What's the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist?

Thanks to my friend Susan for this week's question.

The answer is:

A registered dietitian needs:

1) a 4 year degree in nutrition or dietetics

2) to have successfully passed a 9-12 month internship (only
internships approved by the American Dietetic Association)

3) Successful passing of a national registration test

4) Continuing education (75 hours every 5 years)

The title “Nutritionist” is not protected by law. No requirements are necessary. Unfortunately, anyone can claim they are a nutritionist even if they haven’t taken one nutrition class. This means that someone may be giving advice who is not qualified to give nutrition information.

I highly recommend to only get nutrition information from a
dietitian. They will have the initials RD after their name. You can contact the American Dietetic Association to see if the individuals name is still listed as a member since they have to keep current with continuing education. This ensures the person has gone through all the requirements necessary to qualify them to give nutrition information.