Who doesn’t love to eat food?
Besides the obvious taste bud kick it comes with, food is essential for our survival.
If you have a skin problem, food is a solution. If you have an immunity problem again food is a solution. We add eggs, meat, milk, fruits, and vegetable to our daily diet so we can manage our healthy life. But sometimes food causes some health problems and we get sick. For example, you have wheat or egg-allergic but you eat it anyway. It causes many physical and health symptoms that bother you including irritation and rashes.
Fortunately on Healthwire platform, we have specialists for every health problem. Yes, I am talking about a specialist who deals with food-related health issues and teaches you how to manage your food. Follow my lead.
Who is a nutritionist?
A nutritionist is a specialist who specializes in the use of food and nutrition to improve health and treat disease. These experts give advice on what foods to eat in order to live a healthy lifestyle or attain a specific health objective. They also help people to achieve health-related life goals. Most of them work in hospitals, clinics, health care centers, and medical offices. Now, I’m sure you must be clear that who is a nutritionist and what they do.
People usually confuse them with other specialists such as dietitians.
Do you also think nutritionists and dietitians are the same professional people? No, They are not let’s discuss the key difference between them.
Difference Between a Nutritionist and Dietitian
Although nutritionists and dietitians both help people to improve their health. But they are different in their qualifications. Let’s discuss how they are different
Who is A Dietician?
Health professionals who specialize in nutrition and diet are called dietitians. They work with people on an individual level, as well as with the public at large.
They use the most up-to-date public health and scientific research on food, health, and disease to give people advice on how to live a healthy and balanced life.
A dietitian is a board-approved food and nutrition master. They receive high education in the field of nutrition and dietetics. A dietician studies food, nutrients, and their effect on human health and makes a diagnosis of people’s illnesses. Nutritionists are not allowed to make diagnoses.
A dietitian receives a practicing certificate from higher authorities in the field of food and helps his patients to resolve eating disorders by giving them food recommendations.
They can practice across a range of settings, including emergency clinics, health care centers, and research centers.
Qualification Of a dietician In Pakistan
If you want to become a dietician in Pakistan, you must have respective qualifications like
- High school education in science subjects
- Intermediate/ FSC pre-medical
- 4 years Bs. Hons in dietetics and nutrition
- 2 Years Master’s degree in dietetics and food
- Practice training and internships under supervision
- Attempt and clear registered dietician exam
- 3 years PhD degree in dietetics and nutrition sciences.
Qualification Of A Nutritionist In Pakistan
If you are interested to become a nutritionist you don’t need the extensive education as a dietician need. You only have to complete education like
- High school education in science subjects
- Intermediate/ FS.c pre-medical
- 4 years Bs. Hons in nutritional science
- 2 Years Master’s degree in nutritional science
After all of these qualifications, you can get training under the supervision to work independently in Pakistan. A nutritionist has no degree or certificate that permits them to make diagnoses of people’s illnesses.
Jobs Opportunities for Nutritionists
A career in Nutritional science includes credible opportunities such as
- Sports Nutritionists– These nutritionists help athletes to improve their diet and more nutrition-conscious lifestyle.
- Health Coach– Health coaches work in companies where they make sure the wellness and diet of their employees.
- Holistic-Nutritionist– These are the ones who help obese people to reduce their weight by managing their calorie intake.
- Clinical Nutritionists– These nutritionists work in hospitals and clinics where they help the accident victim to get proper food to heal broken bones
- Public Health Nutritionists– These nutritionists work on public policies to impact the lives of larger communities and groups of people.
- Food Safety Auditor– Nutritionist who makes sure the safety of food within the federal government and provides strict guidelines.
- College Nutritionists– These nutritionists are responsible for the school and college canteens. They help to maintain the health of students.
- Pediatric Nutritionist- pediatric nutritionists work with children and recommend healthy food for their wellness. They help to grow and achieve their milestones.
- Renal Nutritionist – these nutritionists work with patients who have any form of chronic kidney disease, have undergone kidney transplant or are currently undergoing dialysis to meet their body’s nutritional needs.
- Gerontological Nutritionist – These nutritionists are particularly focused on managing and designing nutritional value for elderly, to boost their health profile.
Job Opportunities For Dieticians
Just like a nutritionist, the dietician also has multiple careers in their field such as
- Clinical dietitians– They work in hospitals and clinics here they contribute with other specialists to develop a food chart and they make diagnoses.
- Foodservice dietician– These dieticians spread knowledge to the public regarding nutritional value and food. They also promote health in different geographical areas.
- Gerontological dieticians– these dieticians are specialized in food and aging, and they have got higher education in gerontology.
- Neonatal dieticians– They provide nutrition therapy to critically ill premature babies and they are part of the neonatal intensive care unit.
- Pediatric dieticians– They take care of children’s early nutritional needs and they often work together with other doctors, school health services, hospitals, and clinics. They develop plans for food allergies and eating disorders.
- Business dieticians– They help people through business, marketing, and communication. They give their expert advice on TV and other media platforms.
- Research dietician– They research food and nutrition value and help to improve the nutritional value of a product. They study the biochemical interactions of the body with food and their process.
Scope of Dieticians and Nutritionist In Pakistan
Pakistan has better job opportunities for nutritionists and dieticians than before. If you are interested in nutrition or dietetics food of science, the jobs are expanding fast in Pakistan. You just see around and you will find many positions within hospitals, clinics, and other health care facilities. Even pharmaceutical companies and food manufacturing companies offer jobs nowadays.
The salary of a nutritionist depends on your education and experience of you. An average salary of a nutritionist in Pakistan is 2,00,000 and for a dietician is 3,50,000.
When to visit a Nutritionist?
Since 80% of our health comes from what we eat, its important to have consultation with nutritionists if you are serious about your health. You can connect with our top nutritionists such as Ms. Safeena Amjad, for more qualified opinion on your health concerns. Here are some common reasons why people visit nutritionists;
- You want to Loose or Gain Weight
- You Have Food Allergies
- You Have Digestive Issues
- You Have picky Eater in House
- You Simply Want to Improve Nutrition
Things You Should Consider
Nutritionists and dieticians both deal with people’s health care and food intake. They both work in different hospitals, clinics, and health care centers. The key difference between them is their qualification and their ability to diagnose people. Only dieticians diagnose people with illnesses while nutritionists are not allowed to make diagnoses.
But before considering this profession, We would suggest you look out for your interest and your compatibility. Best of luck to you.
You might want to follow some successful nutritionists.