Can anyone call themselves a nutritionist?

10 June

A short video explaining whether anyone can call themselves a nutritionist in Australia, why the title can be confusing, and what to look for when choosing a qualified nutrition professional.

Full Transcript

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In this video, I’m going to talk about whether anyone can call themselves a nutritionist.

In Australia, the answer is yes.

That can seem a little strange, and it’s one of the reasons so many people become confused. It was certainly confusing for me when I started studying. I wasn’t quite sure what the differences were, and even now, if you Google it, it can still be confusing.

There are short courses, certificates, diplomas, bachelor’s degrees in nutrition, bachelor’s degrees in clinical nutrition, dietetics degrees and master’s programs in dietetics.

When I started studying, I didn’t know what the differences were either.

I actually had to call the university and speak with a program director to explain the different pathways. At the time, I thought, “I want to study nutrition.” Then he explained clinical nutrition and the additional science involved.

My initial reaction was, “Oh no, I remember science from high school. I don’t want to be doing that.”

But as he explained the different pathways, things became clearer.

Dietetics is generally more focused on medical nutrition therapy for conditions such as eating disorders, chronic kidney disease and tube feeding. Dietitians commonly work within hospitals and other healthcare settings.

That wasn’t where I saw myself.

I wanted to work directly with clients, listen to their concerns and help them develop practical strategies for improvement. That’s what led me to study clinical nutrition.

That’s also where the difference between studying nutrition and studying clinical nutrition became clearer to me.

The challenge is that most people receive nutrition advice from many different sources.

Someone at the gym tells you to eat more protein.

Someone on Instagram recommends a supplement stack.

Someone else tells you to see a dietitian.

Another person tells you to see a nutritionist.

So who are you supposed to listen to?

It can be very confusing.

Because anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, two people using the same title may have very different education, training and professional accountability.

Instead of asking, “Are they a nutritionist?”, I think the better question is:

“What training have they completed?”

I encourage people to take a look at a practitioner’s qualifications and professional background. Sometimes that information can be surprisingly difficult to find.

I’ve put together a graphic to help explain the different educational pathways available. This wasn’t something I could simply find online. I had to research and compare the different pathways to understand how they fit together.

As I mentioned earlier, dietitians play an important role in our healthcare system. Their specialised training in hospital and medical nutrition settings is one of the reasons I ultimately chose a different path.

What attracted me to clinical nutrition was working directly with people.

Sitting across from someone who’s struggling.

Someone whose energy is low.

Someone whose weight isn’t moving.

Someone who has received conflicting nutrition advice.

Someone who feels like they’ve tried everything.

That resonated with me because I used to be that person.

Often a client sees a mess.

I see symptoms.

Stress.

Weight gain.

Low energy.

Digestive issues.

Poor sleep.

Lots of moving parts.

My role, and the part of clinical nutrition I enjoy most, is identifying patterns and helping people work out practical next steps that fit into real life.

So much nutrition advice today is polarising.

“Don’t eat this.”

“Only eat that.”

“Never do this.”

But real life happens.

You can’t always follow rigid rules.

You need a plan that’s realistic and sustainable for you.

That’s where professional guidance can be valuable.

That doesn’t mean advice from someone at the gym is necessarily wrong.

It may be absolutely right.

However, general advice and individual professional care are not the same thing.

That’s where training, professional standards and accountability start to matter.

In New South Wales, unregistered health practitioners are covered by a Code of Conduct.

This includes nutritionists, Certified Practising Nutritionists and naturopaths.

The Code of Conduct provides important consumer protections, but it represents a minimum standard.

Professional accreditation goes a step further.

I’m a Certified Practising Nutritionist (CPN) accredited through the Australasian Association and Register of Practising Nutritionists (AARPN).

This means I’m required to undertake continuing professional development, comply with professional standards and a code of ethics, and remain accountable to an external professional association.

That’s important because nutrition science does not stand still.

Our understanding of the microbiome, gut health, dietary fat, saturated fat, protein requirements, obesity management and appetite regulation continues to evolve.

Continuing professional development helps practitioners stay current with emerging evidence rather than relying solely on what they learned years ago.