professional who studies diets and offers guidance to families, people, and organizations on how to change lifestyle, food, and mindset for optimum health promotion by recommending a balanced diet, Nutrition counseling (explaining patients about the mechanism of digestion and metabolism), exercise tips and interpreting them in maintaining the healthy diet and medical nutritional evaluation based on their unique set of health requirements.
Following are the responsibilities of a Nutritionist:
- Design and implementation of menus, diets, and meal plans of the day.
- Educating on the importance of nutrition in the context of food preparation and diet to the clients.
- Checking progress against planned targets and achievements.
- Taking notes of nutritional values of food in diets and meal plans.
- They consult with the clients about their dietary habits and assess potential nutritional deficiencies.
- They also suggest prescribed diet plans based on the assessment of the nutritional requirements of the clients.
How to get into a Nutritionist Career?
To become a nutritionist, a student can pursue a bachelor’s in Nutrition followed by a master’s in Nutrition after class 10+2. Medical and Life science graduates can go for the nutrition course. Students can pursue these courses after their graduation in science. If they are interested to specialize in nutrition, then they can opt for PG Diploma in clinical nutrition & nutrition master class course.
Eligibility:
The minimum basic eligibility criteria required for the career of nutritionist are mentioned below:
- A candidate must have passed class 12th exam with science stream from any recognized board/university for any nutrition bachelor program.
- Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in science stream from a recognized university/institution for M.Sc. or any postgraduate course in nutrition with respective disciplines.
Career Opportunities:
Nowadays, there are a lot of scopes for a nutritionist as many people are widely exposed to the awareness of healthy nutrition and are increasingly becoming health conscious. So, it’s clear from the fact that most youngsters consider being a Nutritionist. Besides, joining the government or private hospitals, they can find good placements with handsome salaries in corporate hospitals or set up their own clinic. The nutritionist can get jobs in several fields/ organizations, such as Hospitals (Government and Private both), Multinational Corporations, Private Clinics, Nursing Homes, Community Health Programs, Home Health Care Agencies, Wellness Centers, Fitness Clubs (Gyms and Aerobic centers), Health Product Companies (Pharmaceuticals and FMCGs), Public Health departments, etc.
There are several sets of job roles available in this field once they have acquired the needed skills and educational qualifications to become a nutritionist. Following are a few of the job roles available in the field of Nutrition:
Job Profiles | Job Descriptions |
---|---|
Clinical Nutritionist | Their job role is to assist in medical surroundings, such as hospitals, doctors’ offices, clinics, etc. They are also responsible to provide therapy of medical nutrition, especially to treat diseases by arranging the diet. |
Food Service Nutritionist | Usually they work in restaurants, school cafeterias, large-scale food establishments, etc. They also recommend special dietary concerns and concepts of food allergy. |
Public Health Nutritionist | They are responsible for elaborating essential nutritional issues and risk factors to people. They check the health and dietary necessities of patients and also develop effective diet plans, as per the preferences. |
Sports Nutritionist | Their job is to work with sportsperson, athletes, and coaches to make sure top athletic performance. Besides that, they also make a diet plan as per the necessities of nutrient of each athlete. |
Consultant Nutritionist | They are responsible to review a patient's current welfare goals as per their eating habits by treating a disease, losing weight, or preventing future health issues. |
Pediatric Nutritionist | Their job role is to solve the health issues of children by recommending basic nutrition with healthy eating. |
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