Focus on nutrition professions

October 24, 2023 oteadmin

Nutrition is a science focused on food, foods, nutrients and their action on the body. Its importance is crucial, because it acts directly on a person’s health. Certain illnesses and the state of health of many individuals result from their diet. As nutrition is linked with various other fields, it has favored the creation of different professions. Overview of nutrition professions.

Different nutrition professions

Nutrition is a science that studies the effect of nutrients on the body. It is she who determines the nutritional needs to be respected to be in good health. Nutrition being a very vast field, linked to many other sectors, it encompasses several professions. Depending on their case and their objectives, people who wish to consult have the choice between various nutrition professionals . If some have followed a long course of study (doctor…), others are authorized to advise people on food after specific training.

However, they follow the same objective, which is to guide individuals to have a good diet and a healthy lifestyle. They are there to help them fight against chronic diseases, overweight, cardiovascular diseases, obesity or even diabetes. You should know that there are several specializations in the field of nutrition. Some professionals receive a very varied audience, while others welcome specific profiles such as athletes or the elderly. The nutrition professions are numerous, but there are nevertheless some of the best known.

The nutrition coach

coach nutrition

Nutrition Coach – Source : spm

The nutrition coach is a food professional who helps his clients to adopt a healthy diet. It establishes a nutritional program that must be adopted over time. It is an art of living that helps to avoid weight gain. By training as a nutrition coach, the future professional aims to help his patients adopt an appropriate diet and a healthier lifestyle. Well-being and health come first, hence the importance of ensuring that the diet recommended to a person is not a source of frustration.

The naturopath

Naturopathy is a field related to well-being and health whose main objective is to determine the causes of disorders that occur in a person. The naturopath is neither a doctor nor a health professional. His role is to give advice to his clients to restore and/or maintain their well-being. Through its recommendations, the person will be able to overcome stress-related disorders, a hectic pace of life, even illness. His advice will focus on food, but he also relies on herbal medicine, reflexology, aromatherapy, breathing techniques, etc. In some cases, the naturopath can advise his clients to do specific exercises and follow a diet. He will do everything possible to allow the person to feel better and have better health.

The dietitian

The dietician is a specialist whose main role is to help people find a balanced diet. Specialized in nutrition and dietetics, he shows each of his clients how to choose the basic elements to favor in order to have a healthy diet, without depriving themselves of the pleasure of eating. He will generally encourage the adoption of a healthy diet by establishing personalized menus. These are tailor-made to meet the person’s nutrient needs. The dietitian is required to calculate the calorific intake and nutrients in each dish to achieve the set objective (lose or gain weight, maintain one’s BMI, for example). What you need to know is that the dietician does not only see sick people. Its clientele is in fact mainly made up of people in good health, seeking to reach their ideal weight and/or prevent illnesses linked to an unsuitable eating habit.

The sports nutritionist

The sports nutritionist is a doctor whose main mission is to monitor the nutrition of athletes. His role is to establish a healthy food hygiene for the athlete, according to the physical discipline he exercises and the intensity of his practices. The role of the sports nutritionist is to establish a tailor-made program and a personalized diet for each of his patients. The goal is to optimize the performance of the athlete, to improve his physical condition and his state of health in general. To do this, he may need to lose weight, gain it or maintain it.

Which curriculum for nutrition professions?

There are several possible training courses for a career in the field of nutrition. The courses are also accessible at several levels of study, from baccalaureate to master’s. There are also specific training courses to become a nutrition professional. The course to follow depends on the profession concerned. Some trades require years of study, while for others, training lasting several months provides the opportunity to acquire the required skills. To become a nutrition professional, it is possible to practice after obtaining one of these specific diplomas:

DU Nutrition (BAC +2) ,

BTS dietetics nutrition (BAC +2) ,

Bachelor nutrition (BAC +3),

Professional health professions license: nutrition and human food (BAC +3),

Engineer in nutrition (BAC +5),

Master in nutrition (BAC +5).

It is also possible to take certification training as a nutritionist or as a nutrition coach, remotely via specialized platforms.

Where do nutrition professionals work?

Nutrition professional – Source: spm

Different nutrition professionals have several choices when it comes to where they practice. There are most often two main possible choices: to practice as a liberal or as an employee. It all depends of course on the nutrition profession in question. For a dietician, for example, he can practice in a hospital environment, as a liberal, in research or in a community (sports center, food rehabilitation center, canteen, association, etc.).

Most nutrition professionals can practice as liberal professionals. Directly after his training or after a few years as an employee , the practitioner can open a practice and work on his own account. By choosing to work in a hospital setting, a nutrition professional must listen to patients and define suitable diets for them. Like all hospital staff, he must respect the sanitary rules and the rules of hygiene.

By working with a community, the professional will have as main role to establish adapted menus for all members. He must therefore ensure that the menus offered are suitable for everyone, paying attention to allergies and special diets. Some nutrition professionals may also work in the field of research, particularly in the agri-food and pharmaceutical sector. In this case, they will contribute to the design of products and study food-related elements.

What qualities are required for these professions?

To be a nutrition professional, you need to have certain qualities. First of all, it is obvious that it is a profession that requires seriousness and rigor, because the health and well-being of patients are at stake. You must also have acquired very solid knowledge in the field in which the professional practices. For a sports nutritionist, for example, you need to have knowledge of sports. This profession also requires interpersonal skills. It is a profession that involves discussions with patients and other professionals, particularly those in the medical field. Finally, nutrition professionals must also be educators. Most of the time, they have to transmit information to patients, explain to them how a diet works.

Who consults nutrition professionals?

In recent years, nutrition, and in particular the need or the need to eat well, has been at the core concerns. The various problems related to poor nutrition worry a large part of the population. To avoid them, both women and men prefer to consult a nutrition professional. It is often people who already have health problems such as obesity to whom their doctor has recommended a consultation with a practitioner in the field for nutritional rebalancing. They are also athletes of all kinds, especially at a high level. They need the skills of the nutrition professional to have a better performance.

Nutritionists are also consulted by patients in order to carry out assessments. They will also give nutritional advice and follow up taking into account weight, food intolerances, metabolism, allergies, physiology and different goals. Healthy eating is a need for people of all ages, young people as well as adults and the elderly. The increase in the number of nutrition professionals testifies to the needs generated by the change in lifestyle. With the lack of time to cook healthy meals and exercise, the need to adopt a healthy and balanced diet is obvious.

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