If you’re interested in pursuing nutrition and fitness careers within this lucrative industry, our guide to the 13 best careers in this area will help you along the way. We’ll discuss the benefits, salaries, and qualifications required for each option in this article.

But before we get onto our list, why not start with the most obvious career and check out our Personal Trainer Diploma!

It’s the perfect way to break into the industry and begin a career related to nutrition and fitness today! Download our course prospectus to learn more!

13 Potential Nutrition and Fitness Careers to Consider This Year

There are many exciting health and fitness careers, from working as a nutrition coach to teaching fitness in schools.

We’ll explore what each career involves and provide you with a couple you may not have previously considered!

#1 – Try Personal Training If You’re Looking For Jobs In The Fitness And Nutrition Industry

Average Salary: £28,000

Personal training is one of the best jobs in fitness and nutrition for those wanting to work one-to-one with clients in private training sessions.

One of the main roles for those looking to become a personal trainer is to create bespoke training programmes tailored to an individual client’s goals, abilities, and preferences.

For example, they may work with clients who want to lose weight, build muscle, or improve their sporting performance.

They’ll also complete a huge range of nutrition- and exercise-related roles, including

• Designing and implementing bespoke workout programmes
• Conducting fitness assessments
• Monitoring and evaluating client progress
• Providing advice on nutrition, health and fitness

To become a PT, you will need to gain a Level 3 Personal Trainer Diploma, this can be completed in 4 weeks when you enrol on the full-time course with other part-time and online options available if you’re looking for something more flexible.

There’s huge scope for progression, too. Some PTs operate within niche areas of fitness to meet the needs of particular demographics.

They can gain the skills and knowledge required for these niches by taking Level 4 Personal Trainer Courses, specialising in areas such as:

• Lower Back Pain Management
• Obesity and Weight Management
• Diabetes Management Control
• Advanced Sports Nutrition

These personal trainers are often able to charge a higher price per session and earn more as they are offering clients a specialist service.

This makes personal training one of the best high-paying jobs for nutrition and fitness!

#2 – Becoming A Gym Instructor Is One Of The Most Fulfilling Health, Fitness And Nutrition Careers

Average Salary: £24,000

By choosing to become a fitness instructor, you’ll be tasked with leading exercise classes and motivating groups of people to meet their fitness goals.

If you choose to pursue nutrition and fitness careers such as this one, this means you’ll get the opportunity to work with a diverse range of people across various age groups with different abilities and goals.

Gym instructors conduct inductions and help members on the gym floor, showing them how to use equipment and machines, while also providing advice on exercise form and technique.

You will work with a team of other gym instructors and personal trainers, meaning you’ll contribute to the general day-to-day running of the gym.

This may include cleaning, maintenance, and keeping an eye on the reception area.

As a fitness instructor, you’ll also be required to have a good knowledge of nutrition to advise gym members who may be looking to optimise their eating habits and achieve their fitness or performance goals.

To become a qualified gym instructor, you will need to take a Level 2 Gym Instructor course.

This is an entry-level course that will equip you with the fundamental skills and knowledge required to:

• Design and carry out fitness classes
• Consider the needs of individual members
• Safeguard vulnerable adults and children
• Maximise business opportunities as a fitness instructor

As you progress in your careers related to nutrition and fitness such as gym instructing, you may then choose to become a Level 3 Personal Trainer.

Both your Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications can be achieved by enrolling on the Level 3 Personal Trainer Diploma!

This will not only improve your employment prospects but also allow you to work one-to-one with clients and increase your earning potential as you gain more experience.

#3 – Consider Nutrition Coaching When Looking For Jobs Related To Fitness And Nutrition

Average Salary: £29,089

One of the nutritionist careers you could pursue is that of a nutrition coach; who help clients lead healthier lifestyles, beginning with their dietary choices.

From clients wanting to lose weight to those looking to meet fitness-related goals, by becoming a nutrition coach, you’ll work with a variety of clients, in a variety of non-clinical settings, such as:

• Schools
• Gyms
• Charities
• Online
• In their clients’ homes

Coaches are qualified to give general nutritional advice rather than creating bespoke meal plans and focus on how nutrition factors into holistic health and wellbeing.

This makes nutrition coaching one of the most fulfilling jobs to do with fitness and nutrition as you will help your clients using behaviour change coaching.

This method of coaching aims to help clients make long-term lifestyle changes that will enable them to achieve their fitness and health goals.

For example, the role of a nutrition coach often involves teaching clients the importance of micro and macronutrients, and how the nutritional value of food and drink should factor into the choices they make.

Unlike registered dieticians, you won’t need a degree to become a nutrition coach and can instead pursue a more vocational route.

OriGym’s Level 4 Sports Nutrition Course can be studied around your existing commitments, as the online learning format of the qualification means it can be completed at your own pace.

This will provide you with all the essential knowledge to become a nutrition coach, including the role of nutrition and healthy eating within fitness.

#4 – Dietetic Assistant Jobs In Nutrition And Fitness Are Highly Rewarding

Average Salary: £30,000

Dietetic assistants advise the public and other healthcare professionals on how the food and drink they consume can have an impact on their quality of life.

This role is one of many nutrition and fitness careers that allow you to work alongside dietitians, where you will help to assess and diagnose dietary programmes.

You will then come up with a plan to help treat those problems using the principles of nutrition. For instance, dietetic assistants commonly work with those who:

• Need to lose or put on weight due to illness
• Have an eating disorder
• Are experiencing digestive problems
• Have an illness such as cancer which affects their ability to eat

Dietetic assistants can find employment opportunities in a variety of settings, including in hospitals, clinics, or within their local community.

For example, those who work in hospitals may explain diet plans to patients, advise them on what to choose from the hospital food menu, and monitor their intake.

They may also travel to patients in residential care homes, visit schools, and work in community settings to provide advice for groups and individuals regarding diet and nutrition.

Although there are no specific qualifications required to become a dietetic assistant, employers may ask that you have GCSEs in Maths, English, and Science.

It may also be useful if you have a qualification in a relevant subject area, such as nutrition, health and social care, or food hygiene.

#5 – Fitness Influencers Can Turn Their Passions Into Careers Involving Fitness And Nutrition

Average Salary: £33,000

If you’re interested in careers in fitness and nutrition and want to share your passion with others, why not become a fitness influencer?

Fitness influencers use their knowledge and credibility online to promote health and fitness products and services as well as encourage their followers to make purchases.

Many influencers operate across multiple social media platforms, including:

• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube

To make money, fitness influencers typically use advertising, produce sponsored content for brands, or generate commission through promoting affiliate links through their fitness Instagram and other social media.

The advantage of becoming a fitness influencer is you can specialise in any niche you’re passionate about.

For instance, if you’re interested in yoga and vegan food, you can create content about these topics and reach users who share a similar interest.

Although there are no requirements for becoming an influencer, you may want to consider gaining a fitness or nutrition-based qualification.

For instance, you could earn a Level 3 PT Diploma. After gaining these qualifications, you could further your education by completing a Level 4 Sports Nutrition Course.

Gaining these qualifications will show followers you’re an expert in fitness and nutrition. As a result, they’re more likely to trust your content, engage with your account, and make purchases based on your recommendations!

#6 – Exercise Referral Is One Of The Nutrition And Fitness Jobs That Allow You To Make A Difference

Average Salary: £25,000

One of the main roles when you become an exercise referral specialist is to design bespoke fitness programmes for patients with chronic illnesses or long-term health conditions.

Patients are referred by GPs or medical professionals who feel exercise may help them manage their condition and even ease their symptoms.

As an exercise referral specialist, you’ll be working with clients who have a range of medical needs and conditions, including:

• Hypertension
• Asthma
• Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
• Obesity
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Osteoporosis
• Arthritis
• Non-specific lower back pain

This is one of the most rewarding jobs involving nutrition and fitness, as it gives you the opportunity to help improve the quality of life of clients suffering from pain or struggling with their mobility.

If exercise referral sounds like the career path for you, you’ll first need to gain a Level 3 Personal Trainer Diploma!

This will teach you the basics of human anatomy and physiology, as well as being necessary to gain further employment or progress onto further courses.

You can then enrol on a Level 3 Exercise Referral Course that can be studied online at your own pace, and takes an average of just 8 weeks to complete!

#7 – Try Fitness Coaching If You’re Looking For Online Jobs Involving Nutrition And Fitness

Average Salary: £29,000

Often working online using coaching software, fitness coaches create tailored workout programmes to help clients meet their fitness goals.

In terms of careers in health, fitness, and nutrition, the role of a fitness coach is similar to that of a personal trainer.

However, while PTs guide clients through their workouts, coaches simply design workouts and ask clients to complete them alone.

They will then complete regular check-ins with their clients to keep track of their progress, including taking their weight, measurements, and discussing performance in the gym.

If you’re interested in becoming an online fitness coach, you can help clients overcome any physical or emotional struggles that may be impacting their fitness journey and will come up with ways to overcome them.

This is an ideal career for anyone wanting to pursue both nutrition and fitness, as fitness coaches can provide clients with suggested meal plans that are optimised for their individual goals.

To qualify as a fitness coach, you will first need to complete a L3 PT Diploma, if you’re not already a qualified Level 2 Gym Instructor.

You can then begin advertising yourself as a fitness coach and start building a client base of those looking for guidance both in and outside of the gym.

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To help make it easier for you to decide on the right nutrition fitness careers for you, check out these articles below:

• How To Become A Personal Trainer (UK)
• Ideas For A Career Change
• List Of Sports Jobs In The UK

#8 – Being A Yoga Teacher Is One Of The Highest Paying Jobs In Nutrition And Fitness

Average Salary: £32,000

If you already have a keen interest in yoga, then one of the best careers involving fitness and nutrition for you is to become a yoga instructor.

Yoga teachers not only demonstrate poses and create sequences, but they also facilitate a safe space for students to unwind, let go, and discover their true inner selves.

Whether you choose to teach Power yoga or are looking to become a Yin Yoga teacher, pursuing a career in yoga can be highly rewarding, as you’re able to help students meet their fitness and personal goals.

For instance, some clients may attend your classes in the hopes of building strength, whereas others may be practising to aid their struggles with anxiety.

With an average salary of £32,000, 4% higher than the national average salary, teaching yoga is a highly lucrative option if you’re interested in the salaries of fitness and nutrition careers.

If you’d like to pursue this lucrative and rewarding career path, you will need to complete a Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Yoga.

You can complete this course through flexible blended study, which combines online learning with essential practical-based workshops.

You may then choose to become a master yoga teacher with a Level 4 Teaching Yoga Diploma.

This can also be studied around your existing commitments and allows you to specialise in one of four yoga disciplines, which are:

• Hatha
• Ashtanga
• Hot
• Iyengar

#9 – Nutrition Technicians Have A Wide Variety Of Roles When It Comes To Fitness Nutrition Careers

Average Salary: £24,000

Nutrition technicians often work alongside registered nutritionists and dieticians to plan menus and prepare meals for those with particular nutritional needs.

They use their specialist knowledge of how nutrition impacts health as part of a treatment plan or healthy eating initiative in a variety of public and private sector settings.

For example, nutrition technicians may work in:

• Schools
• Hospitals
• Nursing homes
• Prisons

The duties a nutrition technician carries out varies on the setting in which they work. For instance, as demonstrated by this role based in a school, the nutrition technician will work alongside teachers, ordering supplies and maintaining the cleanliness of food preparation areas.

In contrast, those working in the food service industry will advise suppliers on how to increase the nutritional content of their meals and check the accuracy of food labels.

To pursue nutrition and fitness careers such as this one, having a food hygiene training certificate is essential.

Required qualifications will vary depending on the role, but some employers may require you to have:

• GCSEs in Maths and English
• A first-aid certificate
• Training in food technology, such as having a qualification in nutrition.

#10 – Pursue Sports Nutrition When Looking For Fulfilling Careers In Physical Fitness And Nutrition

Average Salary: £24,000

Sports nutritionists help athletes, sports teams, and fitness fanatics optimise their diets to achieve their performance goals.

Using their scientific knowledge of nutrition, they create meal plans tailored to each individual client’s needs, taking into consideration:

• Their fitness goals, for example building muscle or improving endurance
• Eating habits and preferences
• Sleeping habits
• Current lifestyle, including work and family life

These plans will include the correct macronutrient ratio for the individual, meals they should eat, and recommendations for supplements to support their health and performance.

The role of a sports nutritionist also involves keeping track of client progress, measuring body fat percentage, and testing metabolic rate to ensure their recommendations are effective.

One of the main benefits for those wondering how to become a sports nutritionist is the wide variety of available roles.

For instance, you could choose to work in a public sector role, such as one based in a hospital, school, or university.

Alternatively, you may find a role in the private sector as a self-employed sports nutritionist, in a gym or for a sports club, such as this role at Liverpool Football Club:

Some people choose to complete a nutrition-based degree to pursue careers in nutrition and fitness with a salary such as this one.

However, this isn’t necessary and can take a lot more time than pursuing a vocational route.

This means we’d recommend completing a nutrition course, which can be studied online at your own pace and fits around your existing commitments.

#11 – Sports Massage Therapy Is One Of The Most Ideal Careers With Nutrition And Fitness

Average Salary: £28,000

Sports massage therapy (SMT) is another of the most highly rewarding jobs in the fitness and nutrition industry you may consider in 2025.

If you become a sports massage therapist, you will use a range of massage techniques to help clients recover from injury, increase their mobility or improve their sporting performance.

Whether you choose to work with athletes or normal gym goers who may be struggling with pain during everyday movement, sports massage therapists conduct a range of duties, such as:

• Pre- and post-event massage
• Examining injuries
• Conducting postural assessments
• Aiding injury rehabilitation
• Creating warm-up and cool-down routines
• Providing advice for injury prevention

To become a sports massage therapist, you will need to complete a Level 3 Sports Massage Therapy Course.

Taking just 8 weeks on average to complete via a flexible blend of online learning and practical workshops, you’ll learn the essential skills needed to develop an excellent sports massage therapy service.

Once completed, you will then be able to offer SMT as a self-employed therapist, work in a gym offering SMT services, or find an in-house role with a sports team or athlete.

#12 – Become A PE Teacher If You’re Looking For Fitness And Nutrition Jobs Working With Kids

Average Salary: £32,000

PE teachers teach children and teenagers in schools and colleges about the importance of fitness and nutrition for their health and well-being.

They plan and lead PE classes and sports clubs based on the school’s curriculum, ensuring classes are adapted to all needs so every pupil can participate.

This is one of the most highly rewarding nutrition and fitness careers, as you’ll be responsible for overseeing the development of young people alongside other teachers, parents, and mentors.

It is also a term-time role, meaning you’ll have plenty of free time at weekends and holidays. You can use this time to plan lessons, relax, and even invest in your own CPD Fitness Courses.

Many people become qualified PE teachers by gaining a university degree. However, this isn’t always an accessible option for everyone, so instead you may consider gaining an NVQ Level 3 Diploma in Supporting the Delivery of PE and School Sport.

This will enable you to gain experience working with young people immediately and, if you choose, you can go on to obtain your Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) at a later date.

#13 – Try Being A Chef If You’re Looking For Food-Related Careers In Nutrition And Fitness

Average Salary: £25,000

Along with keeping fit, eating the right foods is key to staying healthy. So, if you’ve got a passion for cooking food for others, a chef may be one of the best careers in sports nutrition and fitness for you.

As well as working in pubs and restaurants, chefs also work privately for individual clients, in schools, and in hospitals. They may even work at gyms and health centres with café or restaurant facilities!

Not only do chefs carefully prepare and serve meals to a high standard, but they may also be required to create bespoke menus.

If you’re looking to become a chef, it’s crucial for you to have a good understanding of the nutritional value of different foods to present balanced meals to your clients.

One of the best ways of becoming a chef is by working your way up and starting by applying for kitchen assistant or trainee chef roles.

This allows you to learn on the job, gain some valuable experience, and make some connections within the hospitality industry.

Many companies within this industry also offer apprenticeships for those looking to work while learning the theory and techniques to help them get started in the culinary industry.

Before You Go!

Whether you’re interested in being a chef or have a passion for helping the elderly, we hope one of the options from our list of nutrition and fitness careers has sparked your curiosity!

To get started in the health and fitness industry, check out our personal training courses. Our Personal Trainer Diploma is just the thing for kickstarting your new and exciting career.

Download our FREE prospectus to find out what else we offer to help you get started in a range of fitness and nutrition careers!

When researching how to become a nutritionist, it can be difficult to decide on the best option for you but we’re here to help put you on the right path to your new career.

