1. DIE TITIANS DIE TITIANS
Spring/Summer 2016 | eatingwellmag.co.uk | 13
iStockphoto,Alamay
Dietitians
can give you
practical and
easy adviceD
ietitians are highly qualified graduate level experts in
diet and nutrition and are registered with the Health
and Care Professions Council (HCPC) www.hpc-uk.org
who were set up to protect the public. Dietitians are the only
nutrition professionals to be regulated by law and governed by
an ethical code. It is illegal to call yourself a dietitian unless you
are registered with the HCPC.
12 | eatingwellmag.co.uk | Spring/Summer 2016
Many dietitians work in the National Health Service as part
of a multi-disciplinary team and in one or more specialist areas
such as diabetes or cancer. Dietitians also work in a diverse
range of environments in the community and the work place
(www.bdaworkready.co.uk), sport and exercise, food and
pharmaceutical industries, research, education and training and
private healthcare.
Eating Well, Living Well editor, Penny Hunking RD, R.SEN, helps
to demystify the role of a dietitian, including what qualifications
they need to practise, how are they regulated plus reasons to see
a dietitian, the type of treatments they offer and the differences
between dietitians, nutritionists and nutritional therapists.
What do
Dietitians do?
“Dietitians do not agree that foods
are ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and promote the
fact that you can normally obtain
the essential nutrients you need
from an eating style that is one of
moderation, balance and variety”Dietitians are the only nutrition
professionals to be regulated by law and
governed by an ethical code
Training is usually a 4-year university based course leading
to a BSc Honours degree in Dietetics or Nutrition and Dietetics
which covers a mixture of subjects including human nutrition,
genetics, research methods, biochemistry, human physiology
and communication. Dietitians strive to be the source of reliable
scientifically based information about food and nutrition
information and their aim is to clarify the often confusing
and contradictory messages so enthusiastically broadcast
by the media. Dietitians do not agree that foods are ‘good’ or
‘bad’ and promote the fact that you can normally obtain the
essential nutrients you need from an eating style that is one of
moderation, balance and variety.
Dietitians work in many environments
including the NHS, private practice,
industry, education, research, sport and
exercise and public health
Many dietitians are often in the public eye, working in PR and
media to help lift the lid on what’s true and what’s not in the world
of nutrition and health. Many other people claim to be an authority
on the subject, but in reality may have limited knowledge and simply
offer eating plans based on their own opinion. I may like to drive,
but I couldn’t service my car or repair it if it needs maintenance
or breaks down – I call in the experts! It’s no different in nutrition.
Just because people are famous and have an interest in diet or like
cooking, that doesn’t mean they are an expert. Diets announcing
what’s ‘good’ and ‘bad’ or ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ or those that ban a
whole host of foods from your diet are more likely to hold you back.
To help with your every day dietary dilemmas, dietitians can
give you practical and easy advice; whether you need to manage
your weight or learn how to eat to manage a range of conditions
such as diabetes and heart disease – all this whilst enjoying your
food too. A dietitian can help you understand what to eat for sport,
how to read a food label, shop for food, plan meals and how to
cook with simplicity for tantalising taste.

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DIE TITIANS
Work with anyone needing advice about eating for sport
and exercise including recreational exercisers to Olympic
champions. Offer guidance on how to eat in order to prepare,
participate and recover from training and exercise.
Work in the community with schools and local services to
promote healthy eating and specialist areas of nutritional need
such as elderly care and child health.
See babies, children and young people in a hospital or
community setting. Work with parents and carers to help
improve symptoms in conditions such as food allergies and
intolerances, newly diagnosed diabetes and feeding issues in
premature birth.
Work with kidney (renal) patients to help them plan nutritional
meals that won’t put additional stress on their kidneys. Many
help patients undergoing kidney dialysis make suitable dietary
adjustments.
Offer guidance on how to eat to control blood sugar levels and
manage weight, follow a healthy diet and avoid the pitfalls of
poor nutrition.
The job of a freelancer is incredibly varied. Work with
individuals one-one, companies, public sector organisations,
charities, the food industry, the media and PR and more.
Employed by a range of organisations including food,
drink and pharmaceutical companies & manufacturers,
supermarkets and baby food manufacturers.
Often a specialist within a multi-disciplinary team and play
a key role in the management of those suffering eating
disorders. Advise on the nutritional care and eating design of
nutritional plans.
Sports Dietitians (R.SEN)
www.senr.org.uk
Community Dietitians
Paediatric Dietitians
Renal Dietitians
Diabetes Dietitians
Freelance Dietitians
www.freelancedietitians.org
Food Industry Dietitians
Mental Health Dietitians
DIETITIANS AND SOME OF THEIR AREAS OF WORK
SPECIALITY WHAT THEY DO

