How To Become A Nutritionist Online

Wondering how to become a nutritionist online but have no idea where to start? Don’t worry, in this article we will cover:

• What Qualifications Do I Need To Be A Nutritionist Online?
• Employment Prospects For A Nutritionist Online
• Salary of an Online Nutritionist
• Enhance Your Career As A Nutritionist Online
• What Skills Do I Need To Become A Nutritionist Online?
• FAQ

Before we begin, are you looking to expand your career in the health and fitness industry? OriGym’s Level 4 course is the perfect thing for you! Enquire today by downloading our course prospectus here, or enter your details below.

What Qualifications Do I Need To Be A Nutritionist Online?

If you’re asking ‘can I become a nutritionist online?’ - of course you can! However, you will need the same qualifications and accreditations an ordinary nutritionist has. 

Online nutritionists help clients develop a healthy relationship with food. They examine a person’s diet, and offer guidance around their food choices as well as educate them on nutrition.

Some of the areas an online nutritionist can provide clients support with include:

• Teaching healthy cooking and shopping techniques
• Coordinating diets to help a particular exercise or fitness regime
• Changing negative attitudes and outlooks towards food
• Losing or gaining weight safely

However, nutritionists can’t create a meal plan for clients or make exercise regimes that are used as medical treatments, or make any formal diagnosis of a condition (like Coeliac's disease, or diabetes).

#1 - Qualifications for an Online Nutritionist

As you will have learnt from our previous section, you don’t need academic qualifications to register as a nutritionist and work as one. 

However, it’s perfectly fine if you want to gain a BSc (Hons) degree in nutrition, but it’s important not to just enrol in the first course you come across.

There are two routes to become a nutritionist online:

• No degree, which requires a Level 4 nutrition qualification
• Degree

If you’ve been asking how to become a nutritionist online for free, neither of these routes are likely to provide you with a satisfactory answer. 

Let’s explain!

How To Become An Online Nutritionist Without A Degree

If you’re already in the fitness industry, and are looking to expand your skills and knowledge, there’s no reason to complete a degree to become an online nutritionist. 

However, to become an online nutritionist, you should complete a specialist Level 4 Sports Nutrition Course with a trusted provider.

Choosing A Course Provider

If you’re wondering about online courses to become a certified nutritionist, you’ll need to carefully decide where you want to gain your qualification. There are a few factors you need to consider, so we’ll break these down for you.

#1 - Accreditation

When examining course providers, the first thing you should do is search their website to see if their course is regulated by Ofqual.

The reason this is important is that, if the course is regulated by an Ofqual-approved awarding body (such as Focus Awards or Active IQ), it means it meets industry standards. Ofqual regulates qualifications, examinations, and assessments in England.

For example, OriGym’s Level 4 Advanced Sports Nutrition is both regulated by Ofqual and awarded by Focus Awards. 

#2 - Methods & Location 

The next thing to consider is how you want to study. Do you want to complete the course full time, part time, or completely online?

Location plays a part in this as, if you choose to study full time, you may have to travel to take part in assessments or practical workshops. The last thing you want is to sign up for a course, only to find the centre you have to attend is hours away!

Different course providers will have a range of ways their courses can be studied. OriGym’s nutrition course is studied completely via online learning, even for full-time students. 

Students will study via videos, online lectures, and interactive e-learning at a pace that suits them and fits around your existing commitments.

#3 - What Will I Study?

As such a wide spectrum of knowledge is critical for a successful career as a nutritionist,  you’ll need to be prepared with knowledge of specialist diets, as well as being able to understand the legislation behind nutritional information.

