How to become a Nutritionist all you need to know

The professions that concern the sphere of nutrition are increasingly requested and valued. There are several professionals who deal with various aspects of this medical field. One of these is the Nutritionist, that is the professional who is able to elaborate and prescribe diets and nutritional profiles to individuals or even groups and communities.

Let's start by doing some clarity: who is the Nutritionist? First of all it is good to know that in Italy only doctors and biologists can access the profession of Nutritionist and this is enough to determine the first, important difference with the other professions related to the world of nutrition. The Nutritionist, in fact, is the only professional who can autonomously process and prescribe a diet or a nutritional profile to subjects, both healthy and sick, obviously after a careful diagnosis that takes into account different factors and that also takes into account any diagnoses made by other specialists.

Unlike the Nutritionist, the Food Technologist can direct the choice of some food products without being able to prescribe diets; the Pharmacist must know how to properly use dietary supplements and dietetic products but, even in this case, he can not prescribe diets or dietary regimens; finally, the dietitian, despite being a food expert, can not elaborate a diet without the prescription of a doctor.

What should a Nutritionist know how to do? It is necessary that he knows the nutritional and health characteristics of each food, and must know perfectly the nutritional needs of people based on different factors and must know how to ascertain through specific analyzes such as, for example, the analysis of the basal metabolism, of the expenditure energy and body composition and so on.

How to become a Nutritionist? To become a Nutritionist you need a course of study in medicine or in biological science, which however is not sufficient to access the Register of the Nutritionist profession and to carry out this work. A few years ago there are MSc programs in Human Nutrition Sciences which, after passing the special state exam, allow enrollment in the Register and therefore enable them to act as Nutritionists. Usually these degree programs provide various curricula of studies and various addresses, so you must know how to choose the one that provides the most complete and the most in line with their interests and their aspirations.

Another path to follow to become a Nutritionist is to follow, after the master's degree, courses and masters on the issues of nutrition and nutrition; It should however be noted that these courses and these post-graduate specializations, even if they issue a diploma, are not sufficient to become a Nutritionist and begin to practice: it is absolutely necessary to face and pass the appropriate state examination and enroll in the Professional Register of Nutritionists . Even once enrolled in the Register, however, it will be important to continue attending refresher courses and masters courses to deepen some aspects of this profession and keep up to date on such a complex and important topic as that of human nutrition.

Finally, it is good to remember that a Nutritionist can work not only as a freelancer in his own studio, but also in gyms, spas and companies, both private and public, as a consultant or researcher.