Contents:

• About the Role of a Nutritionist
• Step 1 – Decide How You Want to Qualify as a Nutritionist
• Step 2 – Decide on Your Type of Employment as a Nutritionist
• Step 3 – Get Insured to Become a Nutritionist
• Step 4 – Expand Your Client List as a Nutritionist

Are you ready to begin your new career? Enquire today about our Level 4 Sports Nutrition Course or download our course prospectus to find out what else we have to offer.

About the Role of a Nutritionist

The main responsibility of a nutritionist is to educate the public on diet and nutrition, helping them live healthier lives. In addition to offering 1-on-1 support, nutritionists can also be responsible for shaping policies and guidelines.

According to Prospects, starting salaries for nutritionists are between £22,000 to £28,000 in the public sector and £23,000 to £30,000 in the private sector. Salaries will also vary depending on experience and location.

However, it’s important to mention nutritionists and dietitians aren’t the same. The main difference is dietitians can work with clients with medical illnesses while nutritionists can only provide general diet and lifestyle advice.

Check out our guide on the differences between a nutritionist and a dietician to find out more.

Step 1 – Decide How You Want to Qualify as a Nutritionist

To become a nutritionist in the UK, there are 2 routes you can take:

• University Degree
• Vocational Nutrition Course

University Degree

While you don’t need a degree in nutrition to become a nutritionist, some choose to pursue this route to study the subject at a deeper academic level. However, the cost and duration of studying this way is something to carefully consider.

For example, if you study a Nutrition BSc at the University of Leeds, this will take three years to complete on average. As you can see below, it will also cost £9,250 a year, this means you’ll be paying back £27,750 when you complete your studies:

Vocational Nutrition Course

However, by studying a vocational course in Level 4 Advanced Sports Nutrition, the fees and time it takes to qualify will be significantly reduced. For instance, studying with OriGym means you can be qualified on average in 12 weeks and our course costs just £935!

There are also no prerequisites to enrol on our nutrition course, compared to university degrees which most commonly require A-Levels or equivalent academic qualifications.

Most university degrees are studied in person, requiring students to either move or commute during their studies. As we have the option of studying entirely online, you can study at your own pace in the comfort of your own home.

Ensure Your Course is Regulated

If taking the vocational route to become a nutritionist, you must ensure your course is regulated by an Ofqual-approved awarding body such as Focus Awards.

• Ofqual: Regulate qualifications, examinations, and assessments in England. Having this regulation ensures the same standard of training regardless of the course provider you decide on.
• Focus Awards: Provides the certification to the student, should you see this advertised it means that the educational provider meets the educational standards to receive their endorsement.

The bottom line is to decide on the type of qualification you want and the length of time you want to study for.

Step 2 – Decide on Your Type of Employment as a Nutritionist

After qualifying, it’s important to decide on an employment route that works for you.

Become a Nutritionist Full-Time

For example, once you become a nutritionist you can pursue full-time contracted roles in:

• Public Health
• Private Health
• Clinical Nutrition
• The Sports & Exercise Industry
• The Food Industry

From planning meals in schools and hospitals to conducting research for the government, nutritionists can take on a variety of enriching responsibilities.

Whilst working in the public sector can be highly emotionally rewarding, it has been noted that nutritionists who work privately earn a significantly higher wage. This is just another factor to consider when deciding how you wish to work.

Become a Self-Employed Nutritionist

Alternatively, you may decide to become self-employed, the benefits of which include:

• Flexible working hours
• Setting your own prices
• Take on clients from around the world
• Have control over your own brand

Being self-employed will involve working with clients on a 1-on-1 basis. Depending on the type of nutritionist you are, the responsibilities of this role will include:

• Selling meal plans
• Conducting online consultations
• Providing nutritional advice and guidance

Setting up an online business has proven to be one of the most lucrative methods of self-employment. If you’d like to pursue this role yourself, please refer to the list of curated articles below:

• How to Become a Nutritionist 
• How To Make Money As A Nutritionist
• How To Write A Nutrition Business Plan

Step 3 – Get Insured to Become a Nutritionist

As a self-employed nutritionist, it’s crucial to advertise your business to secure your clients. There are many ways in which you can do this, such as:

• Creating social media accounts.
• Designing a website.
• Paying for Ads across platforms like Facebook and Google.

Our guide about how to get nutrition clients provides 11 tips to market yourself successfully.

As a nutritionist, it’s also vital to cover yourself with insurance when dealing with the public.

The two most important types of insurance for nutritionists include:

When becoming a nutritionist it’s important to insure yourself as these policies can protect you in the event a client claims you. Failure to legally protect yourself could result in severe fines and even jail time in serious instances.

Step 4 – Expand Your Client List as a Nutritionist

After you become a nutritionist, it’s important to continue expanding your client list. You can do this by completing Advanced Level 4 Courses or Personal Training Qualifications.

Advanced Certifications to Become a Nutritionist

Advanced certifications that can be combined with your nutrition qualification is a great way to attract new clients and separate yourself from the competition by offering services they don’t.

Let’s explore how these qualifications can benefit you as a nutritionist!

Personal Trainer Diploma

While it’s not a requirement to be qualified as a Level 2 Fitness Instructor or Level 3 Personal Trainer to become a nutritionist, this is a great way to expand your client list and deepen your health & fitness knowledge.

By being both a personal trainer and nutritionist, you can help clients reach their goals faster and also offer your service as packages to include both training programmes and meal plans.

Level 4 Obesity & Weight Management

This qualification allows you to deliver tailored exercise programmes for overweight clients, helping them maintain long-term weight loss and improve their quality of life. This is a great way to expand your client pool by extending your services beyond fitness.

Level 4 Diabetes Control & Weight Management

As reactive and preventive measures are becoming increasingly important with the rise of diabetes in the general public, this is another way to offer your services. By creating training programmes for this demographic, you can offer help to those who really need it.

Ready to Begin Your Career as a Nutritionist?

As one of the UK’s leading and most trusted vocational training providers, we help health & fitness enthusiasts reach their full potential to secure their dream careers.

You can take your first steps towards this role through the completion of our Level 4 Sports Nutrition Course! Alternatively, to learn more about how this qualification can set you up for future success, be sure to download our FREE prospectus!

Becoming a sports nutritionist will see you working with clients to optimise their health and athletic performance. To ensure you’re prepared for this career path, knowing what’s needed to become a sports nutritionist is important. In this post, we will be covering the following topics:

Contents

• Information About The Sports Nutritionist Job Role
• How to Become a Qualified Sports Nutritionist
• Finding The Right Sports Nutritionist Course
• Becoming a Sports Nutritonist With a Niche 
• Getting Insured as a Sports Nutritionist 
• Upskill After Becoming a Sports Nutritionist 

This career is made possible by earning an accredited nutrition course from the UK. Once earned, you will be able to offer services such as meal planning to clients.

Information About The Sports Nutritionist Job Role

Before discussing how to become a sports nutritionist in the UK, it’s important to familiarise yourself with the ins and outs of the role.

For example, when employed in this position you will be working with both professional and amateur athletes, creating nutrition programmes that facilitate their bespoke fitness-related goals.

Said programmes will be created through observing the client’s daily habits, and conducting body testing exercises, all to ensure it’s tailored to their specification.

According to Glassdoor, the average salary of a nutritionist is between £31k-£54k every year, with an estimated pay of £40,900 a year.

The typical working schedule of a sports nutritionist is varied, as they will need to be on hand to ensure their clients are ready for athletic performance – Through mornings, evenings and weekends.

How To Become a Qualified Sports Nutritionist

To learn how to become a qualified sports nutritionist you will need: 

• Advanced Sports Nutritionist Qualification 
• Diploma in Personal Training

This Sports Nutrition Qualification will inform how you create bespoke dietary programmes for your clients. While also acting as vital experience valued by potential employers.

The Personal Training Diploma is not compulsory, and instead is a beneficial additional certificate which will deepen your understanding of how bespoke nutrition advice can influence health and athletic performance.

When learning how to become a certified sports nutritionist, your chosen qualification provider must be regulated by an Ofqual awarding body – e.g. Focus Awards or Active IQ.

As a regulating government body, Ofqual ensures that all aspiring sports nutritionists will receive the same level of training from their chosen qualification provider.

Be Aware – Some employers may require you to hold a higher education nutritionist degree, or a qualification in similar subject areas such as public health, or biochemistry.

Finding the Right Sports Nutritionist Course

When researching terms such as ‘how to become a qualified sports nutritionist’, you’ll come across several different providers of nutrition courses providers. To decide which is right for you, consider the following factors:

How Will You Study?

Advanced Sports Nutrition courses are typically taught online. To support our students through this process, OriGym grants access to our state of the art learning platform.

This contains material designed to facilitate independent study – such as virtual lectures, and e-books. In addition to this, should you ever require assistance whilst studying, one of OriGym’s dedicated nutrition tutors can be reached by phone and email, 7 days a week.

How Will You Be Assessed?

When learning how to become a sports nutritionist in the UK, some training providers may set deadlines for their student’s assessments.

Instead, at OriGym we allow our students to complete the following assignments at their own pace:

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

Much like your time studying, our support team can be accessed 7-days a week to answer any questions you may have about your assessments.

Is Post-Course Support Available?

After learning how to become a sports nutritionist in the UK, post-course can make securing a job significantly easier. As evident from the graphic above, OriGym offers a plethora of these services to ensure the future success of our Alumni.

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If you’re enjoying this article, why don’t you give these a read:

• How To Become A Nutritionist
• Start An Online Nutrition Business
• Complete Guide To Nutritionist Salary 

Becoming a Sports Nutritionist With a Niche

Once your qualification is completed, you should create a nutritionist business plan that details short and long-term career goals. Part of this will include establishing a niche for yourself within the existing industry.

When operating as a sports nutritionist, niches can include working within specific sports or focusing on specialist dietary requirements such as veganism.

To develop a niche you will have to conduct independent research and hone your existing knowledge within your chosen area. This process can include learning about:

• Your desired clients’ typical training regime
• Holistic fitness-related goals associated with said athletes
• The effect of specialist dietary requirements on athletic performance

Nutrition research is ever-changing, meaning that you will need to stay updated throughout your career to ensure your clients receive the best possible service.

Essentially, becoming a sports nutritionist with a niche will reinforce your expertise within a particular area, and help you attract a specific demographic of clients.

For more advice on this topic, check out our blog detailing how to get clients as a nutritionist.

Decide How You Want to Work as a Sports Nutritionist

Knowing your niche will help you determine what capacity to work in as a sports nutritionist.

For example, if you wish to specialise in a specific sport then it will be better to pursue contracted employment with associated fitness clubs and teams.

In doing so, you will be working with both professional and amateur athletes, ensuring that their diets facilitate peak athletic performance.

Contracted employment is an ideal option for newly qualified individuals. In this position, you will earn a stable source of income, whilst learning from those with more experience in the field.

More information on these employment opportunities can be found in our in-depth exploration of how to become a nutritionist for a sports team.

Alternatively, if you wanted to become a sports nutritionist with a specialism in dietary requirements, such as veganism, then you should consider becoming self-employed.

Through starting your own nutrition business you will have direct control over the services you offer. This means that you market yourself as an expert within your chosen field, and attract a dedicated client base who specifically want to invest in this service.

Getting Insured as a Sports Nutritionist

Once you have become a sports nutritionist in the UK, you will need to invest in insurance, regardless of what capacity you wish to work.

Different insurance providers will offer varying levels of coverage, but you should ensure to purchase a package that contains the following policies:

• Professional Indemnity Insurance – This will protect you if the nutrition advice you provide is brought into question – e.g. a client blames an injury or illness on your meal plans.
• Public Liability Insurance – Offers legal protection in instances such as a client becoming injured during a health examination, and claiming it was your fault.

If you decide to work on a self-employed basis getting nutritionist insurance is essential. In doing so, you can protect your finances and even save yourself from jail time.

When employed under contract you may be protected under your employers’ insurance package. This may not cover every existing policy, so it’s still worth investing in coverage for yourself, for extra security.

Upskill After Becoming a Sports Nutritionist

Once you have become a sports nutritionist in the UK, you will undoubtedly wish to progress your career. This can be achieved by completing further training, and earning additional qualifications.

There are a plethora of benefits for upskilling – For example, once you’re qualified to offer additional services, you can earn an additional source of income and target an entire new demographic of clients.

When determining what areas you should upskill with, consider the following qualifications:

Personal Training Diploma

As previously mentioned within this article, the Personal Training Diploma can be a beneficial additional qualification, which will improve your performance as a sports nutritionist.

Once obtained, you will be recognised as a qualified personal trainer and will be able to offer bespoke workout programmes for your clients. This can go hand in hand with the dietary advice you provide, working in tandem to push clients towards their end goals.

For more information on how you can pursue this career, check out our article on becoming a personal trainer.

Level 4 Obesity and Weight Management 

Once you’ve qualified to become a sports nutritionist in the UK, developing a specialism can help you stand out among a competitive field. For example, with this qualification under your belt, you will be able to design and deliver weight loss programmes that centre on exercise and nutrition.

Note – You will need to have a Level 3 Personal Trainer Qualification prior to enrolling on this course

Level 3 Sports Massage Therapy

Sports massage therapy can be applied to help injured clients through rehabilitation, and even improve their athletic performance. When working in tandem with your beneficial nutrition advice, your clients will be able to receive multiple services that push them towards peak performance.

Kickstart Your Career in Sports Nutrition?

As one of the UK’s most trusted education providers in the health and fitness industry, OriGym can help aspiring sports nutritionists reach their career goals!

Enquire about our Level 4 Nutrition course here to kickstart your career! You can also download our free course prospectus for information on all of the courses we offer.

Learning how to become a wellness coach can allow you to pursue a fulfilling new career helping clients meet their personalised goals. To assist with this process, you can follow this outline:

• Learn How to Become a Wellness Coach With Qualifications 
• Become a Wellness Coach in a Contracted Position
• How to Become a Wellness Coach By Starting Your Own Business
• Become a Wellness Coach Offering Additional Services 

Earning a Level 4 Nutrition coach can help you launch your career as a wellness coach. Through this qualification, you will learn how to offer nutritional advice to individual clients.

You can also download our FREE course prospectus to learn more about OriGym’s qualifications.

Learn How to Become a Wellness Coach With Qualifications

Through learning how to become a health and wellness coach you can help clients to identify and reflect on their health-related behavioural habits.

Wellness coaches are not medical professionals, instead, their occupation is more similar to life coaches. This is because they offer tailored guidance and general advice to their clients.

This advice can vary from one individual to another depending on their personal goals. For example, when becoming a wellness coach you may work with clients who want to:

• Manage/lower their stress levels
• Improve their physical fitness
• Gain motivation to pursue a specific fitness-related goal – e.g. run a marathon, gain muscle mass, etc.

Please note – This job title is unregulated, meaning that you technically don’t need any qualifications to learn how to become a wellness coach. But this does not mean you should rush into the role without any certifications!

Instead, you should take time to pursue qualifications that deepen your understanding of health and fitness, to ensure you provide your clients with the best possible support. For this reason, this section will cover a variety of courses you can enrol in to improve your chances of knowledge:

#1 –  A Personal Training Diploma Can Help You Become a Wellness Coach

A personal training diploma is a hybrid qualification, combining both:

• Level 2 Fitness Instructor course
• Level 3 Personal Training course 

Earning this qualification will ensure that you’re well educated on matters relating to the principles of health and wellbeing. For example, when enrolled on this course you will learn how to create bespoke training programmes, tailored to suit the needs of individual clients.

Similarly, you will also study the importance of nutrition, and again learn how to apply bespoke advice to clients from a variety of populations.

Essentially, once you have earned this ideal qualification, you will be able to offer various tailored guidance and advice to help clients with their specific needs.

Many employers looking to hire wellness coaches will even stress their preference for applicants with these qualifications. This can be seen in the following job advertisement below:

The length of this course will vary depending on how you choose to study:

• Full-Time Course – This runs from Monday to Friday, 9 am-5:30 pm and is conducted from one of OriGym’s private training centres. The full-time course combines both practical training sessions with classroom-led theory teaching and is typically completed in 4 weeks.
• Part-Time Course – Combines in-person practical workshops with learning from OriGym’s online learning platform. Students on this course typically take 8 weeks to complete the course.
• Online Course – With no deadlines, you can work on the qualification at your own pace using our online training platform!

Ultimately, the personal training diploma is an ideal option for those looking to become a wellness coach in the UK. You can work at whatever pace you feel comfortable with, gaining knowledge and skills that will inform your future career.

#2 – Vocational Training Can Teach You How to Become a Certified Wellness Coach

When researching how to become a certified wellness coach, you will undoubtedly come across vocational training courses such as the Advanced Diploma in Wellness Coaching from Wellness Professionals at Work.