On a course such as this, typical areas of study include:

• Macros & Micros - Relationship between diet and disease, components of energy consumption and expenditure, energy, hydration, and nutrient requirements at different life stages, understand the sources, functions and uses of macro and micronutrients and explain their physiological functions.
• Understanding Nutrition Legislation - Assess how food labels conform to legislative requirements, outline the legal requirements in relation to health and nutrition claims.
• Understanding the Relationship Between Nutrition & Physical Activity - Identify energy expenditure, explain how to estimate energy requirements based on physical activity levels, develop a nutritional strategy for participants to improve performance, evaluate the use of performance-enhancing products in nutritional planning for participants in sports, how to advise participants in physical activities on nutritional strategies to improve performance
• Specialist Knowledge of Key Areas - This includes sport and exercise nutrition for athletes, nutrition for the elderly and special populations, meal prep and planning, obesity prevention in children, nutrition for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and planning around vegetarian and vegan diets

#4 - Course Length & Assessments

Course providers will vary on how long it takes students to complete their nutrition courses.

Time usually gives you a good indication of course quality. If a provider boasts that their free nutrition courses can be completed within a day or even a few hours, you should be wary of this. 

There’s no way it’s going to teach you everything you need to become a successful nutritionist online. 

It’s also unlikely a course as short as this would be approved by Ofqual. As they set the standard for curriculum, they would have a timeframe for how quickly this can be delivered, which properly regulated providers must adhere to.

With lengthier courses, you can rest assured you will be given a wider scope of knowledge.

As online learning is self-paced, students can take as little or as long as they wish to complete the programme. 

However, it takes a student at OriGym an average of 12 weeks to achieve their qualification.

Throughout this learning experience, they will have support and guidance 7-days a week from a dedicated nutrition tutor who can be reached by phone and email.

Students will be required to complete various assessments via coursework and examination. This can all be done at their own pace through OriGym’s online learning platform, ‘Student Zone’.

To complete the Level 4 Nutrition Course with OriGym, students must:

• Submit a case study of work - Pass Required
• Complete the online nutrition course assignments for both units - Pass Required
• Complete online nutrition exam - 90% Pass Rate Required

You will receive maximum support and assistance from our experienced and friendly personal tutors to ensure your assessments are stress-free, giving you the best chance of passing the first time!

#5 - Reviews

The last thing you want is to come across a seemingly ideal course provider who has the accreditations, interesting areas of study, and can be completed in your preferred method, only to find an array of one-star reviews left by unhappy customers.

Resources such as Trustpilot and Google Reviews are great tools to help with your decision when choosing a course provider.

While individual reviews aren’t always entirely reflective of a business, as a collective they can give you a good idea of how reliable a course provider is. 

More often than not, if a course has plenty of positive reviews, you can be assured the service is good.

For example, as you can see below OriGym has plenty of positive reviews, meaning potential students can be assured our course is a trustworthy one.

You should always check if a business is signed up with Trustpilot. It is the best platform for having genuine reviews as each one has to be from a verified customer before it is approved and published online. 

This makes it a lot more difficult for businesses to forge reviews and dupe customers into believing the service is better than it is.

How To Become A Nutritionist With A Degree

If you choose to go down this route, it’s important to make an informed decision when it comes to finding the right university course for you.

#1 - Decide If A Degree Is The Best Option For You

It’s worth mentioning that before you commit to studying for three years and take out student loans, you should think about the kind of career you want to pursue. 

If you simply want to work under the title ‘nutritionist’, ‘nutrition coach’ or ‘nutrition advisor’, you don’t need a degree to do so. 

However, this is a different story if you want to become a registered dietitian. The wrong course could mean you’re no more qualified to work as a dietitian than someone who has completed a short course to become a nutritionist. 

You should also consider other responsibilities such as work and family commitments. How will these fit or work alongside your degree? As you will be committed to your studies for at least three years, you need to heavily consider if you will have enough time to juggle both.

#2 - Finding A University Course

If you want to become a nutritionist online by completing a degree, finding the right university to complete your studies with is crucial.

An ideal place to start looking is at our list of the best sports universities as these are places that will likely offer degrees in sports nutrition.

You can also check out the Association of UK Dietitians website for their list of university courses that can lead directly to either an AfN registration, or you may choose to start your career as a dietitian instead of a nutritionist.

The MSc courses are also listed here, which is useful if this is something that you’re interested in once you’ve completed your undergraduate course.

