Introduction:
After all, whenever we wanted to go on that, ‘Right Physique’ journey of ours. The first thing that crosses our mind is a workout, Gym and Instructor. But have you ever thought that the instructor, dietician or Nutritionist whom you have approached is fit and has an amazing physique? Even the Celebrities that you see and flaunt on TV wouldn’t be so fit if it weren’t for these Nutritionist, Dietician or Instructor.
And remember the time when you had to opt for, ‘Physical Education’ as an elective during your Senior Secondary grade, but never considered it to be an option of educational importance. Unfortunately, many also deem this path/field as the last option to explore in their career pursuit. But have you ever wondered to aspire for Nutrition Jobs? If you haven’t, then take a minute to glance a bit below, maybe something might strike your interest.
• Opportunities in Dietetics:
Below are some interesting opportunities that you can explore in your dietetic journey:
– Playwright RD:
Are you interested in Food and writing plays with loads of food content? Then, Playwright RD just might your soul-job. Playwright Registered Dieticians are play writers who write plays with a dash of nutrition, sprinkle of health nutrition and dipped in the importance of exercise garnished with their benefits. These plays are written for Children education of healthy nutrition so that they can learn the benefits of exercise and healthy diet at a young age. And interesting plays written for the same purpose makes the tasks for the Schools and fun for the Children. So, if you love to write plays that not only brings smiles in the face of little ones but also teaches them a healthy habit. Then you must surely explore this field.
– Farmer RD:
Farmer registered Dietitian are not just your usual farmer, they are more than that. They organically grow crops to be precise, research, develop and experiment various other new aspects of organic farming for others to follow. Some other RD Farmers are even author who shared their own experience through their book which is still being printed and revised every year. And the farms planned and tend to by these RD Farmers are often purchased by 5-star hotels and even Celebrities who uses and consumes the vegetables produced by them than the ones in the nearby Supermarket. So, if you enjoy maintaining and growing your mini kitchen garden then you might want to explore this field of Nutrition Jobs.
– Culinary Trendologist:
You must surely have seen your friends posting the picture of the delicious Dalgona Coffee in their Instagram, Facebook & WhatsApp Stories. But have you ever wondered how did the trend of Dalgona Coffee that has been so popularly lately come from? How did it even start? Well, the culprit behind all this popularity is none other than Culinary Trendologists. Culinary Trendologists are those who plan all the food and culinary trends for the next day, week, month and even year. It is they who dictate the food trend around the globe all the time and year-round. Now that the cat is out of the bag and if you want to be one of those food trend dictators and surely these field of Nutrition Jobs are just for you.
– Overseas Dietician:
As the term spell itself, Overseas + Dietician, a Dietician that works or operates overseas. Overseas Dietician is often hired in Health Centres, Rehabilitation Centres, Hospitals and even Yoga Centres. Their jobs are to oversee that the meals of the patient or their clients consist of basic nutrients. The meals offered to the Patients in the hospitals are designed by these Overseas dieticians for their speedy recovery. So, if you love adventure and has a great affinity for travel and wanderlust, then this might be one of your favourite Nutrition jobs. What’s better to travel and decide what people eat?
– Pet Nutrition Clinician:
This might absurd to may but Pet Nutrition Clinician do exist. So, have you seen that one person who writes something just after the Vets is done prescribing your lovely pet? He’s also the one who devises a proper diet plan for your pet if he is often prone to illness or for those stray animals in the streets who are often in the pangs of Malnutrition. Yes, those are Pet Nutrition Clinician. You might not know but even PETA consists of a professional Pet Nutrition Clinician team who provide basic dietary plans for the animals in their blogs and guidelines. So, if you love to feed animals then you have just found yourself some great Nutrition Jobs or animal nutrition jobs opportunities.
Well, those were just some examples of some bare performance nutrition jobs making them all the more interesting in the field of Dietetics. And if you can’t happen to find that one perfect Nutrition Jobs for you then don’t worry, the list doesn’t end here, Nutrition Jobs list goes on.
• Nutritionist vs Dietician: Know the difference!
Well, there’s this often confusion and misconception among people that Nutritionists and Dietician are the same things. And that they operate in the same field of operation. Yes, they both belong from the same field, Dietetics but they are not the same job. For they are two different Nutrition Jobs or to be precise two different food and nutrition jobs. How? The table below explains the same:
Dietician:
Nutrition Jobs of a Dietician are as follows, so make sure you take note of them and don’t confuse it with other Nutrition Jobs again>
– They induce people to opt for comparatively and relatively more healthy choice in their diet regime.