Be aware that to enrol on this course you will already need to be a qualified healthcare professional. This includes the likes of:

• Personal trainers
• Yoga instructors
• Nutritionists
• Nurses

Wellness Professionals at Work will ask for proof of your qualification before your enrolment – e.g. a copy of your personal training diploma.

Once successfully enrolled on the course, you will develop the necessary skills required to become wellness coach, through studying modules such as:

• Facilitating coaching sessions
• Cognitive behavioural coaching
• Motivational-focused coaching
• Wellness coaching for lifestyle changes
• Methods of delivering wellness coaching

For reference, this qualification will cost £2599.00 and can be completed over 2 years. Successful graduates will finish the course with the equivalent educational level of a QCF Level 5.

While the job title is unregulated, many employers (such as the example below) will still ask for relevant qualifications and experience when applying to become a wellness coach in the UK:

Earning a vocational training qualification such as this example will act as proof that you have relevant practical experience and theoretical knowledge, ensuring that you will thrive in the role of a wellness coach.

From this, we can say that whilst advanced vocational training isn’t necessary, it can help you to stand out from other applicants who may lack this experience.

#3 – Becoming a Wellness Coach Through a University Degree

Alternatively, you could become a certified health and wellness coach by pursuing a degree in higher education. For example, establishments such as the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) offer a BSc (Hons) in Mental Health & Wellbeing Coaching.

This higher education qualification seeks to prepare you for a future career in wellness coaching by:

• Developing your understanding of contemporary issues related to wellbeing coaching
• Allowing you to undertake a professional placement in your third year
• Provide a professional coaching portfolio, containing documents relating to your qualifications and placement
• Offering lectures delivered by industry experts who are passionate about supporting your professional development

Once graduated, you will be able to become a wellness coach in establishments such as London’s King College, who prioritise the higher-education degree in their ‘desirable criteria’ section:

Note – Out of all the qualifications to appear in this section, employers are least likely to specifically ask for a Bachelor’s qualification. That doesn’t mean they are entirely pointless, as you can still use the course to gain relevant practical experience and theoretical knowledge.

More information relating to the specific enrolment requirements and financial process will be available on your chosen university’s website.

Become a Wellness Coach in a Contracted Position

According to market research, the health and wellness coaching industry is projected to grow 5.4% every year, and is currently estimated to be worth $8.87 billion by 2025.

With expected industry growth on the horizon, there is no better time to become a wellness coach. One way to pursue this role is through contracted employment in locations such as:

• Gyms or fitness centre
• Yoga Studios
• Spas
• Schools and Universities
• Doctors Offices and Hospitals
• Specialist Wellness Shops and Clinics

To become a wellness coach in a contracted position, you should look at employment sites and search relevant terms to pull vacancies within your local area. This can include:

• Indeed
• Glassdoor
• LeisureJobs
• LinkedIn

When pursuing contracted employment, the decision on what location you work at will be influenced by your special interest.

For example, if you want to provide advice and guidance relating to a client’s physical fitness, then the best option will be to work at a gym or fitness centre.

As evident from the previous section, the qualifications that are required to become a wellness coach will also differ from one location to another. For example, should you decide to pursue the aforementioned position at a gym, you will likely need a personal training diploma.

Note, where you work will also influence the responsibilities that you are expected to complete. 

This is apparent in the same job description, where it’s clearly stated that a wellness coach would be expected to fulfil the duties of a fitness instructor and/or personal trainer.

Be aware that when under contract your client base will be made up of your employer’s customers – e.g. gym goers, yoga studio students, etc.

Other locations will differ from this process, which is why you should always read each job description diligently.

Another thing to consider when pursuing contracted employment is whether the position will offer insurance. These policies can protect you in the event the advice or teachings you provide are brought into question by a client.

For example, a client could become injured following your wellness advice, and seek financial compensation claiming that you are directly responsible. In this instance, insurance can help to cover your legal fees, and even save you from jail time in severe cases.

Whether an employer provides this insurance will be discussed as and when you sign your contract. Whilst this typically will be the case, the process of purchasing your own will be discussed later in the article.

What Salary Can You Expect When Becoming a Wellness Coach Under Contract?

One of the primary benefits of becoming a wellness coach in a contracted position is that you will receive a regular fixed salary. This will provide you with financial stability, allowing you to budget for your personal and professional needs.

According to Glassdoor, the average salary of a wellness coach is estimated to be anywhere between £25k-£38k every year:

This salary is supported by existing job advertisements such as the example displayed below, for a wellness coach that specialises in physical fitness. Here you can see how the average salary estimated by Glassdoor falls within the parameters of this specific position:

With that being said, if you’re interested in learning how to become a wellness coach in the UK, you should take figures on sites such as Glassdoor with a grain of salt.

This is because the stats presented are merely an average generated from data collected by the site’s user base, and are therefore not reflective of an entire industry.

In addition to this, numerous factors could influence the annual salary you receive. For example, employers will typically pay a higher wage to applicants with more experience, compared to those who have just become wellness coach.

This isn’t to say that your salary will be fixed for the duration of your contract. As you gain more experience this income could potentially increase over time, but that decision will ultimately be up to your employer.

If you’d like more control over your earning potential, you could move away from contracted employment and instead pursue freelance work under your own business.

–—-

If you’re interested in learning how to become a wellness coach these other OriGym articles will be of interest to you:

• How To Become A Nutritionist
• Skills Of A Nutritionist
• Nutritionist Job Description

How to Become a Wellness Coach By Starting Your Own Business

If you’re questioning ‘how do you become a wellness coach on a self-employed basis?’ use this section as a step-by-step process for running your own business.

Keep in mind that as a freelancer you are responsible for every aspect of your business. Consequently, you will have to complete multiple responsibilities that are typically completed by employers or a management team, such as:

• Attracting and retaining a dedicated client base
• Creating your own pricing packages
• Marketing and branding your services across different platforms – e.g. in-person and on social media
• Managing your own schedule
• Keeping track of your finances
• Securing your own insurance

In addition to this, unlike contracted employment, there aren’t technically any set ‘requirements’ to work as a wellness coach on a freelance basis either.

With that being said, obtaining prior qualifications and experience can prove to be beneficial when it comes to advertising your business. In doing so, you market yourself as an expert who can offer clients beneficial guidance.

#1 – When Becoming a Wellness Coach Register Your Business With UK.Gov

A direct answer to the question ‘how do I become a wellness coach?’ is to register your freelance business on the UK.Gov website. After completing this process you will be legally recognised as self-employed, and can begin working on building your brand.

This registration is entirely FREE and is necessary for tax purposes, meaning it cannot be skipped!

#2 –  Choose a Specialism Based on Your Desired Clientele

When learning how to become a personal wellness coach, you should consider who you want to work with and what services you wish to offer. In doing so, you can develop a niche, creating programmes that will be most effective for that specific demographic of clients.

To choose a demographic you should consider aspects such as:

• Age
• Gender
• Income
• Why they would require your services – e.g. are they stressed out, looking to improve physical fitness, etc.

Once a demographic has been determined, you should then decide what services you want to offer to resolve these issues.

For example, Yohanna Mannelqvist specialises in reducing stress levels among women through a combination of one-to-one wellness coaching and mindful yoga sessions:

When discussing how she operates as a wellness coach, Yohanna states:

‘ I guide ambitious women from stressed, confused and overwhelmed to balanced and meaningful lives through yoga, one-to-one coaching, retreats and workshops’

The services you offer should be informed by your prior experience/qualifications. For example, if you were a qualified PT you could sell fitness programmes that help to facilitate the client’s wellness coaching.

#3 – Purchase Insurance Before Becoming a Wellness Coach

As a self-employed wellness coach you will be responsible for purchasing insurance for your business.

Hiscox is the leading provider of insurance for coaches, teachers, and educational providers in the UK. This is the ideal option for your business, as when purchased these packages will offer coverage in the following areas:

To receive your personalised insurance quote, head over to the Hiscox website and provide them with information such as:

• The name of your business
• The date it was registered with UK.Gov
• Your estimated turnover for your first year of business
• Where you carry out your business

Note – Hiscox insurance will only cover your wellness coaching services! Should your business also have a practical speciality, you will need to purchase appropriate coverage with another provider.

For example, if you offered personal training sessions to facilitate the advice and guidance you provided as a wellness coach, then you’d need to purchase personal training insurance.

#4 – Market Your Wellness Coaching Business

If you’re questioning ‘how do you become a wellness coach?’, a large part of this professional process will be attracting a base of clients through marketing campaigns.

Whilst there are many ways for you to market your wellness coach business, one easy method is to create social media accounts that promote your services. For example, the primary platforms you should be using to achieve this include:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• TikTok
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

This may sound simple, but research has found that 54% of people use social media with the specific intent of looking for and purchasing a product. With this in mind, let’s discuss what kind of material you could post as a wellness coach to attract clients:

• Client progress photos – With captions discussing how they reached their desired goals
• User-generated content – Material that your clients have made and has been reposted to your profile/story
• Competitions – This is a great way to generate a buzz and engagement with your brand. You can offer a prize such as a free month of wellness coaching, in exchange for clients liking, following and resharing your page.

An example of what these posts may look like can be found below, where wellness coach JLR Fitness posts about her client’s progress on Instagram:

Without marketing material, potential clients won’t have any way to interact with the services you offer. By simply creating posts such as the example above, you can capture leads and generate an interest in your wellness coaching business.

The use of social media is just one example, there are still more ways to advertise your wellness coach business. To help with this process check out our in-depth look at personal training marketing strategies – Whilst this is written for PTs you can still use the guidance presented in this article and tailor it to suit your needs.

#5 – Design Pricing Packages For Your Wellness Coach Business

Should you decide to become a wellness coach on a self-employed basis, you will need to create your own pricing packages in order to sell your services.

For reference, there are no fixed ‘average rates’ that freelance wellness coaches adhere to, and what you decide to charge will be subjective to your business.

To gain insight on what you should be charging for your services, you should conduct competitor research. This will help you to determine where your business fits within the wider industry, and allow you to price the packages accordingly.

For example, virtual wellness coach Alsion Harris charges £340 for a standard wellness package, which includes 4 virtual 1 hour sessions, in addition to the following services:

In contrast, Emma Buyers charges a slightly higher price £595 for 6 hours of coaching, during which her customers will receive the following support:

When conducting competitor research you should be comparing the services they offer to your own. If you feel that your packages offer clients more beneficial support, then you could justify charging a higher price.

For example, if you offer additional services such as personal training then you could arguably charge more than your competitors because you can provide clients with a service that they lack!

Becoming a Wellness Coach Offering Additional Services

If you’re interested in learning how to become a wellness coach in the UK, just offering your clients general advice and guidance can be somewhat limiting, and may prevent you from standing out from competitors.

Instead, you should incorporate additional services that help to facilitate your client’s desired goals – Remember, to perform these additional roles you will need to ensure you hold the appropriate qualifications.

To support claims made within this section, real examples of wellness coaches who use additional services will be incorporated throughout:

#1 – How to Become a Certified Wellness Coach Offering Personal Training

A wellness coach who offers personal training sessions can create bespoke workout programmes that facilitate a client’s health and fitness-related goals. This can help to attract a new demographic of clients and boost your overall earning potential.

For example, take Fiona Coppard whose approach to wellness coaching has helped her carve out a niche demographic of clients. For £400 a month, women who are suffering from menopause can receive the following support:

To offer this additional service you will need to ensure you have a personal training diploma. Obtaining this qualification will ensure you know how to plan and deliver bespoke workout programmes that help clients achieve their goals.

Once you begin to offer a combination of wellness coaching and personal training, you will find that the client base expands. This is because you now offer a service that interests an entirely new demographic.

For example, clients to complete a marathon may have previously passed over your business when it was just holistic advice and emotional support.

However, when this is combined with a physical training programme that will help complete said marathon, they will be more likely to invest in your business, thus increasing your number of clients and average income.For more advice on how you can increase your income while in this role, check out our article on how to price personal training.

#2 – How to Become a Wellness Coach Certified in Nutrition

Alternatively, you may decide to become a nutritional coach and incorporate services such as meal planning into your wellness business.

In this instance, you could attract clients who are looking to complete goals such as:

• Losing weight/gaining Muscle
• Improving their eating habits – e.g. reduce snacking
• Psychological mending their relationship with food

One such example of a wellness coach who offers this service is Kathleen Farran, whose weight loss package can be found below:

While the job title of nutritionist is also unregulated, gaining experience through a Level 4 sports nutritionist qualification can prove to be significantly beneficial. Through completing this course you will learn about the process of meal prepping and how to create plans for specialist populations.

With this knowledge and experience, you will be able to successfully attract whatever demographic of client you desire, through marketing material that demonstrates how your nutritional service can benefit them.

#3 – Become a Wellness Coach Who Offers Sports Massage Therapy

You may also decide to pursue a Sports Massage Therapy qualification, which would allow you to incorporate treatment programmes into your business. During this course, you will learn functional stretching techniques that can aid in injury management and rehabilitation.

Should you choose to become a wellness coach that incorporates SMT into their practice, you will likely be working with clients whose primary aim is to recover from injury.

When in this position you can offer both practical SMT treatment, in addition to wellness advice that clients can implement on their own accord to improve their condition.

Emily Reese is an example of someone who offers these hybrid services, describing her approach to wellness coaching within her LinkedIn bio:

That’s not to say that these services are strictly limited to clients who are injured either. You can also provide SMT to healthy athletes, as these techniques are also known to improve flexibility and the improvement of muscles in physical activity.

#4 – Become a Certified Health and Wellness Coach That Teaches Yoga

You can also choose to become a yoga instructor, and lead guided sessions in addition to your wellness coach services.

This role would operate in a similar fashion to personal trainers, allowing you to teach group and private yoga classes that help to facilitate your client’s wellness goals. For example, you could specifically lead sessions that help to reduce stress levels, offering both practical and theoretical guidance.

In order to become a wellness coach certified in yoga, you will need to first earn a Level 3 yoga instructor qualification. This course is vital, as without the proper certification you will be regarded as unqualified and won’t even be considered by employers.

To understand how yoga teachings can be integrated into your business take another look at Yohanna Mannelqvist’s website. In the screenshot below you can see how her combination of yoga and coaching benefits her clients:

Ultimately, as a qualified yoga instructor, you will be able to offer a variety of techniques and variations for your clients. You could even specifically focus on a variation that is known to help their goal, for example, yin yoga is known to reduce stress.

Before You Go!

Now that you know how to become a wellness coach you will be able to successfully pursue this position, incorporating whatever additional services that you deem fit.

When working as a wellness coach obtaining a Level 4 Nutrition qualification can shape how you work with clients on a one-to-one basis. Through completing this course you will learn how to offer bespoke advice and guidance for individual clients.

OriGym’s course prospectus is also available to download for FREE!

If you want to understand how to start an online nutrition coaching business, you must conduct research to successfully launch one.

In the following article, we will guide you through the steps to make sure you have the information you need to have a successful nutrition business:

• Step 1 – Get The Right Qualifications For Your Sports Online Nutrition Coaching Business
• Step 2 – Decide What Services You Want To Offer Before Starting an Online Nutrition Coaching Business
• Step 3 – Conduct Market Research For Your Online Nutrition Coaching Business
• Step 4 –  Choose A Platform To Run Your Online Nutrition Coaching Business
• Step 5 – Create A Business Plan So You Know How To Sell Your Nutrition Coaching Business Online
• Step 6 – Securing Insurance And Other Legal Requirements For Your Nutrition Business
• Step 7 – Create Packages To Generate Profit For Your Online Nutrition Business
• Step 8 – Learn What Marketing Tools You Can Use To Attract Customers 

Before we begin, if you’re not already qualified as a nutritionist, here at OriGym, we can help you on your career journey with our level 4 sports nutrition course.

Alternatively, you can learn about our full range of qualifications by downloading our course prospectus.

Step 1 – Get The Right Qualifications For Your Sports Online Nutrition Coaching Business

If you’re already a qualified nutritionist, you can skip this step and learn about the services you could offer in step 2.

However, if you’re not a nutritionist, you must understand your qualifications to operate an online nutrition coaching business.

Before enrolling on a nutrition course, it’s important to ensure it’s Ofqual-regulated. This will provide a vocational framework to train you to industry standards.

OriGym’s Ofqual-regulated Level 4 Nutrition Course can help you on your journey to becoming an online nutritionist.

Whilst a nutritionist is not a protected title having this l4 qualification will make you more appealing to clients and teach you the skills to be effective in this role.

This is because the qualification enables you to deliver nutritional advice and diet planning for clients who hire you to help improve their health.