After researching the BSc (Hons) courses on the Association of UK Dietitians website, the course locations in the UK are as follows: 

• Coventry University
• King’s College London 
• Leeds Beckett University 
• London Metropolitan University 
• University of Chester 
• University of Plymouth 
• University of Surrey 
• University of Hertfordshire 
• Ulster University 
• Glasgow Caledonian University 
• Queen Margaret University 
• Cardiff Metropolitan University

It’s important to consider the location of the course you wish to study, especially if you will need to relocate for the 3-year or more duration. 

Now you have a comprehensive list, you can see how these universities rank against each other. 

Resources such as UniversityCompare are great for students looking to gain an insight into how one course compares to another.

You can also get an overview of the university as a whole and how good it is for:

• Overall course quality
• Accommodation 
• Social life 
• Post-graduation career opportunities 

Another great platform for viewing reviews from students is StudentCrowd. This provides details about the course itself, campus facilities, and the careers service. 

It also gives information on offer and acceptance rates, which is always good to know before making your final UCAS shortlist!

#2 - Insurance for an Online Nutritionist

One of the first things you need to do after becoming a certified nutritionist online is get some insurance. The insurance UK personal trainers need is largely the same as an online nutritionist.

Insurance isn’t just important for client claims but also reassures clients the service they’re paying for is trustworthy. 

Not purchasing insurance as a healthcare professional can put you in a dangerous situation, especially if a client becomes ill or injured after following your advice. 

If you’re asking ‘what insurance do I need to become a nutritionist online’, the answer is:

• Public Liability Insurance - This covers against third party injury and property damage. If a client injures themselves or becomes ill after taking your nutritional advice and claims compensation, this will cover you.
• Employers Liability Insurance (if you’re hiring employees) - This covers compensation costs and legal fees if an employee or ex-employee sues for illness or injury caused by their work.
• Personal Income Insurance - This pays part of your lost income if you’re unable to work because of an illness, injury, or a disability.

Public liability insurance or professional treatment liability insurance will cover you for any clients claiming your advice has caused issues for their health or wellbeing. 

It also covers you in the event that a client’s personal property is damaged. However, this is unlikely if you conduct your work virtually.

As your goal is to become a nutritionist online, always ensure you read the terms and conditions of any insurance policy as some may not cover online consultations or sessions.

If you’re running your own nutrition business, ensure your policy comes with employer’s liability insurance. This covers them should any clients make a claim against them, especially since it will cover your company simultaneously.

Hiscox is a great resource for providing nutritionist and dietitian insurance, covering them in all areas of the industry. As this is specific to nutrition, it’s ideal for those looking for insurance that is a little less general.

- - - - 

Interested in learning more about how to become an online nutritionist? Check out these articles:

• FREE Nutrition Courses: Are They Worth It?
• How To Become A Nutritionist: Degree & No Degree (UK)
• Can Personal Trainers Give Nutritional Advice?

#3 - Registering as an Nutritionist Online

This is an entirely optional step as you don’t have to do this to practise as a nutritionist and it won’t impact your career if you don’t but it’s still something to consider if you want to.

On the Association for Nutrition website, there are two categories for registration:

• Registered Associate Nutritionist (ANutr) - typically graduated from a BSc (Hons) or MSc in nutrition science within the last three years. 
• Registered Nutritionist (RNutr) - qualified nutrition professionals with demonstrable experience of degree-level, evidence-based practice in a specialist area of nutrition competency; animal nutrition, food, nutrition science, public health and/or sport & exercise.

The first one simply means anyone who has completed an accredited BSc Hons or MSc course from an approved university.

However, the second is slightly more vague. Basically, it means if you complete an AfN approved course in nutrition, which is classed as ‘degree-level practice’, you can register.

It should be mentioned, completing a course such as this is only necessary if you want to work as a health professional, instead of just providing nutrition advice and meal plans.

Employment Prospects For a Nutritionist Online

The demand for nutritionists has increased in the past couple of decades. According to this article by the BBC, it’s estimated 64% of adults are now considered overweight, having a body mass index of 25 or more. This includes 28% who are obese, double the percentage figure in 1990.