– And to do so, they also create diet plans.
– They work with Doctors, Policy Makers, Industry Leaders, Market researchers, Educational institutions such as Schools & Colleges.
– They introduce Food/Diet-related development policies, educate, aware individuals, Government guidelines, Industries, Hospitals, Industries and Market on nutritional demand of the body.
– They also assist the food manufacturers in maintaining their food quality to the par and conduct various research to introduce various policies and tact’s to improve the same.
– They devise diet charts and plans for patients and people with Cancer, Diabetes, Allergies, Obesity, Heart Disease and Kidney patients.
– They also advise and aware people on negative effects of Nutritional Supplements, Food Safety Storage, Intravenous feeding/Consumption, Drug and diet interactions etc.
Nutritionists:
Nutrition Jobs of Nutritionists are as follows:
– Unlike Dieticians, Nutritionists Nutrition Jobs revolves around healthy people rather than patients and other institutional bodies.
– They don’t work with Industry, Government, Market or hospitals but for individuals through scheduled meetings, personalised Diet charts and work-out regimes.
– They monitor their clients on a rather one-on-one level by tracking their performance, Sleep habits and motivating them to stay faithful to their diet & work-out regime.
– They also promote the importance of nutrition and exercise through presentations and even devising Cooking instructions for cookery shows.
– They are also called as Wellness Coach, Nutrition Specialist, Registered Nutritionist, Health Coach and Gym Instructor
• How to become one?
For one to pursue any of the Nutrition Jobs/Registered dietician, following steps needs to be followed:
A Bachelor Degree:
First thing first to pursue any Nutrition Jobs, one needs to earn an Undergraduate degree accredited from Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics or any accredited Organization to cut off the minimum criteria from the list. You need to pursue an undergraduate degree in Food and Nutrition, Public health nutrition, Dietetics, or Clinical Nutrition etc., and course work in Applied Food Principles, Nutritional Therapy, Community Nutrition, Food Service System or any evidence-based nutrition course.
An Internship and a bit of experience:
An internship of at least 1,200 hours under the surveillance of a Dietetic professional is compulsory either on Undergraduate or Graduate level.
Registration Examination off the block:
All the aspirants for Nutrition Jobs need to clear a Registration Examination after they have completed their Undergraduate/Graduate degrees and minimum Internship criteria administered and conducted by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Commission on Dietetic Registration. The examination is 2 ½ hours long and consists of about 100-150 questions.
Stamp from the State: State License:
Some of the Nutrition Jobs are required to have a state licence such as that of Registered Dietician. However, the criteria for a State Licence varies from State to State depending on the type of Nutrition Jobs. You can check the guidelines for the same are outlined on the website of the State Government.
Seal the deal with a Certificate:
Well, some of the Nutrition Jobs requires you to have a Certificate along with or before State Licence certified by the Board of Certification of Nutrition Specialists. However, to be eligible for the Certificate of Certified Nutrition Specialist or CNS, one must pass the following criteria:
– Graduate Degree
– Registration Examination
– 1,200 hours Clinical experience under Professional Surveillance
• Conclusion:
So, that was all about Dietetics, Nutrition Jobs, the difference between Dietician & Nutritionist and how to pursue and gain Nutrition Jobs. However, it isn’t necessary that you pass every step with flying colours or as imagined to become a dietetic and that doesn’t mean failure either. You can either fail in the Registration Examination, doesn’t secure or complete your minimum internships hours or maybe becoming dietetic isn’t exactly what you want to do. But don’t be upset just yet for failure is just a step forward to success.
There are various other options that you can explore too if so ardent to pursue your career in the field of Nutrition Jobs. Some of the examples are Food Scientists; Food Labelling Scientist; Food Safety Inspector; Public Health Nutritionist/ Epidemiologists; Chef; Food Service Manager; Corporate Health & Wellness Consultant or maybe Nutrition Writer/Author etc. Isn’t it great? You can experiment with different genes/species of Vegetables to create a hybrid, Shut down a restaurant, Name delicious food items or write a book on Nutrition that consists of some great facts and cheats if not any Nutrition Jobs.