A Health Coach, Nutritionist and a Dietician walk into a bar. Joking.

Simply put, a Health Coach* works with their clients to set clear goals and keeping their clients accountable. They cannot medicate, test or prescribe any supplements. Their job is to coach and keep their clients on track with a health plan.

A Holistic Nutritionist** also coaches clients to reach their goals, and they can help by looking holistically at the root cause of what’s going on - not diagnose. They’ve likely studied anatomy and physiology and some intense nutrition courses. If they are registered (like moi), they keep current and fresh with education requirements. Regulation and legislation may vary depending on the country or province. Holistic Nutritionists are usually licensed to recommend supplements, protocols, and some tests. Some are covered by insurance companies in certain benefit programs. Be sure to ask your Holistic Nutritionist if they are licensed and also check with your benefits provider.

A Dietician works with clients in a treatment manner and helps them to manage disease. The regulations and requirements to be a Dietician are far more entailed than the above two categories - there are more regulations governing this profession (which is an amazing benefit). After the many years of schooling and studying, dieticians are able to diagnose and are covered by medical insurance. Maybe you’ve encountered a Dietician at your local hospital to ensure there’s optimal nutrition for you as a patient. You can also work with Dieticians privately and there are some excellent ones out there that I can recommend if you need their help.

Each professional works to help their clients improve their health. Personally, I chose the path of Registered Health & Nutritional Practitioner ™️ (CAIN-RHNP™️) and registered with the Canadian Association for Integrative Nutrition ™️. I work with my clients in a one-on-one or group coaching capacity to help them reach their goals.

Each of us is responsible for our own journey. Working with someone you trust and enjoy being around, can help you stay accountable and acheive your goals.

Be sure you read the important note below.

*Health Coach and **Nutritionist are not protected titles. Essentially, anyone can call themselves a Nutritionist in certain regions. Thanks to great schools like Nutraphoria to organizations like the Health Coach Alliance ™️ (HCA) and Canadian Association for Integrative Nutrition (CAIN), members gather together to help keep integrity and quality for these titles, the related studies required to carry registered titles and work with insurers to allow clients to claim these expenses via their medical insurance.