Is Anyone Here A Nutritionist/dietician?

[Breila]

After having been at home with my kids for 10 years, it's time to consider a career. I thought I was set with what I wanted to do, but I'm finding myself increasingly drawn to food science even though science in general is scary to me, LOL.

Anyway, I thought it would be worth asking around here. If anyone does do this as a career, I'd love to have a conversation about the educational requirements and career opportunities.

TIA

[taylor-]

After having been at home with my kids for 10 years, it's time to consider a career. I thought I was set with what I wanted to do, but I'm finding myself increasingly drawn to food science even though science in general is scary to me, LOL.

Anyway, I thought it would be worth asking around here. If anyone does do this as a career, I'd love to have a conversation about the educational requirements and career opportunities.

TIA

Hey there! im not a dietician, and im actually changing my major...i decided after a year that i was not cut out for whole classes on metabolism and organic chemistry. haha..

buut, i am a dietetics major as of right now, and have taken all of my intro courses that talk about the educational requirements and opportunities and what not. They vary slightly from state to state though, and Florida is one of the stricter states as far as requirements go, so depending on what state you are from it all depends.

To be a Registered Dietician (RD) you have to have at least a bachelors in Nutrition/Dietetics, complete an internship, and pass the national board exam. A nutritionist differs from a dietician because there is no national standard for a "nutritionist" i dont really know much about nutritionist, other than in my dietetics program at FSU they are sort of frowned upon and there are actually laws being put into action in florida to make sure people who claim to be nutritionist are actually qualified to call themselves that (no offense to those who might see this if you are a nutritionist.) RD's have to update their registration every few years, and also have to be licensed for the state they are practicing in. you can also be specialized in something such as diabetes, obesity, children, even celiac disease

There are a ton of career opportunities depending on your qualifications, you can work anywhere from schools, to hospitals, to different businesses to owning a private practice. here is the link to FSU college of health science booklet on the dietetics program that gives a pretty good look at all of it.

Open Original Shared Link

hope that helps some!

[Sweetfudge]

i've actually thought about getting a degree in either of these. i guess i don't really know the difference. all i know, is when i was diagnosed with celiac disease, my doctor had me see a nutritionist. all she did was print off all the literature from celiac.com, and read it to me. which, by the way, i did on my own the week before seeing her. i wasn't all that impressed. anyway, i'd be interested to hear about what you find out.

[JennyAnderson]

Hi!

I am so sorry for the delayed response ... but I just now read your post. I am a nutritionist. I chose not to become an RD, although sometimes I wish I had only because it would open more doors of opportunity. I worked for 3 years as a nutritionist for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program in Peoria, IL. The only reason I left is because my husband and I recently decided to move cross country to Santa Monica, CA. I enjoy being a nutritionist, but my favorite part is counseling people. I would love to find a position that allowed me to educate and counsel newly diagnosed celiac patients, as I think most doctors and Registered Dietitians don't really know much about the diet. If you have any questions please feel free to ask!

Take care

Jenny

[munchkinette]

I just had this question myself. I'm kind of interested in taking some classes. I'm self-educating quite a bit, but I need a better framework for all that I'm learning. I'm not really afraid of science. I'm not even sure where to start though- it can be hard to get into community college classes because there isn't always room.

It doesn't seem like there are enough nutritionists who specialize in these dietary needs. I've only found a couple in San Francisco, and those are general alternative wellness people.