Career Option in Dietician and Nutrition

The human body is like a machine and unless it is given proper food and nutrition, the body will suffer and eventually succumb to various diseases. Therefore what food and nutrition are required to ensure that the human body is very imperative to know. Those who specialize in the science of foods and their various utility are known as Dieticians or Nutritionists. A dietician or a nutritionist is a person who enables a human being in understanding what foods are good for that person’s body as not everyone’s body is of the same contour and capacity. And to determine what foods suit a person, a dietician after checking the person’s food allergies and weight along with other circumstances like age, work routine and also their health, and then decide upon the person’s diet. The role of a dietician is to enable good and proper eating to lead a healthy and hearty life. The diet of a human being is required to be changed due to age and other circumstances as one single diet can never sustain the body and therefore modifications are made to enable proper growth and health. Dieticians provide specific consultation to new mothers or pregnant women, obesity-related patients, diabetic patients, underweight children and other critical patients like those who suffer from heart diseases and chronic illness.  

Eligibility

• To take Nutrition and Dietetics as a career, candidates have to complete their 10+2 in Science stream with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as compulsory subjects. They must obtain an aggregate of 50% marks in the qualifying examination
• Candidates, who have completed their 10+2 in Arts stream with English and Home science as their basis subject can also apply for this course. They must also secure 50% or above marks in the qualifying examination

Some of the popular courses for the above career are mention below:

• M.Sc in Applied Nutrition
• B.Sc (Hons) in Food Science & Nutrition
• Post Graduate Diploma in Dietetics & Applied Nutrition
• Ph.D in Food and Nutrition
• B.Sc in Food Science and Nutrition
• M.Sc in Food and Nutrition
• Post Graduate Diploma in Dietetics

Employment Info

There is ample scope for a dietician or nutritionist. Health and fitness have become the mantra of today’s world and a lot of importance is being given to diet and its impact on health Hence the employment of a dietician and nutritionist has increased and can get employment in the following places:

• Government hospitals
• Private organizations and clinics like Apollo and Fortis which have an All India reputation in metropolitan cities, cosmopolitan cities and rural areas
• NGO clinics and medical centers
• Military services
• Public sectors such as railways
• As a teacher or professor in a reputed medical college or training institutes
• Own practice

Required Skill

To be a dietician or nutritionist, one must have few basic skills apart from being educationally qualified. These are as follows:

• The person should have a keen interest in people and their well being
• An aspiring dietician or nutritionist should have excellent observation power.
• The person should have immense patience in his work.
• A keen interest in food and the various components in the various food types should be there
• One should have good verbal and written communication skills.
• One should have keen decision-making acumen so as to take decisions in respect of emergencies
• One should have good personal skills while dealing with patients.

Job Profile

The dietician or a nutritionist mainly deals with the proper eating and healthy foods to ensure people to live a healthy and hearty life. Hence a job of a dietician or nutritionist involves the following:

• As a dietician or nutritionist deals with people and their eating habits, a dietician must be patient when dealing with various patients.
• A dietician should know the various food types and the different types of food that are available
• A dietician or a nutritionist must have to take into consideration a person’s age, weight, lifestyle into consideration when recommending a diet
• A dietician must also take into consideration any food allergies which a patient may have and provide for the substitution of the food with other food items
• In cases of cardiac patients, diabetic patients, obesity-related illnesses, birthing mothers and children, dieticians must be very careful as to the food items being given in the diet.

   Salary

• As fitness and healthcare have become a part of everyone’s life, a proper diet is required to be followed and the help of a qualified dietician and nutritionist is essential.
• A trainee dietician or nutritionist can earn around Rs 13,000 to Rs 15,000 per month
• A dietician or nutritionist employed in the private sector can start with an initial remuneration of Rs. 20,000/- per month and thereafter can earn on incentives
• If someone is in academic line, then they get the remuneration as per UGC guidelines.
• An individual practicing dietician or nutritionist can earn as much as Rs. 50000 to 60000 based on his practice and reputation built on goodwill.