Dietitian vs. Nutritionist

“A pickle is just a cucumber.” 

Have you ever been around someone who was offended by this statement? 

Well… that is kind of like calling a dietitian a nutritionist. I would have to agree with the person who was offended with the pickle statement because it took time and “pickling” for that cucumber to transform into a pickle. Yes…… it did start off as a cucumber BUT over time that little cucumber transformed like a butterfly, coming out on the other side with a little more flavoring and a different perspective. This my friends, is similar to how a dietitian becomes a dietitian. 

All dietitians start off as nutritionists, but not all nutritionists become dietitians. When a dietetic student starts down the road of becoming a dietitian, they sacrifice their blood, sweat and tears to eventually one day call themselves a DIETITIAN (maybe a slight exaggeration but you get the point). 

Their blueprint looks like this: graduating from a university or college with the minimum of a Bachelor’s degree, just to apply for more course work included in their dietetic internship (and 99% of the time working for freeeeeee) with the hopes of eventually getting the honors of sitting for a dreaded 4 hour exam… Then just like the cucumber they come out on the other side a little more seasoned, with a few extra letters after their name, but only if they studied hard enough and passed their exam. Otherwise, they have to wait roughly a month to then sit for that lovely exam again hoping they pass the second time.

Friends it is not an easy process. If it were we wouldn’t get so upset at the difference in verbiage. So if you have any RD friends give them a round of applause and don’t forget to tell them Happy RD Day when it comes around once per year. But, below is a table that shows you side by side comparisons between a DIETITIAN and a nutritionist. 

Dietitian!	Nutritionist
Degree – minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition, by 2024 a Master’s degree will be required. Course work includes but not limited to….: Anatomy & Physiology, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Medical Nutritional Therapy (MNT), Genetics…. etc…	Degree – none, someone could literally take any “nutrition” course in the world, either long or short in duration and call themselves a “nutritionist”. No actual degree or knowledge that allows you to provide MNT
Acceptance and Completion of a Dietetic Internship = – 1,200 hours of supervised hours under another Registered Dietitian – Rotations in Foodservice, Clinical and Community	No hours, or rotations required
A 4-year degree + DI hours = the ability to sit for a 4 hour national exam, then if they pass, they get the pleasure of calling themselves a Registered Dietitian	Anyone can call themselves a “nutritionist. ” Those who sell supplements often call themselves “nutritionists”
Once they have their credentials for being a RD, they will then have to abide by licensure laws, obtaining a license for each state they choose to practice or counsel patients in	Practice at their own free will, and can be influenced by pretty much anything… especially money (ie…. pyramid schemes). In states where licensure is required, it is considered illegal for someone to provide MNT without a license
They provide Medical Nutrition Therapy for clients and patients using researched based information. We are bound by our ethics and could lose our license if caught being unethical or making false statements.	Provide information based of minimal or no research

Cheers Friends!! Go hug a dietitian… well maybe not right now… but if you really wanted, you could show your love with a “I’m kinda a big dill” sticker for your favorite RD. They’re located in the “shop” tab!

P.S. I am a sucker for food puns. (:

XO,

Sami, MS, RD, LN