While this information is shocking, as it’s part of the career you’re considering, at least you know there are plenty of people out there you can help!

However, salaried positions for online nutritionists are exceptionally rare, and are often occupied by those with a significant amount of experience, or that have been promoted internally. Instead, we'd advise going down the route of self-employed online nutritionist.

There are multiple ways you can approach becoming an online nutritionist which hugely affect multiple areas of your role, including:

• Your clientele
• Your working environment
• How you provide your services (such as through video consultation, in-person, or over messaging services)
• When you work

Let's explore some of the most popular ways you can work as an online nutritionist.

Types of Self-Employed Online Nutritionists

Social Media Nutritionist

This is the simplest type of online nutritionist you can be - offering healthy options and guidance to social media followers. However, while it's not complex to set up, it may be to find success.

If you are able to utilise social media, it can be a great tool and resource to build a steady client base by having them use your services as you develop experience in the industry.

For example, @themealprepking on instagram boasts over 400k followers! He offers followers the chance to become paying members, providing them with recipes, gym workouts, home workouts, and support.

This is a more holistic approach to nutrition guidance. While many on social media such as @themealprepking do provide packages and nutrition guidance, they don't usually provide consultations or macro breakdowns for individual clients.

Working as a social media nutritionist also gives you the opportunity to earn additional income by partnering with various food affiliate programs such as HelloFresh.

Becoming an affiliate is usually free and works by posting about a particular service or product on social media. The affiliate then earns commission each time someone purchases the product through the unique link associated with their recommendation.

This is a great way to supplement your nutritional guidance and make some money as you continue to build your client base and use it alongside other services you may offer as we'll go on to discuss below.

Online Nutritionists Offering Meal Plans & Ideas

You could also choose to become an online nutritionist who primarily specialises in providing bespoke meal plans, suggestions and ideas.

This service provided by Shelley Booth is an example of a fitness coach who uses their nutrition knowledge to provide meal plans to clients.

You'll likely find most nutritionists who just offer meals plans and ideas online as likely to combine this with personal training services too.

As you can see above, Shelley combines many services with her daily meal plans which are also family friendly. Combining coaching and nutriiton with daily tips and mindfulness strategies is a great way to help clients be successful as well as expanding your client base.

This is a lucrative and inclusive way to approach being a nutritionist online as you can target groups of clients on a larger scale. As you can see below, Shelley provides courses of varying prices which clients can enrol on and gain her support in everthing from nutrition to workouts.

She also has a Facebook group where she regularly interacts with clients - a great idea if you're looking to establish yourself as a nutritionist online. As you can see below, she regularly goes live on Facebook and is happy to answer any questions or dicsuss issues raised on her page:

By listening to clients and addressing them as people, this shows potential clients how much you care and is reflective of the service you will provide for them.

Online Nutritionists Providing Consultations

This is the most personal and detailed employment prospects for those wondering how to become a nutritionist online. By providing consultations via video call, you'll need to provide a much more in-depth analysis of a persons dietary habits and lifestyle choices.

Consultations help you consider a clients individual needs, meaning they can't just be given any old programme or advice to follow. Clients will come to you in this way when they're serious about changing their lifestyle so deserve detailed information.

Odhealth is the easiest way to connect with nutritionists online in the UK. This is great for self-employed online nutritionists as you're matched with people specifically in your area, providing them with one-on-one consultations depending on their preferences.

As you can see, there are plenty of steps involved and it will be your job to lead the consultations, tailoring nutrition plans to individual clients and giving them advice.

This is one of the easier ways to gain a stable client pool through a database as essentially clients are brought to you rather than the other way round.

These kinds of self-employed online nutritionists will provide personalised plans that are tailored to the individuals needs and goals rather than more generic approaches used by anyone.

Join A Nutritionist Database

Self-employment is a popular route for many nutritionists, especially online ones. To find success, you can adapt and use our personal trainer marketing strategies to help advertise your service. 

These tips can be used in a holistic way for those looking to break into the health and fitness industry. As mentioned earlier, becoming a self-employed online nutritionist means you can decide on your own hours and choose how much you charge clients. 

