what do nutritionists actually do ?

One of the most common misconceptions about what nutritionists and dietitians actually do is that it’s all about telling people what to eat and what not to eat to look good 🙃 (whatever that may mean for an individual).

The reality is a lot more complex. It’s more about the optimisation of health in order to prevent / manage chronic diseases, achieve certain goals or improve the current state. This is done through the different areas, for example, sports nutrition, diabetes, gut health, fertility, hormonal nutrition, eating disorders, malnutrition, public health and policy making, food product development, scientific research, science communication, etc. So the scope of work is really wide and each area is a specific “industry” on its own that requires unique skills and specialisation.

In the UK, all Registered Nutritionists are by law required to complete a set number of hours of professional learning (known as continuous professional development) in order to stay up to date with the ever-changing science and specialise in a particular area of interest.

Hope this makes things clearer. 😊