It will also educate you on specialist diets you can provide clients and understand the legislation shaping nutritional information.

Once you’ve achieved your level 4 nutrition qualification, you’ll want to decide what nutrition services you want to offer.

Step 2 – Decide What Services You Want To Offer Before Starting an Online Nutrition Coaching Business

Starting an online nutrition coaching business is never easy. To compete in the marketplace, you must understand the services you’d like to offer.

One of the ways you could decide on the services you offer is by understanding your strengths in this field.

You may, for instance, come from a background where you’ve specialised in building clients’ muscles and wish to offer this service as a nutritionist.

Alternatively, you could offer weight loss services to clients, a highly sought-after service from people seeking a nutritionist.

Finally, if you have additional qualifications you can use them to offer specialised services.

If you have a Level 4 Diabetes Qualification, you can use this to offer specialist services to offer low-sugar nutrition plans to help clients with diabetes.

Once you’ve identified your strengths as a nutritionist and the most profitable services you could offer, you will need to find the right way to present them.

You could offer meal plans as demonstrated by The Healthy Habit to help clients focus on eating healthier diets:

After deciding on the services you would like to provide, you will need to conduct market research to understand how competitors sell their services.

Step 3 – Conduct Market Research For Your Online Nutrition Coaching Business

Market research is a great way to boost your online nutrition coaching business’ chances of success.

It’s an effective tool to help you write an online nutrition coaching business plan, and identify competitors in the market and how they promote themselves.

There are many ways you can conduct market research. Here we will focus on how can you conduct research using:

• Google My Business
• Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram

Let’s take a further look at these forms of research in more detail.

How To Use Google My Business To Research For Your Online Nutrition Coaching Business

Google My Business is a great tool to discover how many online nutrition coaching businesses operate in your local area and help you understand your competition.

If you want to launch an online nutrition business in Liverpool, for example, you can Google ‘nutritionist Liverpool’ to see similar businesses operating in the city:

After you’ve conducted this research, you can then visit each website to see what services they provide.

We’ve decided to investigate Nutrition Therapy Practice’s services further as they rank as the top search results.

When we click on their website and visit their ‘Plans & Pricing’ page, we see that they offer several different services, three of which we have listed below:

From the ones listed, you can see that they offer:

• Consultations
• Health or dietary assessments
• Food diary analysis

These are some of the features you could include in the packages you wish to sell to customers.

Using Google My Business is great for market research because you can quickly and easily see what your biggest competitors are doing well and where they can improve.

You Can Also Use Instagram To Research Other Online Nutrition Coaching Businesses

Alongside Google helping you visit the websites of your competitors, social media can provide you with useful insight into the services they offer and the reviews they’re given.

If you visit Facebook and then type ‘Nutrition Coach UK’ into the search bar, you’ll discover Nutrition Coach’s page as one of the top results.

You can visit their website to understand the feedback they’ve received in their reviews to understand what services they offer that could work for you:

After reading this review, you can see one of their clients praised Nutrition Coach for assisting her with a medical issue and showing empathy towards their condition.

If you have the relevant expertise, you may want to market yourself as a nutritionist to assist clients with medical conditions.

This will improve your professional standing in the marketplace and combined with compassion towards your clients’ conditions will encourage them to retain your services and help increase your business revenue as a result.

You could also use Nutrition Coach’s Facebook posts as a way to understand promotional campaigns you could run.

Recently, they have offered cooking classes for beginners interested in plant-based diets who want to understand the diet’s advantages and disadvantages:

If you run an online nutrition coaching business, you might be able to incorporate something similar to this.

Alongside the personalised services you offer, you could offer weekly online cooking classes for current clients or those seeking healthier eating habits.

This could give you a competitive edge by providing a unique service that other nutritionists might not provide.

Market research will help you identify areas where your business can profit and is also most at risk. This will help you create your business plan in step 5.

If you’re enjoying this article, why not give these a try?

• How To Become A Nutritionist
• Salary Of A Nutritionist
• The Key Skills Needed To Become A Nutritionist

Step 4 –  Choose A Platform To Run Your Online Nutrition Coaching Business

After you’ve conducted your research for your online nutrition coaching business, you’ll need to choose a platform to run your business on.

One of the first platforms you should consider running your nutrition coaching business on is a website builder such as Wix or Squarespace:

With website builders, you’ll be able to integrate your social media platforms and e-commerce store, allowing people to visit your website and purchase packages from it.

It’s important to remember the more features you require for your website, the more you’ll pay to maintain the site:

Alongside the website you build, you’ll also benefit from using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If you set up a Facebook Business Page, you’ll benefit from being able to engage with new and current customers.

It can help direct traffic to your website using Facebook Ads and Facebook Analytics and help you understand the demographics interested in your services.

Amelia Freer’s nutrition Facebook page demonstrates how you can promote yourself, using cover photos and featured ads to promote your services:

Finally, you can also use a video platform such as Zoom to hold single or group phone calls to assist your clients:

This will be a great tool to help you direct people to your appointments and address any questions you might have.

After learning about the different platforms that can benefit your online nutrition coaching business, let’s talk about how they can create an effective business plan.

Step 5 – Create A Business Plan So You Know How To Sell Your Nutrition Coaching Business Online

After you’ve decided on the platforms you want to run your business across, you’ll then need to create a business plan for an online nutrition coaching business.

A well-researched business plan should cover the following areas to help your business succeed:

• Executive Summary-an overview of the business you want to run
• Company Summary-detailing the type of business you want to start, along with the services you would like to offer
• Market Analysis-discussing what marketing research you’ve done
• Marketing Strategy-how you should aim to promote your business
• Sales Strategy-how you plan to convert people’s enquiries into customer sales
• Financial Summary-detailing the sources of income for your business

A plan can help by identifying the needs of your business, including:

• How to secure future funding
• The direction your business should take
• Areas for development

Let’s explore these areas in further detail to see how they can benefit your business.

How To Secure Future Funding For Your Online Nutrition Coaching Business

An online nutrition coaching business plan should focus on your business activities for 1 to 3 years.

It will help investors understand how your business operates and understand who your competition is.

This gives investors a blueprint of the path your business will take over several years, giving them confidence in the returns they will receive from their investment.

The Direction Your Online Nutrition Coaching Business Should Take

Thanks to the market research you’ve carried out, you’ll be able to write a plan that details the direction your business should take.

The direction of your business could take, should be centred around three questions:

• What does your business currently offer?
• How would you like to grow your business?
• What do you need for your business prospects to succeed?

These questions could be answered in the following way:

For instance, you run a nutritionist business that helps clients lose weight- to increase your business revenue, you could offer low-sugar diet plans to help diabetic clients.

To make your business profitable in this area, you will need to make sure you have the correct qualifications and ad campaigns to promote these services.

Achieving a Level 4 Diabetes qualification, for example, will give you the expertise to assist this group.

Alongside this, you can create an ad campaign on Facebook and Google to promote these services and help you get clients as a nutritionist.

Understanding The Areas For Development Will Help Your Online Nutrition Coaching Business Succeed

Any well-researched business plan will also include areas for development. In your business projections, you might identify that your nutrition business needs to expand.

As a result, you may wish to explore new markets that specialise in other areas, such as personal training.=

This would require you to complete a Diploma in Personal Training to understand how to write programs for your new client base.

Your new set of skills would enable you to offer nutrition-based services as an add-on for your personal training clients.

Once you’ve created a business plan, you’ll need to secure insurance and other legal requirements for your business.

Step 6 – Securing Insurance And Other Legal Requirements For Your Nutrition Business

Before starting an online nutrition coaching business, it’s important to make sure you’ve got the correct insurance coverage.

Having the correct insurance coverage will protect you from any claims that result from:

• Client injury whilst they’re visiting your premises
• Professional negligence in the advice you gave to a client
• An accident you suffer that prevents you from working

Let’s take a look at some of the forms of insurance you can purchase should any of these scenarios happen to you.

Public Liability Insurance Will Cover Any Accidents That Happen At Your Place Of Business

Online nutrition coaching jobs require liability insurance like other jobs in the fitness industry.

It will cover you should you have a face-to-face consultation with a client and they:

• Injure themselves during an appointment with you
• Your equipment is damaged at your place of business

In the event this should happen, liability insurance helps with the cost of any damaged equipment and legal costs associated with a client’s claim against you.

If you didn’t have this form of insurance, any claims would have to be covered by your expenses, which can be costly and damaging to your business.

If you visit AXA, you will get a breakdown of the coverage you’ll receive in the event you need assistance with a claim:

It’s important not to dismiss the importance of public liability insurance as it’s possible for accidents to occur at any point, no matter how professional you are.

Personal Trainer Professional Indemnity Insurance Can Help Cover With Advice You Give

Public indemnity insurance is different to liability insurance as it covers any poor advice you give to clients which have caused them illness or health problems.

It is possible, for example, to give bad advice to clients resulting in them having an allergic reaction to the food you recommended in their diet.

Since you’re working as a nutritionist, giving advice will happen constantly throughout your working day, which means such a scenario could happen.

You may wish to secure indemnity insurance from Hiscox, as they cover a wide range of issues that you could encounter:

This makes professional indemnity insurance important as this makes sure any legal costs and compensation payouts are covered by your insurance provider.

Personal Accident Insurance Is Important For Online Nutrition Coaching Jobs

Whilst getting coverage for your clients and your equipment is important, it’s also important to make sure you get coverage for yourself, in the event an accident happens.

Personal accident insurance will cover any minor or serious injuries you encounter that affect your ability to carry out work.

You may, for instance, trip on the floor during a phone consultation break your foot and be unable to walk on it.

With personal accident insurance, you’ll be able to have the costs of medication, treatments and operations covered.

The amount of coverage can vary in price depending on the provider you decide to go with.

If you decide to go with Insure4Sport, they can provide you with coverage for up to £50,000 for any rehabilitation costs:

Regardless of years of experience in the industry, anyone can make mistakes that cause harm to themselves.

That’s why it’s important to have personal accident insurance to cover any treatments you require.

Other Legal Requirements You Need To Consider For Your Nutrition Business

Alongside these types of insurance, you’ll also need to consider the following to make sure you’re business is operating correctly:

• Registering Your Business-with gov.uk to make sure you’re registered with HMRC to make sure you can submit your taxes correctly.
• Hiring an accountant-such as KG Accountants, to help you with your tax returns and find business opportunities to potentially boost your revenue.
• Carry out DBS Check-once you’ve completed your DBS check, your clients can be assured that you have no criminal background, and if you hire staff, you can ensure they are safe to work with too.

Now that you’ve read about the insurance and other areas you need to help your business operate correctly, you can then design your packages to bring in clients.

Step 7 – Create Packages To Generate Profit For Your Online Nutrition Business

After reviewing the insurance you need to operate an online nutrition coaching business, you’ll then need to consider the packages you want to offer.

During your research, you may have found different ways to create packages. However, if you’re looking for a sustainable income, the best packages should be monthly based.

Alongside creating monthly packages, you should also keep package details clear. This will help the customer understand exactly what services they’re receiving.

It will also inform them of the price associated with the service. For example, you may want to offer an initial assessment as part of your package.

You would also want to sell the package for £130 and time restrict consultations to a maximum of 60 minutes and detail what the consultations include; such as self-assessments and calorie intake.

It’s also important to make sure your packages are self-contained, offering the right services for the right audience.

This will prevent you from receiving complaints that clients were mis-sold a package because they expected a different set of services.

A great example of how a company markets its packages this way is Therapeutic Kitchen:

As you can see from their packages, the more expensive options offer more follow-up consultations.

They are also time-restricted, so clients understand how much time they will spend with the nutritionist and what they’ll be receiving for their money.

Eat Fresh and Feel Good below follows this model too, offering packages with time-restricted consultations and follow-ups as part of their fortnightly or monthly packages:

When you’re considering packages to sell, make sure your customers understand how long their packages will last, along with the length of the consultations.

Now that you’ve seen the different packages you could create, let’s explore the marketing tools you could use to advertise them and attract customers.

Step 8 – Learn What Marketing Tools You Can Use To Attract Customers

After you’ve created your packages, you’ll then want to know how to promote your nutrition coaching business online to attract clients.

There are different methods you can use to bring in new clients, let’s take a deeper look at some of these examples.

Develop An SEO Strategy to Boost Your Search Rankings

The purpose of SEO is to increase the quantity and quality of visitors to your website by targeting unpaid traffic.

If you optimise your website’s SEO performance it will help you appear higher in search results, attracting more people to your website.

This can be done by using keywords in the information appearing on your website which matches the words people are searching for.

Ahrefs, for example, is an SEO search tool that can help you find the keywords to include on your site.

If you wanted to search for ‘online nutrition coach’ you would get the following matching terms:

You can then use the primary keyword listed here ‘nutrition coach online’ and some of the other keywords with lesser scores to generate content on your site.

These scores represent the number of monthly searches being completed on Google. The higher the volume of search the more people are looking for services related to that keyword.

It’s also important to make sure you don’t use a keyword too often as this can hurt the SEO ranking of your website on Google.

You can see on Google that when you search for ‘nutrition coach online’ that PHNutrition ranks highest on Google:

This indicates that their website has been optimised on Google’s search rankings to organically rank at the top of the page, which attracts the most traffic to your website.

Use Social Media To Reach New Clients

Thanks to social media you can reach a wide audience and have better engagement with people interested in retaining your services.

This can be achieved using hashtags in posts to attract users to your social media account and help them learn about your services.

For example, if you search ‘nutrition coach’ as a hashtag in one of your Instagram posts, it will appear here in search results for people to discover:

Alternatively, you can use stories on your Instagram account to promote your services and expertise so people are aware of what you can offer them.

If you visit shredtrition_by_sarah fitness and nutrition coaching page, you’ll see that they offer a series of stories for you to learn about their nutrition knowledge which will make you want to learn the nutrition packages they offer:

Alternatively, you can use the bio section to create captivating introductions that make people aware of the services you offer.

The Foodie Dietitian, for example, highlights her areas of expertise to offer an overview of the list of services she could provide:

Including her website in the description as well, will encourage people to click on this link to learn about her additional services.

Take Advantage Of Paid Social Media Ads

Social media ads tend to have higher conversion rates, meaning people who inquire about your services are likely to purchase them.

One of the ways this can be achieved is by identifying your target demographic on Facebook’s Ad Manager.

According to data held by Statista, the average North East of England has the highest levels of obesity and people aged 45-74 were more likely to be overweight according to data by the UK Government.

In Facebook’s ad manager, you’ll use these locations and age ranges to optimise your business’ ad performance and make sure it reaches the right audience.

To make sure you’re Facebook Ads don’t run over budget, you can follow these steps on Facebook’s help page:

A great way to market yourself is to find a unique service you can offer people that your competitors don’t provide.

An example of this can be found by Jess Wilson Nutrition, which is currently a 1-Day Gut Flush Challenge as a free download:

If you have a unique service that you want to promote on Facebook ads, you may wish to offer a free download (as Jess has done) for yourself to promote the packages you wish to sell.

This could take the form of a free recipe for people interested in eating healthily, which when they download, informs them of the full package they could purchase.

Use Google Ads To Boost Your Business Search Rankings

You can use Google Ads to promote your services, sell products and generate traffic to your website since ads typically appear at the top of Google results pages which massively increases your visibility.

With any advert, you need to make sure you have clear business and advertising goals. This will help you optimise the performance of your advert.

You also need to make sure you know what keywords to use, alongside the description you want to appear in the Google preview to provide the correct information to users.

If you search for ‘online nutrition coach UK’, you can see ads that appear at the top of this Google search result:

After reading the Google preview for BodyScan UK, you see that they offer a wide range of services including nutrition planning and diet meal plans.

If a reader is interested in these services they could then learn further information about these services by clicking on the advert and clicking on the ‘Start Nutrition Coaching Now’ button:

When you create a well-purposed ad, make sure it directs people to a landing page where they can learn more about your packages but also offers them an easy opportunity to purchase one of them.

Now that you’ve had a brief look at some of the nutrition business marketing techniques, we’re confident you can implement them to help your online nutrition coaching business thrive.

Before You Go!

After reading this article, we hope you have the information you need to successfully start your own nutrition business.

Remember, if ’re looking to launch a career as a nutritionist, OriGym’s Sports Nutrition qualification can help give you the kickstart you need.

You can also discover the wide range of courses we offer by downloading our FREE course prospectus.

Wherever you are in your fitness career, this article will tell you everything you need to do to become a fitness nutrition specialist.

