Nutritionist

Career as Nutritionist deals with planning meals according to the need of the patients. A diet plan is chalked out for patients in the hospitals taking into consideration the medicines that have been prescribed by the doctor. Good nutrition is a very important factor for good health. Right nutrition means eating the right quantity and quality of food. The quantity of food depends upon the person's need. Career as Nutritionist deals with people who neglect their nutritional requirements. The nutritional negligence can make people susceptible to many diseases.

Tasks:
The career as Nutritionist shoulders many responsibilities. Some of the tasks are:

• Responsible for the nutritional diet of patients in the hospital
• Responsible to find out the several nutritional deficiencies in the patients
• Responsible to check, monitor and re-evaluate the prescribed diet. This will help quick recovery of the patient.
• Change the diet of the patients. Generally, the patients of high cholesterol, steep diabetes need proper care in terms of dietary supplements
• Train and supervise the nutritionists working under them
• Maintain the record of all the prescribed diet. This will help to calculate the total calorie intake
• Supervise the daily food services in big firms
• Educate the people about the advantages of good nutritional behavior
• Motivate the children to eat healthy food instead of easily available junk food

  Educational Qualification:
  The person aiming to be in the field of nutrition has to be sure about himself right from the start.. The minimum qualifications to pursue a career as Nutritionist are:

  • Bachelor of Science, Nutrition/ Food and Health Sciences
  • Bachelor of Engineering, Food Technology
  • Masters Degree, Nutrition / Food Technology
  • Management Degrees, Food and Service Management Systems
  • Doctorate Degree, Food and Nutrition Technology

  Other Necessary Skills:
  Apart from the plenty degrees, some necessary skills required to make a career as Nutritionist are:

  • A keen observer
  • Good in preparing detailed reports
  • In-depth knowledge of the calorie contents of the various foods
  • Must know the defined calorie intake permitted as per the disease of the patient
  • Good in communication skills
  • Manage various moods of the patients

  Place of Work:
  The work place for career as Nutritionist is similar to the work area of the therapists and doctors. Some of the work places where their presence is prevalent are:

  • Hospitals
  • Health Organizations
  • Private Clinics
  • Any Organization (Food Supply Section)
  • Prisons
  • Food and Nutrition Institutes

  Job Opportunities:
  As the word is changing day-by-day, the eating habits of the people are also changing. Due to the busy lifestyle, some people literally live on junk food. This leads to increase in calorie intake. Hence, people consult nutritionist to help them to have a healthy diet. A nutritionist can practice in private. Many a times, parents consult the nutritionist if their child does not eat food properly. There are ample job opportunities in a career as Nutritionist, provided one has the expertise and the experience to take the job to the next level.

  Remuneration:
  Most of the people are becoming fitness freaks. Hence, this field is in demand. Salary wise, career as Nutritionist is one of the highly paid careers. The income depends on the number of clients/ patients they cater. In addition, the place or the location of the clinic matters a lot. The salary increases as the experience of a nutritionist increases.

  Job Progress:
  The job progress in career as Nutritionist is good. The person starts his career as a junior nutritionist under the supervision of the senior ones, in hospitals or private clinics. The people who have completed management courses can start their career as supervisors in the food section departments. As the eating habits of people have changed, the demand of a nutritionist has increased. The people who have good expertise and knowledge can write books on the different topics of nutrition and educate people by delivering lecture.

  Employment Forecast:
  The career as Nutritionist is robust and challenging. The person has to plan the nutrition chart according to the individual's need. The person can take extra nutrients or few nutrients as per the body type and nutritional demand. Since the number of health conscious people is multiplying, the future of a career as Nutritionist is bright.

  Recruiters Ratings:
  These ratings gauge the demand of a career. The ratings given here are on a scale of 1 to 5. It is based on a detailed research done on the different prospects of a career as Nutritionist:
  Opportunity: 4.5
  Income: 4
  Growth: 3.5
  Future: 4