Definition of “Dietitian”

“Dietitian” is a legal term in the United States.  This person is an expert in food and nutrition and has:

- earned a bachelor’s degree in nutrition or has completed extensive coursework in nutrition in addition to a earning a degree in another field.

- completed a minimum of 1020 hours in a dietetic internship, with required work experiences in a clinical setting (e.g. providing Medical Nutrition Therapy to patients in a hospital), in a public health setting (e.g. providing nutrition counseling in a WIC clinic), and in an institutional foodservice setting (e.g. foodservice management in a hospital kitchen).

- passed the national registration exam conducted by the Commission on Dietetic Registration, the credentialing agency for the American Dietetic Association.

A ”Dietitian” is a “Registered Dietitian.”  If you want to verify that someone is a dietitian, simply ask for their member number and look them up using the online credential verification system.  

Definition of “Nutritionist”

In the state of Colorado, there is no legal definition of this term since we have no state licensure.  In Colorado, literally anyone can hang a shingle on their door and declare themselves a nutritionist.  Therefore, it is critical that people who are seeking nutrition advice ask the practitioner where they received their education and in what subject area they earned their degree.  If the nutritionist has not earned a degree in nutrition from an accredited college or university and she/he is not a registered dietitian, then you might want to keep looking.  All professionals legally using the credential “RD” after their name are registered dietitians.

Be choosy!  It is your health care that is on the line.  Valid nutrition health care providers will not be offended if you ask for their credentials – if anything, they will be glad that you asked.