Registered Dietitians are licensed nutritional professionals with an undergraduate degree and supervised practice hours. Among completion, a national exam must be taken to be officially licensed and practice as a professional. Registered dietitians are recognized by The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics with mandatory completion of CEUs (Continuing Education Units) to maintain registration.
The term “Nutritionist” does not require extensive school and professional training. Essentially, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist because they read a few books. That is not to say nutritionist don’t know what they’re talking about but nutritionists can’t assess, diagnosis, or treat nutritional-related problems where as a Registered Dietitian can.
At Ruthless performance, we offer nutritional services by a Licensed Registered Dietitian.
It’s simple: All Dietitians are nutritionists, but not all nutritionists are Dietitians.
By Jesse Rodriguez, RD, CSCS