Nutrition Courses

About Nutrition

Nutrition focuses largely on how we should eat to lead healthy and happy lives. It stresses the need for a balanced diet where we eat from the five core food groups: vegetables and legumes, fruit, grain, and proteins while limiting processed foods. By eating well, along with getting adequate amounts of physical activity, you will receive plenty of health benefits, such as a stronger immune system, which will decrease the likelihood of you getting any chronic diseases. However, this is common knowledge; a lot of people know the dietary guidelines; the difficult part is maintaining these healthy habits. If you get into a career in nutrition, you can guide people along the pathway to healthy living.

Jobs in Nutritional Science

There are two main roles in nutritional science: nutritionist and dietician. They can work in several areas; the most obvious is the food industry, but they can also work in the media and marketing, government areas, community health, and private businesses (e.g. gyms).

Generally speaking, the duties you will undertake are checking your patient’s overall health and what they need, help them plan their meals and advise them on their food choices. Some nutritionists may even speak to groups, like schools or businesses, about healthy eating and maintaining good nutrition.

Skills You Need in Nutrition

• Interpersonal skills (communication with your client, etc.)
• Computer skills (ability to create spreadsheets, analyse the nutritional value of different foods, etc.)
• Flexibility
• Analytical skills
• Public speaking skills (if you intend to talk to groups)
• Motivational skills

How to Get into Nutrition

There are a few pathways you can go down to get a career in nutrition. To become a nutritionist, you will have to do a nutritionist course, which is usually an undergraduate degree in health science or a related field such as food science, biochemistry, and then a master’s in that area.

Becoming a dietitian is little a bit different. A dietitian is very similar to a nutritionist in that they work in many of the same environments and with the same people, but they are also qualified to work in private hospitals or the NHS. This means that, along with the higher education qualifications, they will have to be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.

UK Nutrition Courses

• Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree
• Physiological Science courses
• Bachelor of Nutrition Science
• Diploma/Masters in Dietetics
• Level 6 Diploma in Healthcare and Nutritional Therapy