Nutritionist, Naturopath or Dietitian – Who Should You Consult?
Are you thinking of seeing someone to help you with your diet or your meal plan? The world of nutrition can be a very confusing place as there are many different pieces of advice which you can follow to help you reach your goals. This may come from your close friends/families, your doctor or maybe the social media influencer who has your ideal body shape. However, you may find it overwhelming and difficult to find out from whom you should be seeking your nutrition advice from as they may be contradicting each other or they are just plainly unrealistic.
Hence, enter the nutrition professionals, which included but not limited to naturopaths, nutritionists and dietitians. They can all help you with your diets in different ways, however not many people know the difference between these professions. In this blog post, we are going to cover the definition of nutritionists, naturopath and dietitians, what they do and how each professional can help you with your nutrition goal.
What is a nutritionist?
A nutritionist is a nutrition professional who uses their food and nutrition knowledge to encourage people to lead a healthier lifestyle. They can work in many different settings, including at a private practice where they see people for one-on-one consultations or at a community health center where they are running nutrition projects and promoting a nutrition campaign. You can also find them working at a research and policy centre, where they are involved in food safety regulations or long-term impact of different diets. If you are looking to work with a nutritionist, please note that a nutritionist cannot provide individual clinical nutrition recommendations relating to your medical health condition.
Here are some things that a nutritionist will be able to help you out with:
Provide you with healthy eating advice to help minimize your risk of developing chronic conditions
Help you engage in mindful eating
Provide you with healthy recipes to help you make healthier and smarter food choices
Provide you with health coaching services, to help you make healthier food choices and live a healthier lifestyle.
The term “nutritionist’ is not regulated and may be used by nutrition students, dietitians, and any health influencer. Therefore, it is very important to check your nutritionist’s qualifications before you engage with them. Accredited nutritionists are regulated by the Nutrition Society of Australia. To find an accredited nutritionist, click here.
What is a naturopath?
A naturopath is a health professional practicing in the complementary therapy or alternate medicine that takes a holistic approach to improve your health and wellbeing. This is based on the principle that the body has the inherent ability to heal itself. A naturopath will assess your diet, lifestyle, family background and environment and your medical history. Furthermore, they can also make sure that your sunlight exposure, water intake, exercise levels and stress levels are optimal.
A naturopath may utilize the following approaches:
Providing you with nutrition advice, but not medical nutrition therapy for specific health conditions.
Providing you with herbal medicine to help support your body
Homeopathic treatments used to stimulate the body
Hydrotherapy (water therapy). For instance, the use of hot and cold compresses might be used for certain conditions to influence the flow of blood and body heat
Physical therapies – such as massage, Bowen, acupressure, bio-puncture or mechano therapy
Kinesiology and integrated bio-dynamics (IBD)
Naturopaths must have completed an Advanced Diploma of Naturopathy or in health sciences at a minimum. However, the title “Naturopath” is poorly regulated, therefore anyone can call themselves a naturopath. To find a naturopath to help support your health, click here.
What is a dietitian?
A dietitian is a nutritionist, but a nutritionist is not a dietitian. A dietitian can help you to apply the science of nutrition to the feeding and education of groups of individuals and individuals in health and disease and can help you manage your medical health conditions through individualised dietary recommendations.
To call themselves a dietitian, they must have undertaken tertiary education in a nutrition and dietetics course. Accredited practicing dietitian is the only credential recognized by the Australian government, Medicare, Department of Veterans Affairs and most private health funds. Therefore, look out for this title if you are interested in claiming some healthcare rebates.
Here are some things that a dietitian might be able to help you out with:
Help you manage a range of health conditions which can include diabetes, gut health/gastro, osteoporosis, disordered eating, food intolerance/allergies, cancer and PCOS
Help you lose, gain or manage your weight
Help you eat healthier and make smarter food choices
Improve your relationship with food and minimize your risk of yo-yo dieting
An accredited sports dietitian can help you optimize your sports performance
Should you be taking health advice from “influencers”?
The short answer is no. There are plenty of influencers that will offer you programs or coaching services to be able to help you achieve your health and nutrition goals. Whilst it can be tempting to receive nutrition and weight loss advice from them, you should always consider whether they are qualified to provide these recommendations before following any health advice from them. A study from the University of Glasgow found that about 90% of social media influencers share inaccurate, false and potentially harmful nutrition advice.
Remember that “fit” bodies you see on social media does not mean that they are knowledgeable about your personal medical and medication histories, current lifestyle and past dieting attempts. We will be doing another blog post on this in the future.
Who should I see?
Consider your current nutrition goal and how each nutrition professional can help you. Furthermore, you can also have a chat with your doctor to see which nutrition profession is right for you and you may be eligible for a care plan to see a dietitian at a reduced cost through the Medicare rebate.
If you found this blog post helpful, share it with 2 of your friends/families to help them out. You can also contact us at hello@ripehealth.com.au if you are interested in learning on how you can work with Ripe Health dietitians to receive a tailored nutrition recommendation.
