What is a Sport Nutritionist?
Nutrition is the study of the science behind how food affects our body. Dietitians, nutritionists, sport nutritionists, nutritional therapists, and diet or nutrition experts all study nutrition, although to very different levels. It can get a bit confusing trying to figure out the difference, so there is a quick summary of each role below.
The most important thing to remember if you looking for advice, particularly relating to your health, is to ask the person about their experience and qualifications. You should be able to satisfy yourself that the person is appropriately qualified and regulated to offer the advice that you are looking for.
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Sport Nutritionist
Sport and Exercise Nutrition is a specialised area of nutrition which requires a deeper understanding of how the body responds to physical activity and exercise, particularly during training and competition.
Sport nutritionists can register with the UK based Sport and Exercise Nutrition register (SENr) (UK) and become a member of the Sport and Exercise Nutrition Group (SENG) (Ireland). To be registered with SENr a nutritionist will need to have completed a postgraduate course (PGDip or MSc) which covers both sport and nutrition. They will also need to follow a strict set of guidelines, such as evidence-based practice, keeping up to date with their training (CPD) and the latest research, and acting in a professional and ethical manner.
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Dietitian
Dietitian is a title protected by law and only people who have completed a degree in dietetics can use the title and practice as a dietitian. Dietitians assess, diagnose and treat dietary and nutritional problems on an individual and on a wider public health level. They work with both healthy and unwell people, and in a variety of roles, but most dietitians are employed in a medical or public health setting e.g. hospital or primary care centre. Dietitians must be registered with Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI) in Ireland or the British Dietetic Association (BDA) in the UK in order to practice.
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Dietitians can do additional training specific to sport and become a Sport Dietitian.
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Nutritionist
Nutritionists can work in a variety of roles, including sport, public health, health improvement, health policy, local and national government, in the private sector, Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) or in education and research.
The title of nutritionist isn't protected like dietitian, so there are a range of different qualifications that a nutritionist could have; from nothing at all to a seven year PhD. Nutritionists can volunteer to register with a regulatory body, which will mean that they have a certain level of education and skills. There aren't any regulatory bodies in Ireland, but the Association for Nutrition (AfN) regulates public health nutritionists in the UK and Irish public health nutritionists can also register with them.
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​​​​​Nutritional Therapist
Nutritional therapists make recommendations for diet and lifestyle in order to alleviate or prevent ailments. These recommendations are often based on complementary ‘medicine’ recommendations not recognised in conventional medicine, and often include detoxes, avoiding ‘toxins’ or ‘allergens’ and the use of supplements.
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Nutritional therapists can be educated in the use of treatments that there is little robust scientific evidence for, such as high doses of vitamins, detox, and food avoidance. Their work is based on the belief that the body has underlying nutritional and biochemical imbalances that lead to poor health, including mental health problems. They generally do not use an evidence-based approach and advice is most often based on personal opinion or belief.
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Diet or Nutrition Expert
There are lots of other titles and individuals who style themselves as ‘diet experts’ or ‘nutrition experts’, sometimes with many letters after their name. Some might have no relevant qualifications at all, just an interest in food. This is largely a self-regulated industry where anyone can set up and practice, meaning there is no real protection for you if something goes wrong.
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