What Does a Nutritionist Do?

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Job designation: -Nutritionist

Nutritionists are registered dieticians who provide nutrition education, counseling, and health promotion services. They work with individuals, groups of people (such as schools or workplace),and/or businesses to help improve the quality of their lives by modifying behaviors related to food and nutrition.

Duties and responsibilities of a Nutritionist

Nutritionists are responsible for assisting patients in adopting healthy diet, developing weight loss plans, and helping to maintain a healthy lifestyle. They also provide advice on how to lower the risks of various health concerns such as chronic diseases, mental health problems, and physical disability.    

• Participate in developing food formulations

• Ensure compliance with company sourcing guidelines

• Promote healthy eating habits within the company via nutrition-related initiatives

• Support quality control by testing food samples for nutritional content

• Develop recipes for food products

Places of employment for a Nutritionist

A Nutritionist is the professional who helps people and companies maintain and regulate their health and weight through diet and exercise. They typically work in hospitals, clinics, hospitals, schools and public health agencies.

Work schedule of a Nutritionist

The work hours of a Nutritionist vary from employer to employer. In some cases, they work from 9 am to 9 pm with 5 hour breaks in between, while in other cases, they work for 12 hours and get 1 hour break.

Qualifications required to become a Nutritionist 

A major pre-requisite for becoming a nutritionist in India is an undergraduate degree in Nutrition or Dietetics from any recognized university. After completing their undergraduate degree, one must pass the National Eligibility Test (NLET) which is conducted by the Central Council for Applied Education & Training (CCAET). 

Under-graduate courses to become a Nutritionist in India

• BSc (Hons) Food Science and Nutrition

• BSc Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics

Eligibility to pursue the course

• 10+2 or any equivalent qualification from a recognized school board

• The minimum score in the qualifying exams is 45%

• Some institutes offers 5% admissions for students who are registered with one of the reserved categories

Entrance-exams to be taken to pursue the course

• Merit-based admission

• Entrance exam as per some institutes

Institutes which are offering these courses

• Sun International Institute of Tourism and Management, Visakhapatnam

• Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Mullana

• TNAU - Tamil Nadu Agricultural University

• M.S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences (MSRUAS) 

• Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research

Post-graduate courses for a Nutritionist

• Postgraduate Diploma in Dietetics 

• Master of Food & Nutritional sciences 

• Master of Science in Nutrition & Dietetics 

Eligibility to pursue the course: -

• There are many fields to qualify for and the applicant's qualifications will determine into which field they enroll. The fields include: Food Science, Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Home Science, Nutrition, Dietetics & Clinical Biochemistry.

• Candidates must have a grade of at least 50% from their undergraduate degree

• You must get a degree from a recognized college or university in order to make sure your credits will transfer.

Entrance-exams to be taken to pursue the course

•  GATE

• AIJEE

• CFTRI

Institutes which are offering these courses

• Chandigarh University (CU)

• Parul University

• BHU - Banaras Hindu University

• Osmania University College for Women

• M.S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences (MSRUAS)

• Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi

Key/Technical skills

• Analytical

• Creativity

• Decision-making

• Patience

• Persuasiveness

• Planning and forecasting

• Problem solving and decision-making skills

Salary expectations

•        Average salary: -Rs. 3 lakhs per annum

•        Entry level salary: - Rs. 2.5 lakhs per annum

•        Experienced-level salary: - Rs. 4.7 lakhs per annum

Process of getting the job of a Nutritionist

•        Placement from colleges, universities and other recognized institutions

•        Job searching on LinkedIn or Indeed for Nutritionist posts

•        Checking out any institution’s profile and requirements for a Nutritionist