A Nutritionist is a health care practitioner who counsels people on how the food we eat matters and can impact our overall health. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet. According to the American Public Health Association, the U.S. obesity rate is expected to rise to 43% by 2018. There are additional chronic health conditions that can result from obesity and poor diet such as diabetes and heart disease.

Clinical nutritionists are health care professionals who focus specifically on the role that nutrition plays in both causing and correcting chronic disease, including prevention by addressing nutritional deficiencies first before resorting to pharmaceutical drugs.

Different titles/terms are used for this profession such as: nutrition scientist, public health nutritionist, dietitian-nutritionist, clinical nutritionist, and sports nutritionist. Some use the terms "dietitian" and "nutritionist" interchangeable. Dietitians are health care professionals who specialize in human nutrition, meal planning, budgeting and preparation. They are trained to provide safe, scientifically-proven, dietary advice to individuals, healthy or diseased, as well as to institutions. Your "diet" is what you eat.

NaturalMD Search can help you locate a nutritionist in your area.