However, it takes a lot of work to develop a successful business. One thing you should do to have your services reach a wider audience is use platforms such as Nutritionist Resource.

This website is dedicated to offering a simple way to connect with nutrition professionals across the UK. The advanced search tool allows people to search according to their needs and location.

There is also the option for remote support where they can find nutritionists offering telephone and virtual services - perfect for the online nutritionist.

As you can see from the image above, users can specifically filter results for online consultations. This means it can make it easier for you to find clients who only want virtual sessions. Based on your location, you are then provided with a list of online nutritionists in your area.

For example, if we click on the profile of Lynsey Wilson at the top, you can see put their qualifications and experience in their profile:

The provides reassurance to users that the service they're receiving is from someone trustworthy.

It's something all online nutritionists should do as it’s a very simple way to find clients in your area.

Salary of an Online Nutritionist

If you’re wondering how to become a nutritionist online, it’s likely you’ll also want to know how much money you could potentially make. 

However, as most online nutritionists are self employed, it can be difficult to determine an accurate salary potential.

Prospects states starting salaries for ordinary nutritionists are between £15,000 and £25,000 for public sector roles and £20,000 to £25,000 for private sector roles. With experience, this can rise to between £30,000 and £55,000.

According to Indeed, the average salary of a nutritionist in the UK is £27,427 based on 115 salaries. However, as this is for nutritionists who are employed by companies, we've provided these salaries to highlights the variation in pay between those in salaried roles and self-employed nutritionists.

Salaries for online nutritionists who are self-employed vary greatly. You will likely work on an hourly, daily, or project rate but this will depend on the type of work you do. 

This work could be:

• With individuals
• Local authorities
• Research and writing
• Reviews

Self-employment means you can determine your own hours and charge what you want depending on your levels of experience. 

For example, compare these two online nutritionists from Nutritionist Resource. 

As you can see in this first example, Sinead McKay charges anywhere between £60 to £90 after a free initial telephone or online session.

However, in the example below, Dalbinder Baind charges rates between £95 and £150. The two women have varying levels of education and experience, meaning they can essentially determine how much they believe their time or expertise is worth.

This is the freedom that comes with self employment. If we take the rates from the example above, this particular nutritionist could have just five one hour sessions charging at the lower end of her price range and still make a good some of money.

If she charges just 5 clients £95 for a 1 hour session, she would earn £475 in a week! However, this is only something that can be done by someone who has been in the industry for many years.

Having more experience and qualifications means people trust the service they're being provided much more than a recent graduate. This isn't through any fault of your own, it just means the public want to use the service of someone who is more than experienced in helping their issues.

To get started as a self employed nutritionist online, you would have to charge less for your services. If we take the rates from Prospects again, this would be between £45 to £75 for initial consultations and £30 to £50 for follow up ones.

Now, this doesn't mean you'll be underselling yourself compared to those who have been in the industry longer but you have to be realistic to build up your client base and experience.

Enhance Your Career As A Nutritionist Online

To progress further in your career as an online nutritionist, you may find other courses can compliment advanced sports nutrition.

There are plenty of courses available that can make you more appealing to potential clients. Having a range of skills sets you apart from the crowd, both in terms of employability and appealing to potential clients.

If you’re serious about being a successful nutritionist online, you can boost your earnings potential by becoming qualified in various areas of the health and fitness industry.

Complementary Courses

Offer Personal Training Services Alongside Nutrition

A great way to maximise your earnings is to become a personal trainer. Gaining a Level 3 qualification in personal training is a great way to increase your income and provide clients with a well rounded experience.

This can allow you to increase your clientele base as you have more to offer them in terms of fitness. You could be employed by a gym and offer personal training and online nutrition, thereby finding clients who may be interested in taking you up on your services. 

By recruiting clients for both personal training sessions and online nutrition, you can gain experience in these areas and ultimately become your own boss by offering services as a self-employed personal trainer and nutritionist online. 

