Difference Between A Nutritionist and Dietitian

It is very peculiar that people do not know about the importance of the right nutrition. Therefore, effective management of food intake and the right nutrition, both are the key to good health. Smart and right nutritional choices can help you prevent some serious diseases. Hence, eating the right foods can help your body to overcome and cope more successfully with an ongoing illness. Understanding good nutrition and paying attention to what you eat can help you maintain or improve your health.

Nutrition

The study of nutrients in food is known as nutrition. Nutrition is important without it; food is not beneficial for human beings. So, the relationship between diet, health, and disease is important for consuming the source of nutrition. When it comes to nutritional choices, make sure to use a healthy diet to reduce the risk of disease, and must focus on the amount of nutritional value in it. To have a great amount of nutrition in our food we can add different sources of nutrients that help in providing nourishment. Proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water. All come under the category of nutrition.

Familiarizing with Nutrients and their types

There are a few nutrients that you need to consume to meet the requirements of your body. Your body needs nutrients to fight diseases and to carry out proper functionality. There are two types of nutrients. And they are as follows:

• Macronutrients: macronutrients are one of the types of nutrients that are very important as these need to be taken in large amounts by our body to work and function properly. These macronutrients contain:

• Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are sugar, starch, and fiber. They are the main sources of it.

• Sugar: These are the simplest carbs. The body breaks down the sugar quickly and absorbs it.

• Fiber: on the breakdown of some types of fiber, the body uses them for energy. Some of the fiber and unprocessed starch are complex ones and after eating, that person is unable to starve for quite a long time.

• Proteins: Proteins are rich in compounds like amino acids which are organic in nature. There are a total of 20 amino acids in which some of which are the essential ones, which need to be obtained from food, the remaining can be made by the body.

• Fats: Fats are the essential nutrients that help in lubricating joints of the body, helping organs produce hormones, enabling the body to absorb certain vitamins for the body, reducing inflammation, preserving brain health, and much more. However, the consumption of too much fat leads to obesity, high cholesterol, liver disease, and other health problems. There are two types of fats;

• Saturated: Saturated fats come from animals and animal products.

• Unsaturated: Unsaturated fats come from plants such as olive oil, etc.

• Water: It is an essential nutrient that accounts for about 70% of an adult’s body weight. Water is needed for many processes. However, it does not contain any calories due to which it does not provide energy for the human body. Our body needs almost 2 liters or 8 glasses of water per day, in addition to other dietary sources such as fruits and vegetables.

2. Micronutrients: These are the nutrients that are required for our body in small amounts. Vitamins and minerals are the categories of micronutrients.

• Minerals: Our body needs different types of minerals like carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, iron, potassium, calcium, etc.

• Vitamins: vitamins are the essential nutrients that are required for the proper functioning of the body. These need to be taken in small quantities. Some of them are Vitamin A, and Vitamin B, and their eight complexes, are Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K.

• Antioxidants: These are man-made or natural substances. They are found in many foods, including fruits and vegetables. They help in removing toxic substances from the body. Examples of antioxidants include Beta-carotene.

Why do you need to focus on nutrition?

The right choice of food can help you to prevent several diseases and that is why it is beneficial for your lifespan. Furthermore, there are also problems that can be treated, cured, and even prevented with the help of the right nutrition. Nutritional deficiencies, health problems like tiredness, muscle loss, etc. all can be taken care of with the right nutrition.

As we know that different nutrients provide different nutrition in our body thus you need to keep that in mind;

• Water is one of the essential components of nutrition. Thus, drink water regularly.
• Requirements for fats, proteins, and carbohydrates are also important.
• Minerals and vitamins keep our health in a good state. For instance, pregnant ladies and adults over 50 need vitamin D and minerals like calcium and iron.
• The amount of food plays a vital role in our healthy diet.
• The size should be balanced that contain fruits and vegetables.
• We need to focus on the products we use like whole grains, such as whole wheat and rice.
• Dairy products need to be low in fat or low in calories.
• Proteins need to be taken that consist of lean meat and poultry, seafood, eggs, beans, etc.
• Sometimes, avoidance of certain types of food is important and can harm us. For instance, sodium is present in certain processed foods which is dangerous for high blood pressure patients.
• Fried food, solid fats, and trans fats are also found in processed items which are not beneficial for our heart health.

All these points dictate that one should focus on the right nutrition.

What are nutritional deficiencies?

When we talk about nutritional deficiencies, it can be stated as the stage in which some type of nutritional requirement of the body is not fulfilled. Thus, because of insufficient nutrition, you can face nutritional deficiency. It is not about eating an adequate amount of nutrients it can be because of several reasons such as;

• If you are not eating a balanced diet.
• It can happen because of pregnancy
• It can happen because of high blood pressure
• It can happen if you have an intestinal disease
• If you are an alcoholic then there is a chance of having nutritional deficiencies

Mentioned above are some of the reasons that can contribute to nutritional deficiencies.

There are different types of nutritional deficiencies. The most common of them are;

• Night blindness
• Poor bone formation
• Weak bones
• Reduced immune response
• Bleeding
• Hemorrhagic in severe cases

These are some of the quite common and intense nutritional deficiencies. There are other nutritional deficiencies as well such as:

• Beriberi
• Ariboflavinosis
• Pellagra
• Paresthesia
• Biotin deficiency
• Scurvy
• rickets

All these deficiencies can be treated and prevented if you consumed the right diet and more precisely a balanced diet. A balanced diet includes all the types of important nutrients that are required by the body to prevent these deficiencies.

What is the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist?

Many of you are confused by both terms. Although they seem to be the same, they are not.

• Dietitian is one who studies food, nutrition, and dietetics. They are accredited with titles such as RD or RDN. They work in private and public healthcare, education, corporate wellness, research, and the food industry.
• A nutritionist is one who learns about nutrition through self-study or formal education. They are not accredited with titles of RD and RDN. They work in the food industry and in food science and technology.

Conclusion

Nutrition plays a very crucial role. You need to understand the importance of nutrition as it helps in maintaining overall body growth and health. And it is not only limited to this, it also helps the body to function properly, preventing nutritional deficiencies as well. You need to consult with your dietitian or nutritionist to know more about the best nutritional options for you.