We’ll run through each stage of the process including:

• Step 1: Get the Right Qualifications to Become a Nutrition Specialist
• Step 2: Source the Best Insurance for Fitness Nutrition Specialist Jobs
• Step 3: How to Become a Fitness Nutrition Specialist with the Right Work
• Step 4: Marketing Yourself Once You’ve Become a Fitness Nutrition Specialist
• Step 5: How to Advance as a Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist

We’ll run through qualifications in more detail throughout this article, but the best way to develop your niche is with OriGym’s nutrition courses!

You can find out details of all the courses we offer with our free downloadable course prospectus!

Step 1: Get the Right Qualifications to Become a Nutrition Specialist

Before you can become a fitness nutrition specialist, the most important thing you need to do is get the best qualifications.

If you want to know how to become a certified fitness nutrition specialist there are a few different qualifications you’ll need to advertise this as your niche.

Of course, the most important qualification you’ll need is one specific to diet and nutrition. A Level 4 Nutrition course will have everything you need to get started.

The reason this is the baseline qualification you’ll need is that there are no entry requirements for this particular course.

This means you can get started whenever you’re ready and start learning the essential knowledge and expertise you’ll need to start working with clients.

If you want to become a nutritionist with a Level 4 course you’ll cover the following bases:

• What macro and micro nutrition is and how it can affect performance and energy expenditure. This will help design a diet plan to support different levels of activity
• Understanding nutrition legislation so that you know the legalities involved in food labelling and nutrition so you can work safely and effectively with clients
• Learn the connection between nutrition and physical activity so you have an understanding of how to support exercise with nutrition

You’ll also learn about the individual needs of some special populations such as the elderly, pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Of course, this will only enable you to work with individuals based around supporting certain exercises with nutrition, rather than helping with the exercise itself.

To become a fitness nutrition specialist, you’ll want to do both, and so you’ll also want to gain a Level 3 Personal Training certificate.

Just as you’ll use nutrition to support somebody’s fitness levels and any exercise regime they’re already doing, you can also offer the exercise regime yourself to offer a full, bespoke programme for clients.

If you complete a personal training diploma you’ll be able to create a full exercise programme as well as write a meal plan for your clients, supporting their goals in a more well-rounded way.

Fitness courses like these will allow you to become a personal trainer who specialises in nutrition as well as a nutritionist who specialises in sports and exercise.

This will also mean that you can earn more because you’ll be able to charge more for these well-rounded services and complete packages.

Step 2: Get the Right Insurance for Fitness Nutrition Specialist Jobs

Once you’ve gained your qualifications, you’ll need to make sure you’re insured to become a fitness nutrition specialist and work with clients one-to-one.

You’re not legally allowed to practise as a fitness professional without the right PT insurance so it’s vital that you secure this before working with people.

Having the right insurance will mean that if people make any claims against you because they deem injury or illness to have been as a result of your training or advice, you’ll be protected from the fees.

Whether you need to source this for yourself will depend on how you choose to work.

Whilst you’re building up your work experience (which we’ll cover in the next section) you might have cover from the gym you’re working in.

However, once you’ve built up your business, any work you do freelance or independently will mean sourcing your own insurance and making sure you’re protected from any legal fees.

There’s a few different kinds of insurance you’ll need to make sure you have. We’ll run through each of them now!

Public Liability Insurance

Any public facing role needs public liability insurance. This is the most important kind of insurance for any fitness professional as this protects you from claims that your actions have led to injury or illness.

If you become a fitness nutrition specialist you won’t just be giving advice and designing a nutrition plan.

You’ll also sometimes complete physical activities and tests for your clients including:

• Use certain equipment for exercises
• Do hands on adjustments, with a client’s consent, to help them complete an exercise
• Do a functional movement screening (testing mobility and flexibility of your clients)

It also protects you from any accident or injury sustained whilst under your care, whether it’s directly related to the service you provide or not.

For example, if a client trips on a wire attached to your laptop whilst you’re discussing their nutrition plan they might suggest you’re liable for the injury.

Public liability insurance protects you from the cost of the legal fees as well as any compensation you have to pay as a result.

Professional Treatment Liability Insurance

Similar to professional indemnity insurance, this protects you from any claims that injury or illness was as a result of your professional advice.

In fitness nutrition specialist jobs you may have clients where you’re purely giving them advice and designing a nutrition plan so you need to be protected from these claims.

For example, somebody may react badly to a particular kind of food or may decide to blame a stomach bug on your nutrition plan.

In this situation you’ll be protected should there be any cost to you or your business either to argue the case or if any compensation should be needed.

Personal Accident Insurance

The next kind of insurance you’ll need is personal accident, to protect you for if you harm yourself or injure yourself whilst you’re working.

This will protect you from having to pay for any rehabilitation or treatment should these costs incur for recovery.

For example, if you need to have private physio or other rehabilitative treatment, this will be covered by this kind of policy.

You can also combine this with loss of earnings insurance which will protect you from any money lost should this injury or illness lead to loss of work.

If you’re unable to work with clients whilst you recover, loss of earnings insurance will pay you a certain amount so that you can keep your personal and business expenses afloat!

Equipment Insurance

If you want to know how to become a fitness nutrition specialist another important type of insurance you’ll have to include in your policy is equipment insurance.

This will protect you from having to pay out should your equipment become damaged by a client during a session.

This will also protect you if you’re working freelance in a rented space with equipment like a gym or fitness facility.

If you’re working out of a gym, especially early in your career, a policy like this will protect you if you or a client accidentally damages the equipment.

You won’t have to fork out for the cost of any repairs, or to replace anything that becomes broken.

You can set the amount you want to pay and the amount you want to be covered for, depending on how you work and the equipment you want to have covered.

The maximum you can get from Insure4Sport, the leading provider of fitness insurance, is £50,000 so you should hopefully be covered for most expenses!

Step 3: How to Become a Fitness Nutrition Specialist with Work Experience

Once you’re qualified, and you’ve secured the right insurance, you’ll need work experience to develop the essential nutritionist skills to become a fitness nutrition specialist.

Offering a combination of fitness and nutrition will mean that, at least at the start of your career, you should gain some experience working with a wide range of clients in a gym or fitness facility.

You’ll have the security of a position behind you whilst you build up your client list and develop a niche based on what you like best and how best you work with different goals.

If you start by working as a PT in a gym, you can offer and prioritise nutrition packages and gain experience working with individual clients.

This will mean you can test out your business model and will have the stability to tweak as you go along, choosing what works best for you!

As you can see, having a nutrition qualification can often be an advantage in securing some of the highest paid fitness jobs in a gym:

As part of your role as a PT you can prioritise the nutrition side of things and gain invaluable experience for future fitness nutrition specialist jobs specifically.

Then you’ll be prepared and aware of how to work with a whole host of different clients and be experienced enough to break out on your own, either freelance or as an independent company.

Step 4: Marketing Yourself Once You’ve Become a Fitness Nutrition Specialist

Once you’re qualified to become a fitness nutrition specialist and you’ve sourced the right insurance, you’ll need to be able to market yourself to secure more advanced fitness nutrition specialist jobs.

We’ll run through some of the essential methods of doing this so you know how you can promote yourself and your business!

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If you’re enjoying this article, why don’t you give these a read?

• Become A Nutritionist
• Become A Nutritionist Online
• Sports Nutritionist Salary

Include ‘Fitness Nutrition Specialist’ in Your Social Media Bio

One of the most important things you can do once you’ve become a fitness nutrition specialist is ensure that you advertise it on your social media platforms!

Including this title when you write a nutritionist bio will mean that your pages are much more likely to show whenever people are searching for your kind of services.

This is part of what’s called SEO in marketing, or ‘Search Engine Optimisation’, meaning you’re including keywords that are frequently searched for by your target market!

If someone is looking for a fitness nutrition specialist, you want them to easily find you and your services.

It’s no use having impressive content that showcases your expertise if people can’t find it! This is why you need to make sure you include your title in your bio.

From there, your content and other personal trainer marketing strategies can be used to promote you as a fitness nutrition specialist.

It will also mean people can immediately identify what it is you’re offering and prepare them better for making an enquiry or booking for your services!

A great example of this is Jessica Jaynes who’s written a succinct bio that tells you exactly what she’s offering and her particular expertise:

As you can see, she has plenty of followers and potential clients will be able to identify straight away what services she offers!

Not only has she got her title next to her name, but she’s also broken down this role in her bio too which is something you could do to give a clear message to potential clients.

How to Become a Fitness Nutrition Specialist with the Most Engaging Content

Once you’ve attracted people to your social media page, you want to make sure that your content will secure your fitness nutrition specialist jobs.

You can gain more clients by having content that displays your expertise and your record of success with people you’re currently working with or have worked with in the past.

You should be aware of exactly who your target audience is and the specific audience you want to cater to so that you can provide content they’ll want to see.

For example, if you want to become a fitness nutrition specialist and you’re interested in training pregnant clients, you should make sure you’re showcasing advice specific to this demographic.

Elizabeth at The Pregnancy Nutritionist is a great example of this:

She’s used plenty of nutrition coach hashtags specific to this niche to make sure people can find her content.

She’s also offering advice through her posts to showcase her expertise and what she could do to help potential clients.

You can do the same by including some of the following personal trainer social media ideas in your content:

• Recipe ideas
• Busting common misconceptions and myths
• How to guides for particular exercises
• Lists of your top suggestions for a particular goal or food group
• Transformations and client testimonials

This last one is particularly important to show your previous successes and to convince potential clients of your ability to help them reach their goals!

You can do this either by taking transformation pictures yourself or by sharing content generated by your clients..

This is what Sam Russo has done with a highlight on her Instagram showing client testimonials:

Showing previous client’s success stories will inspire people to get in touch and start their journey using your services!

Become a Fitness Nutrition Specialist Using Social Media Ads

Another thing you can do to gain more clients and boost your fitness nutrition specialist salary is to use paid advertisements.

You can set up fitness Facebook ads and Instagram ads to boost engagement and get more people to sign up for your services.

The reason these are a great investment is because of the reach of social media platforms.

Think of how many people are scrolling per day and you have an idea of how many people you could reach with your content!

The Meta platform, used to design both Instagram and Facebook ads, is easy to use and you can set up an ad for as long as you like, setting a budget that suits your nutrition business plan!

You can decide on two different options with social media ads in terms of how you set them up and pay:

• Pay-per-impression
• Pay-per-click

Most people choose to go with pay-per-click as this is when you only pay if somebody clicks through the ad to your desired web page or enquiry form.

You’ll need to create a Facebook account and register as a business page in order to create these ads and start getting more leads on clients.

You can then set an objective for your ad, meaning what you want to get out of it, whether that’s more followers or more sales, and target a specific audience.

Here’s an example of what our own Instagram ads look like, which show up in discover, on stories, and reels too:

And here’s what an ad will typically look like on Facebook:

This one from G’s Health and Fitness tells you about exactly what she offers and how it can benefit her potential clients as well as a video to add a personal element.

Including yourself in the content for a business you’re the face of will help with brand recognition and make you stand out and seem more trustworthy.

Step 5: How to Advance as a Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist

If you want to know how to become a fitness nutrition specialist with a unique selling point (USP), you can enhance your expertise and business with further qualifications.

You can do this with more advanced PT courses or with CPD fitness courses (continued professional development).

We’ll run through some of the best ones for you to specialise with now, so that you know what’s included and how they can boost your fitness nutrition specialist salary!

Hydration for Sport and Exercise CPD

This course will teach you about the fundamentals and physiology of water and hydration and how this can affect fitness.

You’ll learn more about exactly what happens to the body during overhydration and dehydration, and how this can influence the way we exercise.

This will not only help inform and explain the advice you give to your clients, it will also help you to design a hydration element of a diet plan or nutrition programme.

This will help you to give your clients a more well-rounded service, as well as help them get even better results.

It will also help you to gain more clients and make more money as a PT and nutritionist because you’ll offer a more in-depth and unique service.

OriGym’s course is the first and only one in the country to specialise in this and be REP accredited so, if you invest in this course, you can give yourself a rare niche to attract more clients!

It’s the perfect crossover course to inform both fitness and nutrition so it’s a worthy investment if you want to become a fitness nutrition specialist!

Level 4 Diabetes Certification Course

A Level 4 diabetes control and weight management course is great if you want to become a fitness nutrition specialist who can help with specific medical conditions.

This course will build on a diploma in personal training as well as your nutrition qualification to teach you more in depth about the dietary and nutritional needs of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

You will learn how to assess and measure diabetes in your clients to come up with the best way of dealing with their condition from a nutrition and fitness point of view.

You’ll also learn the extra precautions needed for training clients with diabetes so that you can be safe and effective and offer advice that will work for the people you work with!

This includes designing weight loss programmes and coming up with in-depth dietary advice for how your clients can lose weight safely, and with their condition in mind, without compromising results!

All of this will provide you with everything you need to advertise yourself as a diabetes specialist and target that specific market.

Level 4 Obesity & Weight Management Course

Last on our list of courses that can help you develop a further niche when you become a fitness nutrition specialist is an obesity and weight management qualification.

This course will teach you everything you need to know to specialise in weight loss and weight management.

You’ll be able to work with both clinically obese clients as well as just those who need help losing weight with a diet and exercise programme.

Obviously this is one of the most common goals so if you complete this course you could become a fitness nutrition specialist who caters to both a specific client as well as having one of the most useful, and most popular, niche skill sets.

You’ll learn the following about obesity to help you work with this specific demographic and work in a more medically informed capacity:

• Causes of obesity
• Health problems associated with it
• Symptoms

You’ll then be able to design a variety of weight loss plans and help achieve long-term behaviour change for your PT clients.

This is vital for maintaining these goals for your clients and helping change their attitude towards food and exercise in the long term.

Before You Go!

That concludes our article on how to become a fitness nutrition specialist. Hopefully, now you feel prepared to embark on your new career and know exactly where to start!

Don’t forget to check out our Level 4 Nutrition course and see how it can help you get started with the foundation of knowledge you need. You can also find out more with our free course prospectus!

If you’re interested in working in the world of nutrition, you may be wondering what the role of a nutrition coach is.

In this article, we’ll tell you exactly what being a nutrition coach entails, and cover any questions that you may have regarding this role.

Contents:

• What Exactly is a Nutrition Coach?
• Qualifications Required to Become a Nutrition Coach
• What is the Role of a Nutrition Coach?

Before we start, why not check out OriGym’s OriGym’s online sports nutrition courses? We’ll cover this in more detail later in our article but this will provide everything you need to know to practice as a nutrition coach!

You can find out more details if you download our course prospectus here for free!

What Exactly is a Nutrition Coach?

Firstly, let’s run through a nutrition coach definition so you know exactly what one is! 

Nutrition coaches are exercise and nutrition professionals, who are qualified to provide general advice and support to clients to make healthier choices in their food and drink consumption.

This guidance is aimed at educating clients on how and why their diet and the foods they eat can affect:

• General health
• How they feel
• The way they train
• Their performance 

The nutrition coach definition is often determined by the qualifications they’ve obtained as to be other nutrition professionals you often need to be educated to degree level.

Rather than completing a degree, those wanting to become a nutrition coach or become a nutritionist often pursue a more vocational route, which we will explore in more detail in our next section.

Qualifications Required to Become a Nutrition Coach

The biggest difference between a nutrition coach and other nutritional professionals is the qualifications required to do so.

We’ll have a look at these now, telling you what exactly you’ll learn and how it will help you fulfil the role of a nutrition coach!

A Level 4 Nutrition Course

To fulfil the role of a nutrition coach you won’t need a degree but can complete a vocational Level 4 nutrition course. 

This is the ideal option to provide you with all the fundamental knowledge and skills needed to work as a nutrition coach.

You learn how to cater nutritional advice to special populations, such as the elderly or pregnant and breastfeeding women. This way you’ll be able to cater to as broad a client range as possible.

You’ll also learn the relationship between nutrition and physical activity. This will help you to be mindful of how people’s lifestyles will affect their diet and vice versa.

One of the other essential parts is of course detailed information about macro and micronutrient content and what the optimum levels of these are for different age groups and activity levels.

This will help you to give accurate and effective advice to clients and help them achieve their goals as well as making long-term changes.

The more you can explain to your clients and inform them of the benefits of eating in a certain way, the more likely they are to stick to your advice and make lifestyle changes rather than temporary adjustments.

Upon completion, you’ll be able to advertise yourself as a qualified nutrition advisor, offering dieting assistance and nutrition advice to your clients!

A Diploma in Personal Training

Plenty of people combine a Level 4 nutrition qualification with personal trainer courses so that they can offer a broader range of advice and provide bespoke programmes for clients.

You may wonder, can a personal trainer offer nutritional advice? You will learn some basics of nutrition with a PT course but you will need to complete a nutrition specific course if you want to call yourself a nutrition coach.

