Dietitians and Nutritionists
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
Assesses nutritional needs, diet restrictions, and lab results, then builds nutrition plans and counsels people on how to follow them. Work includes advising patients and families on food selection and preparation, including cultural, ethnic, or religious preferences, and consulting with physicians on restrictions. Some roles supervise food service for large groups, develop special menus such as low-glycemic or allergen-free, or keep detailed food and health histories. Suits people who like close reading of medical information, careful one-to-one counseling, and turning diet limits into practical eating plans.
Typical education: Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$76'400
Median Wage Market Position
$76'400
What you might do
- Assess diet needs and build nutrition plans
- Counsel people on healthy eating habits
- Review lab tests to guide food advice
- Advise families on meals and food prep
- Consult doctors about a patient's diet limits
- Create recipes for gluten-free or allergen-free diets
Skills that matter
- Reading lab results for diet advice
- Listening to food history and restrictions
- Counseling people on everyday eating
- Writing recipes for special nutrition needs
- Fitting plans to cultural food habits
- Tracking whether eating habits improve
AI & the future of this role
Meal plans, education materials, and basic nutrition guidance are areas where software could take on more routine work. Individual counseling, medical nutrition therapy, and adapting advice to real lives still matter, though overall employment pressure may rise.
Does Dietitians and Nutritionists fit your values?
Take the free LostInCareer assessment to see personalized matches based on your core values—not just a personality label.
Related careers
Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details