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DIE TITIANS
“In the ever increasing competitive world of sport, the
importance of diet and nutrition has never been greater.
The unique skill set of a registered sport nutritionist/dietitian
provides the nutritional support needed by leading athletes.
As a dietitian in sport I help athletes perform at their best."
Nigel Mitchell, RD. R.SEN
NUTRITIONISTS
Anyone can call themselves
a nutritionist and unlike the
title ‘dietitian’, the title of
‘nutritionist’ is not protected
by law. Increasingly, most
reputable nutritionists
are registering with the
Association for Nutrition –
the ‘AfN’. The UK Voluntary
Register of Nutritionists
(UKVRN) distinguishes
nutrition practitioners who
meet rigorously applied
training, competence and
professional practice criteria.
The purpose is to protect
the public and assure the
credibility of nutrition as a
responsible profession.
Dr Glenys Jones from the
AfN says “Unfortunately there
is a substantial amount of
misinformation spread about
diets and nutrition, therefore it
is vitally important the public
and employers know that
any nutritionist they use is
both competent and capable.
By only using Registered
Nutritionists you know the
individual is qualified in
nutrition to a minimum
of degree level, evidence-
based in their practice and
abides by a strict code of
conduct. These professionals
are registered with the
Association for Nutrition and
can be identified by the use
of the letters RNutr or ANutr
after their name. You can
check a person is registered
on the AfN website www.
associationfornutrition.org”
Nutritionists provide
evidence-based information
and guidance about the
impacts of food and
nutrition on health and
wellbeing for individuals or
communities. They work in
all non-clinical settings, but
can only work with acutely
ill patients or those with
clinical conditions under
supervision of a Dietitian
or other regulated health
professional.
Dietitians can
help you with
your every
day dietary
dilemmas

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DIE TITIANS
AUTHOR BIO
From healthy eating and
fat loss to fuelling fitness
for sports performance,
Penny Hunking has
provided guidance to
both consumers and
professionals over a
wide range of nutrition
and health issues in a
career spanning more
than 35 years. Penny is a
Registered Dietitian and
a Registered Sport and
Exercise Nutritionist.
NUTRITIONAL
THERAPISTS
Nutritional therapy
is recognised as a
complementary therapy.
There are fundamental
differences between the
work, and the registration
requirements, of nutritionists
and nutritional therapists.
Nutritional therapists are not
eligible to register with either
the UK Voluntary Register of
Nutritionists or the Health
Care Professions Council.
‘Nutritional therapist’ is not
a title protected by law and
voluntary registration is
through the self-regulated
Complementary and
Natural Healthcare Council
(CNHC). Other therapies
registered with the CNHC
include Aromatherapy,
Bowen Therapy, Healing
Hypnotherapy, Naturopathy,
Reiki and Shiatsu.
TRUST A DIETITIAN
Next time you need dietary
advice, remember that
dietitians are the only qualified
professionals that assess,
diagnose and treat diet and
nutrition problems. They are
the only nutrition professionals
to be regulated by law and
governed by an ethical code. You
are in safe hands when you see a
dietitian as they always work to
the highest standard. For more
information you can download
Food Fact Sheets from the BDA*
www.bda.uk.com website.
*The British Dietetic Association (BDA) is the
only body in the UK representing the whole of
the dietetic workforce. We are a trade union and
professional body representing the professional,
educational, public and workplace interests
of our members. Founded in 1936, we are one
of the oldest and most experienced dietetic
organisations in the world.
The key to
a balanced
diet is eating
a variety of
healthy foods