A diploma in personal training combines a Level 2 fitness instructor course and a Level 3 personal trainer qualification, allowing you to work with individuals tailoring a plan to their specific needs. 

This will also allow you to increase your income because you’ll be able to provide exercise and nutrition advice together, working one-on-one with a client to suggest how to support their training with their diet and vice versa.

For example, Mandy at Eat Well & Exercise offers all of this and advertises herself as both a personal trainer and a nutrition coach:

Clients are much more likely to see results with a combination of nutritional advice and exercise and, by offering both, you’ll be boosting your reputation for success and your income at the same time!

What is the Role of a Nutrition Coach?

In this section we’re going to answer the question ‘what does a nutrition coach do?’, by breaking down their exact roles and responsibilities.

Nutrition coaching often involves helping with changing behaviours so that clients have the tools to make long-lasting, positive lifestyle changes to achieve their health and fitness goals.

A nutrition coach (compared to a nutritionist or a dietician) can provide general advice but isn’t qualified to be part of the medical treatment of complex dietary needs or medical conditions.

Nutrition coaches tend to work in a variety of non-clinical, less formal settings, including:

• Online
• In gyms and health centres
• For charities
• In schools

Within these settings, they work with individuals on a one-to-one basis, who are looking for general nutritional guidance to help them implement change. This includes:

• Those wanting to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way
• Clients wanting to improve their relationship with food
• Clients looking to optimise their nutrition to help meet their fitness-related goals

This is why it’s common for a nutrition coach to do so in tandem with becoming a personal trainer, and vice versa, so that they can offer a holistic approach to goals combining exercise and nutrition.

Nutrition coach roles also sometimes involve working with small groups and running educational seminars on how nutrition relates to weight and general health management.

The Role of a Nutrition Coach is to Find Out About the Client’s Current Lifestyle 

So, now you know the nutrition coach definition, and the basis of what they do, what else does a nutrition coach do to help people achieve these long term behaviour changes and goals?

The first step is for the coach to determine people’s lifestyle choices and habits such as:

• The client’s job and working hours
• Home and family life
• Interests and hobbies
• Sleeping habits
• What the client eats on a day-to-day basis
• Exercise habits

Gathering this information together enables the coach to build a clear image of a client’s motivations, so that they can help them to clarify their health and nutrition goals.

For instance, a client may approach a nutrition coach with the intention of wanting to achieve a fitness-related goal, such as building muscle.

The coach will help them to come up with a nutrition goal that will support the client’s overall fitness aims. 

In this case, they’d advise the client that to build muscle, they’ll need to be in a caloric surplus, meaning that they need to consume more calories than they burn.

They would then discuss the factors mentioned above so they can determine a realistic way of integrating dietary changes into their timetable and lifestyle.

Identifying Barriers to Change is One of the Most Important Nutrition Coach Roles 

After considering all of the factors of somebody’s behaviour and habits, what does a nutrition coach do next to help implement these changes?

One of the most important steps in a nutrition coach’s work with a client is identifying obstacles that could potentially prevent or complicate reaching their goals.

For example, a client could approach a coach with a goal of losing weight. In the initial consultation, they may have learned that the client works a 9 to 5 office job, 5 days a week, and has two children to care for.

In this case, a barrier to change that the coach may identify is time. The client may feel that they have little time to fit activities into their weekly routine such as:

• Exercise
• Purchasing healthy foods
• Meal prep

Being sedentary in an office job could also be another barrier to change that a coach may identify as there’s not a lot of physical movement or activity throughout the day.

In an office job, the client is likely to spend less time standing up, walking around, and generally being active throughout the day.

The role of a nutrition coach is to then take these barriers into account when advising clients and helping them to overcome them in order to achieve their goals.

For instance, in the case of a client with an office job, they may suggest making some small lifestyle changes that the client can easily fit in between their working hours and duties as a parent.

This could include strategies such as:

• Having half a weekend day as meal prep day and cooking something that can be portioned for throughout the week
• Going for a walk at lunchtime instead of remaining at their desk
• Meal ideas and recipes that take less than 30 minutes to cook

Nutrition Coach Roles and Responsibilities Include Taking Physical Measurements of Clients

Alongside providing advice, it’s also the role of a nutrition coach to track the progress of their clients.

Though the roles can be very similar, this is something that marks a nutrition coach vs a nutritionist as rather than working with medical professionals or in a medical capacity the role of a nutrition coach is to provide advice and guidance rather than prescribe a meal plan.

The nutritional advice provided will usually be part of a fitness programme and provide a holistic approach to reaching goals over time. This includes things like taking measurements and tracking figures over time.

One way that they may do this is by taking physical measurements, such as:

• Body fat percentage
• Height
• Weight
• Body circumferences

Based on these factors, the coach can then advise individual clients on how much they should be eating in order to achieve their goals.

For example, a nutrition coach can use the factors discussed above to calculate the number of calories that the client should be consuming a day in order to put themselves into a caloric deficit to lose weight.

This will also include advising about which food groups to privilege and what kind of foods the client can be prioritising such as proteins, good fats, and keeping processed carbohydrates to a minimum.

Coaches will perform this task multiple times, both before and during a client’s journey, to ensure that they are making continual progress towards their goals.

A nutrition coach can then tweak the advice they give based on any changes to the client’s body or if a plateau has been hit and the approach needs to be changed.

This is also great for the client as seeing the progress they’ve made will help them to maintain their behaviour changes. 

Monitoring Client Progress is Another of the Key Nutrition Coach Roles

As well as numerical indicators, nutrition coaches may also take a more holistic approach to monitoring the progress of their clients.

For instance, they will take into account factors such as:

• If and how the client has implemented the advice given
• Any challenges that the client faced
• How the client feels as a result, including mood changes, stress levels, sleep quality, and hunger levels.

When it comes to the role of a nutrition coach, these factors are just as important as measurements in terms of indicating how well a client is able to adhere to the coach’s recommendations.

Approaching health and wellness holistically allows the coach to address any emotional struggles that may be preventing clients from implementing long-lasting lifestyle change.

Based on the outcome of the first few weeks with a new client, the coach can then provide advice for the client on the best course of action for them to take.

Nutrition coaches will continue to review these holistic factors along with the client’s physical measurements, to ensure that their advice is relevant for the client’s current goals.

Providing Educational Resources on Healthy Food Choices is One of the Key Nutrition Coach Roles

As well as providing one-to-one coaching, nutrition coaches may choose to expand their services by creating educational resources for clients, the general public, and other health professionals to use.

They may create information packs, leaflets, and handouts on topics relating to:

• Nutrition
• Health and wellness
• Weight management
• Advice for other nutrition coaches

Whether online or in-person, making these resources available not only helps coaches to educate their current clients, but also attracts those looking for information on making healthier choices.

Providing educational resources is therefore also a great marketing strategy for nutrition coaches to capture the interest of potential clients.

As well as creating resources, nutrition coaches may also reach out to their local community, visiting places such as schools and community centres to provide educational opportunities.

For example, they may run healthy cooking workshops, or seminars teaching the importance of making healthy food choices.

They may also be hired by HR managers as part of a corporate health and wellness strategy, to give talks to employees on the benefits of consuming a healthy meal whilst working.

Taking the time to give back to the local community enables nutrition coaches to make themselves known to the people in their area.

Sharing their knowledge allows them to build up their reputation as an expert in their field, as well as recruit potential clients from their target market who may be interested in one-to-one coaching.

– – – – 

Finding this article helpful? We’ve got plenty of others for you to check about advancing as a fitness professional and helping a range of clients:

• FREE Nutrition Courses: Are They Worth it?
• How To Start A Sports Nutrition Business
• Start An Online Nutrition Business

The Role of a Nutrition Coach Involves Using Analytics Tools and Software to Support Clients

Using various tools and software makes it easier for nutrition coaches to check in with their clients, particularly if they have a large client base.

This is because it allows the coach to be more organised and access all of their clients’ details in one place.

These details include data such as:

• Client goals
• Medical information, including allergies and medical conditions
• Food preferences
• Physical measurements and other health indicators, such as sleep quality

Having this information available at the touch of a button makes it easier to track client progress.

This also reduces their administrative load, allowing the role of a nutrition coach to be more focused on working with clients directly, providing updated advice and recommendations for them.

Having systems in place which allow clients to check in and track their progress also streamlines the process for clients. 

For instance, using the software means they’ll know exactly how, when, and where to go to check in with their coach.

The easier this process is for clients, the more likely they are to put the coach’s recommendations into action and make those important long-term lifestyle changes. 

An example of the type of software that would be used by nutrition coaches is Healthie.

This is an ideal piece of software for coaches, as it allows them to send useful links, documents, and images, to share valuable information outside of sessions.

Some more important pieces of software for the role of a nutrition coach are food-tracking apps. 

These allow both the client and nutrition coach to track meals, and exercise, and use this information to identify any problems to make adjustments.

Some examples of these apps include:

• MyFitnessPal
• MyPlate
• Lifesum

These apps have a food database feature, where clients can see the calorie and macronutrient content of different foods, and track it into their daily food diary.

They are easy to navigate and use, with features such as a barcode scanner allowing clients to track their food quickly and conveniently.

If a client is struggling, for example, to lose weight, the coach can see exactly where they are going wrong. They can then make further recommendations to help them progress closer to their goals.

For instance, they may be able to see that the client is skipping breakfast, then consuming higher calorie meals and snacks that are pushing them over their daily caloric goal. 

They can then recommend healthy breakfast options that will keep clients satisfied, and reduce the risk of overeating later on in the day.

The Role of a Nutrition Coach is to Make Appropriate Referrals to Other Health Professionals

When considering nutrition coach roles and responsibilities, there are some duties that will be out of their scope of practice.

This includes providing any medical treatments which can only be prescribed by medical professionals and registered dieticians.

Other services which are outside the nutrition coach’s scope of practice are:

• Prescribing specific meal plans
• Offering nutritional therapy to treat disease
• Diagnosing eating disorders

Therefore, sometimes the role of a nutrition coach is to refer clients to health professionals, such as doctors, mental health professionals, and dieticians, if something falls outside of this scope of practice.

This is why sometimes the role of a nutritionist coach is to refer clients to other health professionals such as:

• Doctors
• Mental health professionals
• Dieticians

If a client needs medical help then this falls outside of the advice that a nutritionist coach can provide.

They should also make a referral if they have any concerns about a client’s wellbeing or safety. 

For instance, if a client is severely undereating and the coach suspects that they may have an eating disorder.

Failing to seek medical advice could result in the client’s condition worsening, particularly if they consume the wrong type or quantity of food, which could be harmful to them.

A nutrition coach could potentially work in tandem with medical professionals as part of a training programme, if they complete an exercise referral course.

Although being prescriptive is out of their scope of practice, coaches can give recommendations about the foods that should be consumed by the client.

For instance, if a client with high cholesterol isn’t already, the nutrition coach could advise them to integrate two portions of oily fish, such as salmon, into their diet each week.

They can share tips and advice which will help a client but must be careful with their language, ensuring it is always framed as advice and suggestion rather than prescribed instruction.

Before You Go!

From the responsibilities to the qualifications required, you should now be aware of everything that you need to know about the role of a nutrition coach!

Don’t forget, if you’re interested in pursuing a fitness career you can check out our nutrition qualification or you can download our course prospectus for free!

So, you want to know how to become a nutrition coach (UK)? We have 7 steps to success here covering everything you need to know including:

• Step 1 – Secure The Right Nutrition Coach Qualifications
• Step 2 – Decide On Where You’ll Run Your Nutrition Coaching
• Step 3 – Conducting Effective Market Research Is A Key Part Of Being A Nutrition Coach
• Step 4 – Secure The Right Legal Coverage For Your Nutrition Coaching Business
• Step 5 – Your Nutrition Coach Career Starts With An Effective Business Plan
• Step 6 – Implement An Effective Pricing Structure To Maximise Your Nutrition Coach Profits
• Step 7 – Start Marketing Yourself As A Nutrition Coach

From start to finish, we’re here to help, but before we get straight into step 1, if you’re ready to get qualified already, why not find out more about our Level 4 in Advanced Sports Nutrition Course? Find this and many other health and fitness courses in our downloadable course prospectus. 

Step 1 – Secure The Right Nutrition Coach Qualifications

Your first step like in any job is making sure you meet the requirements as a minimum. Here are the qualifications you need and the ones that would be helpful to contribute to your CV.

Level 4 in Advanced Sports Nutrition

To become a certified nutrition coach, you’re going to of course need the certification, but what kind?

Well, you’ll need a Level 4 in Advanced Sports Nutrition, but not to worry though this is a Level 4 course, you don’t need any prerequisites to sign up. This course entails the necessary information so that you’re able to advise potential clientele on ways to make healthier choices to reach their goals. Once you have completed the course, you’re then able to begin advertising yourself as a qualified nutrition advisor.

It is within this course that you’ll learn the likes of:

• Macros and Micros
• Understand Nutrition Legislation
• Understand the Relationship Between Nutrition and Physical Activity

These are a deeper dive into what most people know as their diet, and it will qualify you for more holistic health coach based roles, like this one:

This job in particular is looking for a minimum of level 3 qualification in a relevant field, whereas our nutrition course is actually a level 4 so you may just tip the scale in your favour!

Not to mention the fact that this works hand in hand with the personal training clients, which is why this is such a popular complementary course to personal trainers – but more on that next.

Useful Additional Qualifications

Personal Training 

By becoming a personal trainer, you will learn a certain level of nutrition during a module of “applying nutritional principles to personal training”. This is due to the sheer importance of gaining knowledge on the relationship between exercise and food. Though it will help you to know this, it isn’t necessary to become a nutritionist.

Nonetheless, it is hugely beneficial to take this knowledge further and combine both a Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training and a Level 4 in Advanced Sports Nutrition. Though often many fitness professionals will progress onwards from the personal training course to nutrition, there is no reason why you can’t progress the other way too.

If your main focus is on how to be a nutrition coach above all else, there is a direct link between the food your clients eat, their energy intake, and their energy expenditure (exercise). It isn’t necessarily unusual to see this combination either, for example, take a look at this job advertisement below:

You are required to have a nutrition certification and have experience in 1-2-1 check-ins and calls. The only way you can train and coach on a 1-2-1 basis is to have a PT qualification, meaning both of these certifications will work incredibly well together.

With that in mind, it is a good idea to gain this PT qualification to not only get more knowledge behind you but to also maximise your income and have a more fulfilling fitness career.

Step 2 – Decide How and Where You’ll Conduct Your Nutrition Coaching

There is more than one route you can take when it comes to a career in nutrition. Here, we will discuss a few of the career routes you can take, including how to be an online nutrition coach, how to work as a freelancer and how to work in-house at an existing facility.

Work as an Online Nutrition Coach

A popular approach is working virtually as an online nutrition coach since it can work nicely alongside any other commitments like personal training clients.

This way, you wouldn’t need to worry about securing a location for consultations or meetings! You can operate solely from your phone or computer, opting to communicate via messaging services or by arranging video calls via Zoom or other platforms.

This would include sending weekly diet recommendations through text and holding check-ins to monitor client progress whenever and however you see fit.

The ease of access to get started makes this a popular choice for nutrition coaches to operate.

Conduct Your Nutrition Coaching as a Freelancer 1-2-1 

One of the more traditional routes of nutritional coaching is to have 1-2-1 sessions with clients of yours. This would include sitting down regularly and assessing your client’s diet.

This is arguably a more reliable method of getting to the root of any nagging dietary habits that could be hurting progress, but it is subjective to each client’s preference. If you want to do this there are some things you need to prepare.

You should have the correct equipment such as tape measures and body fat measures. These will help you to get more accurate results when tracking progress and meeting with clients.

Typically, you should meet up with your clients around once a week, depending on their goals and situations. This is aside from being contactable at other times during the working week too.

You also need to find out where you’ll conduct your 1-2-1 session. An office or consultation room is a highly professional option. Operating out of a private office your clients feel comfortable sharing any personal details with you.

It’s worth noting that this is standard for the likes of registered dieticians who can offer more in-depth and hands-on work with clients rather than a coach. As a nutrition coach, there isn’t a necessity to have in-house coaching since there are limitations to what you can offer.

A more casual alternative is to operate from a neat space in your own home or even to travel to your clients (provided they’re close enough). With this, you may lose a sense of professionalism but you’ll find yourself saving a lot of money that would otherwise be spent renting out an office space.

Become an In-House Nutrition Coach

Though it isn’t a common approach, you may find yourself wanting to become a nutrition coach within an institution or company.

Nonetheless, do note that when these jobs do arise or you’re searching on job boards, you wouldn’t be qualified to opt for a ‘nutritionist’ role.

