(BALA) What Exactly is a Nutritionist?

(BALA) What Exactly is a Nutritionist?

BEING ALIVE: February 1995
Jennifer Jensen, MS, RD

The word "nutritionist" is not defined by the State of California. Anyone who says they're a nutritionist is a nutritionist in California. Knowing little or nothing about nutrition and giving general advice based on bad information is not against California law. Here, the state has refused to recognize well-qualified nutrition healthcare professionals via state licensure. Some other states do provide licensure for nutritionists-California is quite late in taking this action. The governor just vetoed an important bill relative to this problem. Now, let's think . . .

In a most bizarre example, when you have your hair cut, the cutter has to be licensed or they're breaking the law. By licensing professionals, the state protects you from having bad hair. Licensure means that the state thinks hair-cutting is important enough to recognize practitioners' knowledge and qualifications by issuing licenses giving head hair certain guarantees in the hair-harm department.

But, when it comes to nutrition, anyone from the phone book is legal-white pages included. Some haircutters are probably nutritionists too! Santa Monica even has a psychic nutritionist, one who claims to "channel" nutrition advice. Or was that psychotic? Welcome to my profession!

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©1995. AEGIS.