By combining nutrition with personal training such as Andy Griffiths from Expert PT, you can increase your client base and provide them with the necessary knowledge required to each their goals:

Having a Level 3 Personal Trainer qualification means you can help clients in a more effective way by combining nutrition advice with successful training that will push clients towards their goals in a shorter space of time.

Combine Yoga With Online Nutrition

Once you’ve gained a qualification in sports nutrition, you may find you can increase your employment prospects and earnings by gaining a Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Yoga.

If you become a yoga instructor, you can find employment in a yoga studio or fitness centre and gain clients this way. You may also choose to become self employed, offering nutrition services as well as yoga sessions to clients such as Karen Moylett seen below:

Having a qualification in nutrition will benefit your yoga teaching as you can use your online services to advise clients on how their diet can influence their yoga training.

Knowledge of diets and nutrition makes you more trustworthy as a yoga instructor as you’ll be able to help clients reach their goals in a shorter space of time by knowing what food will be best for meeting them.

Provide Lifestyle Coaching Alongside Online Nutritionist Services

Something to consider is combining your nutritional knowledge with lifestyle coaching. As this isn’t a regulated profession, you don’t need to have specific qualifications.

While you may be slightly confused as to what this involves, some of your tasks with clients when combining nutrition and lifestyle coaching are:

• Ensuring sustainable success by overhauling a client's diet, lifestyle, and routines
• Emphasis on personal 1-on-1 support and habit forming
• Suggesting meal plans and recipe books
• Increase brain performance, focus, and productivity
• Healthy eating at home, at work, when travelling in restaurants
• Regular 1-on-1 consultations over video call
• Arranging food shopping and pantry makeovers

This will usually involve tailored programmes, personalised for your needs. Changing a diet and activity can greatly help people in all areas of their life.

An example of this is AppleTree Healthy Lifestyle Consultancy. 

This consultancy combine their knowledge of nutrition with examining lifestyle choices, thereby aiding other nutritionists in helping their clients implement sustainable changes to reach their goals and lead a healthier life.

As a lifestyle coach and nutritionist, you can aid them clients in this journey and make a hugely positive impact on their life in a much more holistic way than you otherwise may have.

What Skills Do I Need To Become A Nutritionist Online?

To become a nutritionist online, you need to possess the same skills as an ordinary nutritionist, regardless of seeing clients virtually. It takes a certain person to become successful in this industry and one who is ready to continue developing their skills.

#1 - Aptitude for Science

Now, if you didn’t have at least some interest in science, it’s unlikely you would be looking to become an online nutritionist. However, you need not only an interest in science but an understanding of it too.

This is because you need to know how diet and nutrition contributes to health and weight management, as well as its effect on the body. 

You’ll need to identify energy expenditure and nutrient use for different fitness activities and develop nutritional strategies for clients to improve performance.

All of this means you need a keen interest in how nutrition directly affects the body and what exactly is needed to get a client to where they want to be.

You need to have knowledge about how to track macros and micronutrients as well as their physiological functions and the relationship between diet and disease. An interest in biology and anatomy are key to being an online nutritionist as you need to be continually willing to learn new things.

#2 - Excellent Communication

While communication is important for anyone looking to become a nutritionist, it’s even more important for an online one. Although technology like video calls are extremely beneficial for us, many do often feel there is an impersonal aspect to it.

When advising clients on their diet, especially those experiencing issues or problems, you need to ensure you’re coming across in a genuine way. This is why communication is key to helping people.

It isn’t just in your words but also body language! Think about it - would you really want to open up to someone about a sensitive issue if they were watching you with their arms crossed and a raised eyebrow?

If you become an online nutritionist, it’s likely you’ll communicate with clients largely through email when you’re offscreen or out of hours. This means you also need excellent written English skills.

This is a reflection of your business and professionalism. Sending emails to clients who are spending their money on a service expect a level of competency. Receiving emails filled with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors will reflect poorly on you.

While not everyone’s written skills are impeccable, it doesn’t take long to proofread an email and avoid any glaring mistakes. If you want to find success in this industry, attention to detail is important.