It would either be advertised as a ‘nutritionist coach’ or a holistic ‘health coach’, like this example below:

If this is the kind of job role you want, ensure you’re looking for the word coaching, this is important since if they state ‘nutritionist’ it’s likely you’ll need a degree, not a vocational course.

The rest of the article will be focused on starting a nutrition coaching business as a freelancer working in person or online, which won’t be relevant if you intend to work in-house- in that case, check out sites like Indeed to look for relevant job listings!

How to Start an Online Nutrition Coaching Business

Online nutrition coaching is a much more accessible approach since you can keep in touch with clients more regularly and after the pandemic many industries were forced to move their services online and realised that this can still be a very fulfilling career.

With that in mind, you might want to consider how to become a certified nutrition coach online. First, the steps whether you’re an in-house or online nutrition coach are the same – you need to set up a business and ensure that you have the aforementioned qualifications behind you.

The beneficial thing about online coaching is that you can design the approach however you wish, for example, if you want to have clients on a 1-2-1 basis the same way you would in-house, this is certainly possible.

You can use the likes of Zoom to contact clients and have a meeting in the similar way you would in-house. However, with the development of apps and the ease of getting professional looking graphic work, having your services online can actually offer more.

For instance, accountability is a huge aspect of staying on track with food and diet and to help your clients tackle this, you could utilise the likes of group chats filled with like minded clientele that can encourage one another.

This keeps the momentum going and essentially, keeps them around as clients. However, if you want to take a different approach you can offer a package that is versatile to sell as a product. For example, take a look at this nutrition coach that does this below:

This can be a great way to get customers since there isn’t a commitment, but how do you ensure that you sell this package?

If you go for this online approach, you should be thinking about how you’re going to provide some level of incentive for customers to buy in the first place. This nutrition coach does this well, as you can see below:

You can see that among the other benefits you get with this, there are “New recipes added on a regular basis”. This is incredibly important since you want to provide more than a one off recipe book that they could get in a book shop.

To make it a valuable purchase, you should keep it updated, get in contact with clients and prove why you should invest into your coaching rather than your average recipe book.

Step 3 – Conducting Effective Market Research Is A Key Part Of Being A Nutrition Coach

So we’ve answered your initial question of how do you become a nutrition coach? But now you have your qualifications in place and you have decided whether you want to coach clients online, in-house or as a freelancer, you can start to begin to build your brand.

In order to build a successful business, you need to conduct research on your competitors and what is / isn’t working in your industry. Going in with no indication of what works and what doesn’t will not serve your business well.

Your first step and arguably one of the most important steps of building your brand is to conduct some competitor analysis.

This is essentially researching other nutrition coaches in your area so that you can assess factors such as:

• Their pricing structure
• How they structure their business model (e.g; one off payment or monthly rolling)
• Whether they offer in-house or online coaching
• Where they’re located & how this influences their pricing
• How they market their services

So how do you go about finding these things out? Here are two main ways of doing this:

Google My Business

A good place to start is by utilising GooglemyBusiness. You probably use this more often than you realise, but when it comes to competitor research this is a free way to find out a lot from a little.

First off, think about your location. This is a great place to start to distinguish the standards currently set in your area, for example, if you search “Nutrition coach in Liverpool” these are the first couple of GooglemyBusiness listings you will currently come across:

This is a great place to start since some insights can help inform your business choices. For example, within a GooglemyBusiness page, you can expect to find:

• Address
• Business site
• Social media pages
• Contact number
• Opening hours
• Questions and answers
• Reviews

The most important features that will inform your market research are the likes of the business, opening hours, Q&A’s and reviews.

One of the more important sections is the Q&A’s and reviews since this is going to provide a raw look into the business.

Reviews can tell you where the business needs improvement and thus, where you can fill this gap for potential clients. Similarly, questions and answers can show you what customers are asking, are they asking for a particular service to be brought back? If so, you could make sure you offer this.

Try to find out as much as you can from limited resources since this is a budget-friendly way to see past the advertisements the business owner posts.

Analyse Nutrition Coach Websites in your Area

Becoming a nutrition coach means scoping out your competition, business sites are the perfect way to do this.

For example, you can see below an example of a business that offers nutrition coaching and how they make their website actionable.

Not only is their site instantly actionable, but it stays consistent throughout while being descriptive about what they offer.

They are clear about the fact that they do not offer a dietician, which is important so you’re not confusing clients with what a nutrition coach is, since it is not a position in which you can prescribe meal plans.

As you can see on this example, they state they provide advice and support. While they also have an FAQs section which makes this abundantly clear, you can see that below:

This is a great place to do some market research since you can see what is done well. For example, you might want to have a similar structure to a website like this so taking note on how they advertise their services is super important.

As well as this, you can expect to find pricing information on business sites.

This is why you need to search for competitors in your area since location plays a huge role in determining pricing, but more on that later.

—–

If you want some more resources on a career in the nutrition industry, why not take a look at these articles below:

• How to Get Clients as a Nutritionist: 11 Top Tips
• 17 Best Nutrition Software for Professionals (2022)
• How to Write a Nutritionist Bio: Step-by-Step Guidance

Step 4 – Secure The Right Legal Coverage For Your Nutrition Coaching Business

Ensure you get Insurance to Run a Legitimate Nutrition Coaching Business

Insurance when you work in the health and fitness industry is vital, it is what will protect you, your employers if you have any, your business and of course, your clientele.

The key policies you need to look for are:

• Professional treatment liability insurance
• Public liability insurance
• Personal accident insurance

Providers such as Hiscox offer insurance for nutrition coaches, you can see below in their words why you need these policies, we’ve highlighted the most important snippets of each policy:

Even if you’re not a dietician or a degree-level nutritionist, if you’re working with any member of the public even if it is just informed advice they’re paying for your service. Thus, at the minimum, you’ll need Public Liability insurance.

Register Your Nutrition Coaching Business

Secondly, if you’re in the UK and you have gained your nutrition coach qualifications, you need to register your business.

This stage is probably a lot easier than you think, first, you just need to head over to the UK government website, you can find the relevant page here:

It looks like this below:

You can go through this process step by step, they take you through each essential task that you need to complete to register.

First, you do need to decide whether you want to practise as a sole trader or as a limited company, a limited company is likely to be the better option since your business becomes a separate entity to you personally.

If you do decide to go as a sole trader, though this isn’t necessarily the wrong thing to do, in fact it is a popular route, you should keep in mind that you’ll be personally liable for anything that happens to do with your business.

With that being said, below you can see the steps to register your limited company:

If you want to find out more about registering as a sole trader, you can find the relevant page here, if you’re just starting out this might be a preferable option since it is pretty easy to get started, you can see below what you need to do to set up as a sole trader:

It is pretty straight forward, so once you have decided which route you think is best for you and what stage you’re in your career, go ahead and follow the step-by-step on the Government website.

Step 5 – Your Nutrition Coach Career Starts with An Effective Business Plan

The next step when figuring out how to start a nutrition coaching business is to write a thorough business plan which can help you to find your starting point and get the ball rolling when it comes to setting up a business.

We have broken down the more detailed steps that your business plan needs to include in our extensive article on how to write a nutrition business plan here, but we will touch on the basic factors to consider below, such as:

Writing an Executive Summary

Your executive summary needs to include a formal introduction to your business and why you project its success. It is here that you’ll include your mission statement, say why you’re building a nutrition coach business and how you expect it to grow.

Description of your Company

You should be more specific in this section, it’s here you’re able to lay out your potential consumers and how you’re going to fill any gaps in the market in your area. Think about any specifics that make your nutrition coaching business different from your competitors.

Market Research Analysis

We spoke earlier about how you can go about market research, present your findings from these aforementioned researching tactics and describe how you’re going to solve any problems you see in your local market.

Management / Legal Structure

This is when you can get into the legalities that we spoke about earlier. Here, talk about if you’re a sole trader or limited company and why. Also, the insurance policies you hold and if you’re going to be hiring employees.

Marketing Strategy

We will talk about how you can market your nutrition coach business in more detail soon, but you need a strong marketing strategy in place – this will be a big percentage of your business plan.

Financial Projections & Funding Request Details (if necessary)

A formal business plan in this way should not just include financial projections for your sake of planning, but if you require funding and need investors, you should put here why they can trust your business with an investment. Are your financial projections viable?

You can of course add in any other details that are relevant to your business plan, the more useful details the better like dates and accurate projections but avoid filling it with fluff.

Step 6 – Implement An Effective Pricing Structure To Maximise Your Nutrition Coach Profits

Now, it’s time to put your market research into use and come up with a sensible yet effective structure to maximise your income.

There are some things that you need to be thinking about when deciding on a pricing strategy. Remember, it should be a strategy not a number plucked out of thin air.

Start by thinking about your outgoings for your business and your life. The end goal with starting a nutrition coaching business is to make profit, so don’t sell yourself short.

Your typical outgoings will include the likes of:

• 1-2-1 office rental & bills (if necessary)
• Insurance
• Creating a programme (graphics, logos etc.)
• Pay for your labour time
• Any necessary equipment (e.g. scales, body fat measures etc.)

As well as this, you need to anticipate how many students to expect, for example, do you already have a client base from personal training perhaps? Or are you new to the health and fitness industry all together?

While you make all of these decisions, you should still be keeping in mind that you want to offer a competitive price compared to other nutrition coaches in your area.

Something else that will factor into your pricing would be your deciding method of coaching; online or in person? Online will ultimately have less outgoings since you won’t be paying office bills or rent.

You must use your market analysis to inform this and also compare it to relevant businesses. For instance, if your plan is to operate from an office setting 1-2-1, avoid using examples of people who have become a nutrition coach online.

Our recommendation is to look at more evergreen choices of pricing, like membership packages.

By offering your services on a rolling basis, you will have the opportunity to retain clients for the long haul and make consistent new goals to keep them on board. For example, take a look at this coach that does this:

Once you press sign up, you’re taken to a payment screen where you can find the price, you can see what this looks like below:

This continued commitment is beneficial for you and the client, so it is worth taking this approach with a competitive price that can increase when you feel the demand requires such.

Step 7 – Start Marketing Yourself As A Nutrition Coach

The final step is to bring all of your planning together and start selling your nutrition coach services. Below, you can see some ways to effectively market your business from budget-friendly ways to ones that require a little more investment.

Ask People to Refer Their Friends & Family

Asking your peers to support your business is an opportunity that you may overlook, but it can go a long way.

This can work similarly to a referral programme in which you can offer some level of incentive for those who share your business among their friends and family. For example if you decide to use a referral method, you’re only going to have any outgoings if you already have a strong lead that is definitely going to become a client.

For instance, you could create a programme in which you offer a current client a referral code and if their referral signs up to a membership, they both get their first month 50% off.

This is a prime example of how you can get more strong leads that are actually likely to join.

Build A Website

Building a website may seem intimidating if you’ve never done it before, but with plenty of softwares being accessible it has become a lot easier.

You can use the likes of Wix, GoDaddy or SquareSpace. These can help you with templates and take you through the steps of setting up your website with consideration as to what your goal is.

For example, if you want a booking system and SEO help, you can access this through these website builders too.

If not, you can always use sites such as People per Hour or Fiverrr to hire somebody to do this for you, it will take a little investment but when it is complete, it will really help to drive traffic to your business and ultimately, make conversions.

Use Social Media to Reach New Students

Social media should always be a priority since it is a free way to maximise your engagement.

It can take some time to build, but by creating a business account on Instagram, you’re able to assess your engagement levels in terms of:

• How many people are seeing your posts
• Posts with the most engagement
• Other competitors

This is also a good place to put your contact information like an email address and phone number. You can put a face behind the brand here too, making it more personal and potential clients will appreciate this since to be a nutrition coach you should build up some level of trust.

Create a GoogleMyBusiness Page

We spoke about how you can use Googlemybusiness as a research tool, but using it to your advantage as a business is just as important.

You can create a listing for free, all you have to do is create a business profile and follow the steps by filling out the information we spoke about earlier, such as:

• Your business address
• Your business website
• Social media links
• Contact number
• Opening hours
• Questions and answers
• Reviews

By optimising these features, you can work your way onto the search-engine-results-page (SERP) and get noticed more. This will help your business and ultimately improve your professionalism.

Before You Go…

Now that you have all of the tools to become a nutrition coach, it is time to get your career on the road and take the first step in the right direction.

If you’re ready to get qualified, start by taking a level 4 course in advanced sports nutrition here at OriGym. Find this and many more health and fitness courses in our downloadable course prospectus here.

Though the two might sound similar, there is actually a distinct difference between a nutrition coach and a nutritionist when it comes to their responsibilities. We are here to explain both roles so you can decide which route you want to take if you’re interested in this as a career.

We’ll discuss the following topics:

• Nutrition Coach Vs Nutritionist: What Qualifications Do They Hold?
• Nutritionist vs Nutrition Coach: Where Do They Work?
• Understanding The Difference Between Nutrition Coach And Nutritionist Roles
• Nutrition Coach vs Nutritionist: Salary Expectations

Before we get straight into it if you’re ready to take the first step, check out OriGym’s Nutrition Course. Find this and many other health and fitness courses in our downloadable course prospectus. 

Nutrition Coach Vs Nutritionist: What Qualifications Do They Hold?

First off, to get going in the nutrition industry in any capacity, you must have the correct qualifications. That being said, let’s take a look at what the requirements are for both a nutrition coach vs a nutritionist.

What Qualifications Does A Nutritionist Have?

In comparison to the term ‘nutrition coach’, who will typically have a vocational qualification, a ‘registered nutritionist’ will generally have a degree level of education behind them.

However, you may often see the title ‘nutritionist’ still used for professionals who aren’t registered nor have a degree which can make the lines a little blurry.

So, for this article we are referring to Registered Nutritionists as ‘nutritionists’ and those who aren’t registered as a ‘nutrition coach’ to make it clear.

Some of the recognised degree titles that a Registered Nutritionist could have may include but are not limited to:

• Human nutrition
• Public health nutrition
• Nutrition and public health
• Food and nutrition

The UKVRN (UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists) holds a list of all accredited nutritionists, and to be a part of this, you’ll need a formally recognised qualification.

To become a registered nutritionist and get onto the UKVRN, you would be required to demonstrate that you have a degree or, as they put it – “be able to demonstrate significant professional experience at the equivalent of honours-degree level in nutrition science (usually a minimum of seven years)”

Registering this way means you can advertise your services as:

• Registered Nutritionist, RNutr
• Registered Associate Nutritionist, ANutr

You will also be able to gain public listings on UKVRN of registered status, which allows you to show off your reliability and works as a recognition from a regulator which will help potential clients find you.

The Qualifications A Nutrition Coach Holds

On the other hand, when comparing a certified nutrition coach vs a nutritionist the term ‘registered’ makes all the difference and is how potential clients can tell the difference between the educational background of the two titles.

A nutrition coach typically has vocational training, meaning they would have a level 4 qualification such as a Level 4 in Advanced sports nutrition.

Many nutrition coaches pair this kind of qualification with complementary courses in similar disciplines to enhance their level of education and improve employability prospects.

For example, a Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training has a module on nutrition, which can be furthered by the aforementioned Level 4 in nutrition. The reason for this combination is the implementation.

By completing this personal trainer course and holding their vocational nutrition qualification, a nutrition coach can provide clients with informed advice on training and eating right. This is ultimately going to provide an improved service for clients.

The two blend nicely together, which is why it is a popular option to do both courses to offer more fulfilling services to clients – for example, this PT below does just that and combines the two, you can see her services here:

The two of courses work hand in hand, you simply cannot outrun a bad diet so this is when a vocational additional course to somebody who is already in the fitness industry can be hugely beneficial.

Nutritionist vs Nutrition Coach: Where Do They Work?

There is a stark difference between nutritionist and nutrition coach working environments because there are varied levels of responsibility and limitations for both career choices. First, we’ll see where nutritionists work:

Where do Nutritionists Work?

Nutritionists can work in a clinical or non-clinical environment, so there is a huge array of potential job options.

Take a look at the list that Prospects puts forward below, this is for people who have a nutrition degree or equivalent experience and could potentially go on to do:

As you can see, some of these may be more so progression opportunities, yet they are still jobs that you could use your nutritionist degree as a stepping stone at the very least.

Also note, that these may not always be in the fitness industry, which is why those who want to combine nutrition with sport directly would often opt for a sports nutrition course since the content of this course is specific to this relationship.

