Nutrition Therapy

This page has been designed to give a starting point for those looking into careers in nutrition therapy.

 

What is nutrition therapy?

A nutritional therapist works with clients, usually on an individual basis, to identify and treat nutritional factors affecting their health and to help them improve their overall health and wellbeing.

Nutritional therapy is considered to be a complementary therapy, which can be used alongside orthodox medicine. The  training is usually focused on the needs of clients from western economies. Therapists sometimes work with patients referred by medical practitioners, who have chronic health problems that conventional medicine may find difficult to treat.

The therapist works closely with the client to conduct a holistic assessment of their nutritional requirements and to compile an individual prescription for diet and supplementation, in order to alleviate, or prevent illness and promote optimal health (source - Prospects). There is a variety of food-orientated careers within the related field of food science and technology.

In addition to nutrition therapy, there is also the related field of public health nutrition. This is an evidence based public health training, often at MSc level, and is focused on work at a community rather than client level. Some of the public health nutrition courses are specifically geared towards international nutrition and addressing the consequences of malnutrition.

  • Prospects
    Prospects is a graduate careers website with profiles on the following:
    Types of jobs - Nutrition Therapist

  • Holistic Guide
    This site has a section on nutrition therapy that describes what it is as well as listing some practitioners and courses in the UK.

 

How do I get into it?

  • British Nutrition Foundation
    The careers section of the BNF website has information on different areas of work involving nutrition and lists training and qualifications in the field.
  • British Association of Nutritional Therapy
    A non-profit organisation which seeks to promote high standards of education and practice within the profession. This also includes information about public health nutrition.
  • Institute of Optimum Nutrition
    Includes information on a range of study options, from short courses to home study.
  • Nutrition Society
    Information on study and careers in nutritional science, including getting started, undergraduate, postgraduate and vocational qualifications and short courses in the UK and worldwide and frequently asked questions.
  • Evolution Arts and Natural Health
    This site lists gives details of health courses at the Evolution Arts Centre in Brighton, including nutrition courses.

 

Finding a job or employer in this sector

Most practitioners within complimentary medicine are self-employed, so it is unusual for vacancies to be advertised. There are, however, limited openings within the National Health Service and GPs' practices.

 

Further information and useful links

  • Alternative Guide to Complementary Health and Healing in London and the South of England
    Contains information on services and therapists in East Sussex, Kent, London and the New Forest. The website is a useful way of getting to know what's available locally in complementary medicine
  • British Association for Nutritional Therapy
    BANT is the professional body for Nutritional Therapists. Its primary function is to assist its members in attaining the highest standards of integrity, knowledge, competence and professional practice, in order to protect the client's interests, nutritional therapy and the Nutritional Therapist.
  • British Nutrition Foundation
    The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) was established over 45 years ago and exists to deliver authoritative, evidence-based information on food and nutrition in the context of health and lifestyle.
  • Nutrition Society
    The Nutrition Society was established in 1941 ‘to advance the scientific study of nutrition and its application to the maintenance of human and animal health'.
  • The National Health Service (NHS)

Key points

  • A nutritional therapist works with clients, usually on an individual basis, to identify and treat nutritional factors affecting their health.
  • The therapist works closely with the client to conduct a holistic assessment of their nutritional requirements.
  • Nutritionists also work in emergency relief or development projects in low income countries.