#3 - Empathy and Understanding

Similar to the point above, empathy and understanding are key if you’re looking to become a nutritionist online. As you’ll be communicating through a screen, you need to ensure you're coming across in the most sensitive and least judgemental way.

Show them you understand it can be difficult at times when making changes to your diet towards a healthier lifestyle. This will make them ‘open up’ to you more and likely recommend others to use your service.

Everyone in the healthcare industry needs to possess some level of empathy, even nutritionists. It’s not just about telling people to eat fruits & vegetables then sending them on their way.

You need to listen as well as advise. If something isn’t working for a client or they need more help than what you’re providing them with, you can both work to get to the root of the problem and find solutions.  

#4 - Ability to Motivate

While most people who come to use your service will likely be motivated to implement changes you suggest to their diet, there may be some clients who need a little boost. This is also a required skill to become a personal trainer.

This is normal, especially as some people will be changing a mentally that’s been years in the making! You need to be someone who can help clients see the bigger picture and visualise themselves achieving their long-term goal.

Changing a diet for the better can be difficult for a lot of people, certainly those who are used to one that is less than ideal. While self-motivation is a great quality, there are those who do sometimes need a gentle push in the right direction.

You need to remain optimistic when doing this! The last thing a client wants is for you to become visibly frustrated or irritated with them when they’re already feeling negative about their situation.

#5 - Great Organisation

This is a skill everyone needs if they want to provide a successful service, not just in the health and fitness industry. By meeting all your clients virtually, it’s vital you know exactly when you are scheduled to be holding consultations and advising clients.

If you’re self-employed, you need to ensure you are scheduling appointments at suitable times and keeping a record of these sessions to avoid double-booking. 

Of course you want dozens of clients coming to you but this won’t last long if you can’t keep track of when you’re supposed to be seeing each individual.

You want to make them feel like you’re interested in them. If you call them by the wrong name constantly or think you’re beginning a session with a particular client only to open your screen and see someone else, this will make you appear unprofessional.

Keep both a digital and physical copy of your sessions. This can be done on a spreadsheet on your computer as well as in a planner or diary, just in case something happens to your digital records and you lose everything.

#6 - Knowledge of Technology

Although this isn’t necessarily a skill, if you’re conducting all your work virtually, an understanding of basic technology is a must! 

When most of us conduct business over video calls, more often than not technology lets us down. It’s important you know what to do if your connection drops or you’re having issues with your laptop.

The last thing you want is to be in the middle of a consultation and suddenly your computer starts having issues, leaving you left trying to sort the problem when you have no idea what to do. The more stressed you get, the less professional you will look.

Now, we aren’t saying you need to be a computer genius but having basic knowledge about connectivity and Wifi is necessary if you want to become a nutritionist online.

FAQ

What is the difference between a dietitian and nutritionist?

While the terms dietitian and nutritionist are often used interchangeably, this is inaccurate. Although the career paths are similar, there are significant differences between the two.

The term ‘nutritionist’ isn’t a protected term in the UK, meaning those who use it aren’t required to have qualifications.

However, the term ‘dietitian’ or ‘dietician’ is a protected term. Only those who have completed a BSc (Hons) degree and have registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) can practice using this title.

If you’re still unsure about what we mean by protected, the Gov.uk website states: 

‘A protected term is a title that has restrictions as to whom may use it and a governing body ensures that those who use it have the required training and qualifications. However, the Association for Nutrition (AfN) holds a voluntary register of nutritionists.’

The difference here is that although the term isn’t protected, it’s still possible to register with the AfN and have a career, regardless of whether you possess suitable qualifications.

However, it’s highly unlikely you'll be successful if people find out you don’t have credible qualifications, even if you are registered.

You simply cannot do this as a dietitian.

Before You Go!

Now you know how to become a nutritionist online, what are you waiting for?

If you want to give yourself an advantage over others in the industry, enrol on OriGym's Level 4 Nutrition Course and help your clients improve their diets!

today and check out the range of courses we have on offer by downloading our course prospectus or entering your details below.