Know who you are seeing
Registered Nutritionist or Nutritional Therapist?
The two titles sound almost the same, but the training, the register and the approach are different. Here is where to check, the difference, and the questions to ask before you book.
Where to check: registers and accrediting bodies
These are the organisations that register, regulate or accredit training for each title.
A degree or not a degree?
Registered Nutritionist (RNutr)
✓ Degree required
Every Registered Nutritionist must have studied nutrition science at university: an honours degree (BSc) or master's (MSc) accredited by the AfN. Without it, they cannot join the AfN register or use the title.
Nutritional therapist
✗ No degree required
A nutritional therapist does not need an academic degree. The national standard for nutritional therapy is a diploma-level course (level 5, below a bachelor's degree, according to the AfN), often at a private college. And because the title is not protected, someone with no training at all can still call themselves a nutritional therapist.
BANT has asked new full members for bachelor's-level (level 6) training since 2020, but that is a rule of the association, not a legal requirement. The AfN also has a rare route for senior experts with at least 10 years' experience in evidence-based nutrition, who must still show knowledge at honours degree level.
Why AfN registration takes years
- 3 to 4 years at university. An honours degree in nutrition science, or a degree followed by a master's, accredited by the AfN. Since January 2026, UK graduates can only join the register as an Associate through an AfN-accredited degree. See the AfN-accredited degrees.
- Associate first. New graduates join as Registered Associate Nutritionists (ANutr) and usually work under supervision.
- At least 3 years' practice, then an assessment. Full Registered Nutritionist (RNutr) status needs a portfolio of work, assessed against the AfN's competencies.
- Kept up every year. Continuing professional development and a code of conduct. The AfN can remove people from the register.
Why employers look for it: employers usually expect nutritionists to be registered with the AfN (Prospects, the UK graduate careers service). Registered Nutritionists work in NHS trusts, local authority public health teams, government, universities, charities and the food industry.
Elizete's route: four years of university study in nutrition and health (a three-year BSc (Hons) in Nutrition Science with First-class honours, then an MSc at King's College London), years of practice in community programmes and the NHS, and full registration as RNutr (Public Health), no. 12407.
Registered Nutritionists
Association for Nutrition (AfN)
Holds the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (RNutr and ANutr) and accredits nutrition science degrees. A degree is required to register.
Search the register
associationfornutrition.org
AfN-accredited degrees
Dietitians
Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
The statutory regulator. "Dietitian" is protected by law, and every dietitian must be on this register.
Check the HCPC register
Professional body: British Dietetic Association
Nutritional therapists
Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC)
A voluntary register for complementary therapists, including nutritional therapy.
Search the CNHC register
Other registers: FHT · GRCCT
Nutritional therapists
BANT
The British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine, a professional association for nutritional therapists. It also keeps its own register of nutritionists, separate from the AfN's.
Nutritional therapy courses
Nutritional Therapy Education Commission (NTEC)
Accredits nutritional therapy courses that lead to CNHC registration and BANT membership. These are mostly diploma courses; a university degree is not required.
Nutrition First
Elizete Reis-Bennett BSc MSc RNutr
Registered Nutritionist (Public Health), AfN no. 12407. First-class BSc (Hons) Nutrition Science, St Mary's University; MSc Women's and Children's Health, King's College London.
The difference in one minute
In the UK, the words "nutritionist" and "nutritional therapist" are not protected by law. What matters is the word registered, and who holds the register.
Nutrition science
Registered Nutritionist (RNutr)
- Registered with the Association for Nutrition
- Degree required: AfN-accredited nutrition science degree (BSc) or master's (MSc)
- At least 3 years' practice, assessed by portfolio
- Advice based on scientific evidence and UK public health guidance
- Works in the NHS, public health, research, industry and private practice
Complementary therapy
Nutritional therapist
- Can choose to register with the CNHC, a register for complementary therapies
- No degree required: a diploma-level course meeting the national standards for nutritional therapy
- Usually a member of BANT
- Personalised, holistic plans; may use supplements and functional tests
- Mainly private practice, one-to-one
Neither is a dietitian. Dietitian is the only nutrition title protected by law; dietitians are registered with the HCPC and can diagnose and treat diet-related medical conditions.
Questions to ask before you book
A qualified professional will be happy to answer these straight away. Here is what each kind of practitioner should tell you.
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1 What is your exact professional title?
Why ask: "Nutritionist" and "nutritional therapist" on their own are not protected by law, so anyone can use them.
A Registered Nutritionist
Registered Nutritionist (RNutr), or Registered Associate Nutritionist (ANutr) for recent graduates.
A nutritional therapist
Nutritional Therapist, Registered Nutritional Therapist or Nutritional Therapy Practitioner.
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2 Which register are you on?
Why ask: Membership of an association is not the same as being on a register. Ask for the register by name.
A Registered Nutritionist
The UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists, held by the Association for Nutrition (AfN).
A nutritional therapist
The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC). Some use the FHT or GRCCT registers.
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3 What is your registration number, and where can I check it?
Why ask: A real registration can be checked online in under a minute.
A Registered Nutritionist
A number you can look up on the AfN register.
A nutritional therapist
A number you can look up on the CNHC register, or a listing in BANT’s practitioner search.
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4 What did you study, and who accredited the course?
Why ask: This tells you how long and how deep the training was.
A Registered Nutritionist
A university degree is required: a nutrition science degree (BSc) or master's (MSc) accredited by the AfN, plus at least 3 years' practice assessed by portfolio for full RNutr status.
A nutritional therapist
No degree is required: a diploma-level course meeting the national standards for nutritional therapy, usually accredited by the Nutritional Therapy Education Commission (NTEC). Since 2020, BANT has asked new full members for bachelor's-level training.
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5 Is your register for nutrition science or for complementary therapy?
Why ask: The answer tells you which kind of professional you are booking.
A Registered Nutritionist
Nutrition science.
A nutritional therapist
Complementary therapy. The CNHC also registers therapies such as aromatherapy, reflexology and reiki.
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6 What will your advice be based on?
Why ask: Ask what the evidence is for anything recommended, especially supplements or tests that cost extra.
A Registered Nutritionist
Published scientific evidence and UK public health guidance.
A nutritional therapist
A personalised, holistic plan, which may include supplements or functional laboratory tests.
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7 Do you diagnose or treat medical conditions?
Why ask: If you have a medical condition, you may need a dietitian (registered with the HCPC), and your GP should know.
A Registered Nutritionist
No. They give nutrition advice and work alongside your GP and other health professionals.
A nutritional therapist
No. BANT states that its practitioners do not diagnose or treat disease.
Be careful if a practitioner:
- cannot name their register or give you a registration number;
- promises to cure, detox or "reset" your body;
- sells expensive tests or supplements as the only answer;
- tells you to stop medication or ignore your GP.
Talk to a Registered Nutritionist
Family and child nutrition, intuitive eating and InBody body composition scans in London, in English, Portuguese and Spanish.
Sources: Association for Nutrition, Nutrition Professions Comparative Summary (2024) · British Dietetic Association · BANT. Checked 3 November 2026.