Giving Advice on Food and Drink

It’s not always easy to know what we should or shouldn’t be eating or drinking these days, with all the different advice and opinions on healthy living.

Some people, in particular, have to follow special diets, for example, if they have a specific health issue or need, or if they are a sports professional.

There are, therefore, some careers that involve advising people on what to eat or drink for health reasons.

Dietitian

Dietitians give people information and advice about the right diet to maintain their health or to help them cope with or overcome an illness.

Dietitians may be based in hospitals or the community. Hospital work mainly involves diet therapy for individual patients, eg, people with food allergies or diabetes. They also train and advise other health professionals in the hospital.

In the community, a dietitian might be involved in clinical work or health promotion, or a mixture of both. For example, they might work with health professionals such as GPs, practice nurses and health visitors. Health promotion might include giving talks in schools or to groups such as slimming clubs and expectant mothers.

Dietitians work in lots of other areas, including sports nutrition, the food and pharmaceutical industries, education, research and journalism.