For these prospective job roles, you could expect to work in the following environments as a nutritionist:

• Schools
• Colleges and universities
• Food industry manufacturers and retailers
• Gyms, leisure centres and health clubs
• Virtually / remotely

The locations in which you can work as a nutritionist are widely spread, or at least grant you the ability to climb the ladder and gain further qualifications if you want to go on to be a dietician for example.

Where do Nutrition Coaches Work?

On the other hand, you have nutrition coaches, who often work in the following places:

• Voluntary roles
• Community outreach projects
• Gyms and health centres
• Remotely or virtually (you can run an online nutrition coaching business)

A hugely popular approach to nutrition coaching is taking the online route, becoming an online nutritionist and running your own business.

There is a reason why this is such a popular entry route into the industry, it essentially is a cheaper and faster way to the same, if not better, career prospects and salary than taking a degree.

There is a common misconception that you have to have a degree or higher education to be successful as a nutrition coach, but it simply isn’t the case.

This is especially true if you’re willing to write a nutrition business plan and start your own company, since as the business owner, you can determine what qualifications you want your employees to have!

Whether you exclusively want to create meal plans for clients, offer 1-2-1 meetings and nutrition support, or offer nutrition plans as part of a wider personal training business, there are multiple possibilities for job opportunities.

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For some more resources on a career in the dietary industry, head over to these articles below:

• 17 Best Nutrition Software for Professionals (2023)
• How To Become A Nutritionist
• Sports Nutritionist Salary UK: Ultimate Guide

Understanding The Difference Between Nutrition Coach And Nutritionist Roles

Another factor you need to think about when it comes to assessing the jobs of a nutritionist vs a nutrition coach is the roles you will have to undertake as while some are similar, there are some limitations for both that you should be aware of.

Something that you do need to remember though, is that there are large crossovers between both titles. Meaning that the common roles of a nutrition coach will often seep into the roles of a registered nutritionist and vice versa.

You can see this more clearly in our examples below.

The Roles A Nutritionist Will Undertake

Nutritionists have vast responsibilities, and while this can differ from a nutrition coach’s day to day, it can also look pretty similar to and will require responsibilities that will often link to the physicality of fitness.

You can see this below in this example job role, that a nutritionist will work with people who either need their expertise independently or for a sports team – like this example job role below:

You can see that there are heaps of responsibilities that come with being a performance nutritionist, including contributing to the development of sports teams.

This is a different level of responsibility since you have the workload of keeping a sports team intact. This might mean working with other professionals who help clients and maintaining certain standards if you’re working in a prestigious club.

The roles of a nutritionist are ultimately more workload-heavy and often require more responsibility because you must be at a degree level to be employed or operate as a nutritionist.

That being said, you should think about what you want for your career, as it is unlikely you’d be able to work on other career prospects, say personal training perhaps, if you had the responsibility of a rugby team.

While this might be some people’s goal, some may want more freedom within their career, which makes vocational courses a good option too.

What Roles Does A Nutrition Coach Have?

The role of a nutrition coach is a little more conventional, in the sense that as a coach, you’re expected to work in roles that only offer advice, guidance and coaching in a nutshell. The majority of responsibilities include:

• Consultations about lifestyle habits about food
• Basic body measurements, E.G, height, weight, BMI, body fat and composition
• Providing informed advice and encouraging change
• Coaching clients to elevate their sports performance with the correct nutrition
• Referring to higher professionals when necessary.

To make it a little more clear, the roles that you cannot undertake as a nutrition coach include jobs such as:

• Planning and distributing / prescribing diet plans
• Putting clients on a specific diet
• Dispensing / prescribing supplements or medication
• Diagnosing or treating eating disorders
• Diagnosing or treating any medical conditions

These are out of your scope of practice, the roles within your means are simply the aforementioned activities.

You can still be an effective input on clients in terms of coaching, guidance and advice can be just what a client needs, particularly if you’re aware of their goals.

If they’re on a fitness journey themselves and are working with a personal trainer, you could be a great help to them if you’re qualified in advanced sports nutrition since this includes education with a direct link between activity and nutrition.

Nutrition Coach vs Nutritionist: Salary Expectations

Aside from where and how both the difference between a nutrition coach and nutritionist lie, there is the ultimate question of income. So, below you can find what to expect of each professional salary.

The Average Salary a Nutritionist Earns

A key difference between a nutritionist and a nutrition coach are the salary expectations.

You should expect varied ways of gaining income, which doesn’t necessarily mean that one earns more than the other.

Often, nutritionists are hired, this doesn’t mean that freelance nutritionists don’t exist, they do, but an attractive motive for those who want to get into the industry is the fact that they’re able to have a bracketed salary, like this job below:

This is with the NHS, where you’re expected to earn in and around £25,000 to £35,000 a year.

Though this can still be a great career path, earnings are going to be capped in a role such as this, which is why many people take the route of a nutritionist coaching role because you can earn as much as possible that way on your own accord.

Nonetheless, it is subjective to the kind of career that you want to pursue, whether this is in private health institutions, the NHS or a self-employed path.

If you do want a higher salaried role as a nutritionist, you should look for sports team roles, just like the one we spoke about earlier. Particularly in sports clubs higher up, as a nutritionist your salary could be higher, so keep this in mind when job searching.

You should also keep in mind that these jobs don’t come around all that often, in fact, you’ll probably have a faster journey into the nutrition industry as a freelance nutrition coach because like we mentioned earlier, experience is often much more valuable.

Nutrition Coach Salary Expectations

The salary of a nutrition coach is slightly different as many people in this role take the approach of being freelance in conjunction with other career paths like PTing, like this nutrition coach below:

You can see how paired together, this could rack up an extremely healthy income since these are the prices per client.

On the other hand, while there isn’t an overwhelming amount of job roles for nutrition coaches alone, there are many jobs that combine a fitness coaching role and a nutrition coaching role into one which is another option if you take the vocational qualification route.

For example, take a look at this job description below for just that:

As you can see, this offers a healthy income of approximately starting at £2,000 a month, but you would likely have to obtain at least a Level 2 in Gym Instruction first to combine with your nutrition qualification.

This will make you more qualified for the position and give you a head start against those who don’t have this combination of certifications.

However, if you’re looking to become a freelance nutrition coach, you can expect to earn much more since your earnings are uncapped. Paired with personal training, you could earn way beyond the limitations of the salaried role of a nutritionist.

Before You Go…

Hopefully you feel more clear on the difference between a nutrition coach and a nutritionist, it can be easy for the lines to get blurred, but if you take your route and keep within your limitations, you’ll thrive!

If you’re ready to take the first step and get going with a qualification, be sure to find out more about OriGym’s L4 course in advanced sports nutrition today! Find this and more in our downloadable course prospectus. 

When discussing the roles of a dietician vs nutritionist, many often confuse the two practices with each other, believing the two terms to be interchangeable.

However, within this article, we’re going to tackle the question ‘what is the difference between a nutritionist and dietician?’, by focusing on unique aspects of each role, including their responsibilities and respective salaries.

Content:

• What Is The Difference Between a Nutritionist and a Dietician?
• What Does a Nutritionist Do?
• What Does a Dietitian Do?
• Other Key Differences Between a Nutritionist and a Dietitian
• How to Become a Nutritionist
• Nutritionist vs Dietitian Salaries 

To take your first step into the world of nutrition, though, you’ll need to complete an accredited course, and OriGym’s Sports Nutritionist course offers industry-leading accreditation, alongside unlimited tutor support and an award-nominated e-Learning platform.

With this qualification you’ll be able to start working as a nutritionist, providing bespoke dietary advice to a wide range of clients.

What Is The Difference Between a Nutritionist and a Dietician?

Before we cover the differences between both career paths, we first need to understand what each respective job role entails.

Within this section, we have three separate sub-sections discussing the topics:

• What Does a Nutritionist Do?
• What Does a Dietitian Do?
• Other Key Differences Between a Nutritionist and a Dietitian

By covering each subsection of this debate you will be able to accurately assess for yourself how the roles of a dietician vs nutritionists differentiate.

What Does a Nutritionist Do?

When looking at the differences between a nutritionist and dietician, you should note that nutritionists are qualified individuals who are regarded as experts in food and nutrition.

However, these qualifications don’t necessarily have to come from higher education, but can also be rewarded as vocational certifications.

When questioning ‘what does a nutritionist do?’, you should be aware that their primary role is to offer advice and guidance that will help to facilitate the health goals of their clients.

This is achieved through a detailed focus on:

• Meeting with first-time clients to determine their current health
• Establish the client’s short-term and long-term health goals
• Create a meal plan that is realistic and sustainable
• Counsel clients through this meal planning process, explaining each choice diligently
• Educating clients on food and nutrition

The main difference between a dietician and nutritionist in the UK is this role does not typically allow you to work in clinical facilities.

Instead, nutritionists will typically work with individual clients on a private basis, as their careers are largely unregulated, and generally not available in NHS centres.

For this reason, you will typically see nutritionist job roles being advertised under titles such as:

• Health Coach
• Nutrition Expert
• Wellness Coach
• Nutrition Specialist
• Sports Nutritionist
• Nutritional Therapist

An example of what an advertisement for these jobs may look like can be found below:

Here we can see that the role is clearly advertised as a ‘Health and Fitness Coach’, operating in Exertion Fitness.

Note, this role would be best suited for qualified sports nutritionists, whereas others who specialise in different areas such as weight-related nutrition may not be suited for this role.

Now that all of this information has been provided, we can redirect our focus to the opposing end of this dietician vs nutritionist debate.

What Does a Dietitian Do?

On a holistic level, the roles between a dietician and a nutritionist don’t differ hugely.

Dietitians will still organise food and nutrition plans, in order to promote a healthy lifestyle among their clients.

However, with their extended training and higher education qualifications, dieticians have the authority and training to treat clients suffering from serious issues, such as eating disorders.

For more clarity on their job roles, dietitians may also require you to perform the following roles:

• Teaching and advising clients about how food and healthy eating habits can affect their lifestyle and health
• Discussing a wide range of therapeutic diets that can improve the management of their medical conditions
• Calculate an individual’s nutritional requirements using standard equations based on assessment of aspects such as blood chemistry, temperature, stress, and mobility
• Educate other healthcare and non-healthcare professionals about food and nutritional issues
• Work with companies to offer wellness support for staff members
• Advise athletes and sports personnel on how diets can optimise their performance and help injury recovery
• Visiting patients directly at their place of residence or nursing homes

Dietitians have an incredibly wide range of job prospects to pursue following the completion of their initial qualifications. Many choose to enter private health care facilities, whilst others opt for commercial organisations such as health food stores.

Dietitians in the UK are also predominantly hired by the NHS, in a medical advisory role within a hospital or treatment facility.

An example of what a dietician’s job within the medical sector may look like, along with their usual roles and responsibilities, can be found below:

This job advertisement is just one example of a traditional dietician role within the NHS, other lesser-known employment opportunities include:

• Microbiology
• Chemistry
• Computer science
• Physiology
• Foodservice systems management

This should provide you with a little insight into how the roles of dieticians and nutritionists differ in the UK.

Other Key Differences Between a Dietician and a Nutritionist

Now that we have covered each practice separately, we can hone in on the differences between the nutritionist vs dietician debate.

#1 – Where They Work

When discussing the main difference between nutritionist and dietician job roles, there is no better place to start the discourse than on their very place of employment.

As discussed in a previous point, dieticians are qualified to work within clinical and medical settings, this includes the likes of:

• Hospitals
• GP practices
• Care homes
• Mobile visits to clients place of residence

However, whilst dieticians are qualified to work within these areas, that doesn’t mean that all of them will.

The area in which they specialise can also influence this environment. For example, research dieticians can also work in educational establishments such as Universities.

In contrast to this, the largest difference between a nutritionist and dietitian in the UK is that when you become a nutritionist, you are not qualified to work in medical industries.

Instead, they can work within the health and fitness industry in roles such as nutritional advisors in food distribution companies, as well as a personal trainer who provides advice and recommendations to their clients.

These environments are a lot more casual, and will typically involve the clients approaching a nutritionist of their own accord, as opposed to being referred to.

This brings us on to discussing the next difference between a dietician and nutritionist in the UK.

#2 – The Type of Clientele

You may have read this heading and questioned ‘is there a difference between a dietician and a nutritionists’ clients?’.

It’s only natural to assume that anyone visiting either professional will be doing so for similar reasons, but this is not the case.

As discussed above, due to the somewhat more relaxed nature of their profession, nutritionists’ clients will typically visit them of their own accord.

This could be for a variety of reasons, such as wanting a meal plan to accompany a fitness programme, or facilitating a specific goal – e.g. weight loss.

In this instance, a nutritionist will create a meal plan for their client in exchange for a fee. They will regularly check up with said client, making necessary adjustments as per the client’s request.

In essence, when it comes to the differences between a nutritionist and dietician’s clientele, the former is treated more like a paid service than the latter.

This is because dieticians’ clients are often referred to their practice, rather than approaching of their own free will.

For example, following a serious health condition a doctor or nurse may recommend a patient visit a dietician in order to receive appropriate dietary advice, which in some instances will help to support treatment.

Furthermore, a dietician’s clients will have less say in their meal plans, with specific factors being taken into consideration such as:

• Allergies or intolerances
• Cultural food preferences
• Underlying health issues (such as liver or heart conditions)
• Serious medical issues (like an inability to swallow solid foods)

However, dieticians’ advice will be treated more like a prescription, one of which their patients should follow strictly. In contrast, nutritionists can only offer advice and it’s up to the client to implement the changes.

This is arguably one of the largest differences between a dietician and nutritionist, as the clients effectively shape every aspect of their professional working day.

#3 – Legal Protection

When it comes to the roles of a nutritionist vs dietician in the UK only the latter is protected legally. But what exactly does this mean?

Well, due to the fact that it lacks legal protection, anyone can claim to be a nutritionist – you don’t even need a qualification to do so.

This can be of great benefit to some, who may not want to put themselves through the expensive fees of higher education.

However, this lack of protection has unfortunately resulted in a heavily polluted industry, where unregulated “professionals” can recommend harmful fad diets or supplements, without providing scientific evidence to back up their claims.

In contrast to this, a dietician is a legally protected profession, meaning that only qualified individuals have the right to call themselves such a title.

As a result of this protection, all qualified dieticians can register with The Health & Care Professional Council (HCPC).

However, if nutritionists are interested in registering as a professional, they must undergo the strict vetting process of The Association for Nutrition’s UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN).

Therefore, when discussing the difference between a dietician vs a nutritionist in the UK, we are obliged to inform you of these legal standings, as they could drastically shape how your practice is viewed by the general public.

We’ll cover this topic in a little more detail in the next section of this article.

The Difference Between Nutritionist and Dietician Qualifications

We have discussed dietician vs nutritionist qualifications at length throughout this article, but let’s break that down, and examine the differences in education between the two roles.

Nutritionist University Qualifications

When it comes to debating the difference between a dietician and nutritionist degree, University diplomas are considered to be a more traditional approach to learning each respective subject.

You can pursue nutrition courses on a variety of levels such as:

• Bachelors
• Masters Degree
• Higher Postgraduate levels (such as PhD)

According to the UK Government website, Universities will traditionally ask applicants to hold:

• 2-3 relevant A-Levels in areas such as Biology and Chemistry for bachelors Degree
• A relevant BSc degree for a Masters Degree 

The requirements to be a dietician or nutritionist don’t differ too drastically at a university level, as will become evident when discussing the opposing subject.

According to The UniGuide, the ideal courses will typically be dubbed something along the lines of Nutrition/Human Health, examples of which can be found below:

These courses are designed to ensure that you are fully equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge required to provide future clients with nutritional advice.

However, the vast majority of these courses offer a more holistic approach to nutrition, which may be viewed as a disadvantage to some students.

This is largely due to the fact that Dietician degrees will often hone their focus onto one specialist area, such as medical advice.

However, if you’re interested in becoming a nutritionist vs a dietician, there are opportunities to find a specialist area of interest within vocational-based training.

Vocational Nutrition Training

Despite the obvious differences between nutritionist vs dietician training, one similarity both approaches share is their unique approach to vocational training.

These are qualifications that focus on teaching you BOTH practical and theoretical knowledge that can be transferred into your desired career path.

A prime example of vocational training for nutritionists is OriGym’s UK Nutrition course.

This certification seeks to impart valuable skills that can be transferred to their clients through meal plans and tailored advice.

Our online qualification has been regulated by Ofqual and has been recognised by Focus Awards, both of whom guarantee the quality of the course to be of industry-leading standard.

Following the completion of this course, you’ll be fully equipped with the vital skills required to perform everyday nutritionist tasks such as:

• Informing clients about the relationship between physical activity and nutrition
• Meal prepping and planning efficiently on any budget
• Preventing obesity among children
• Crafting meal plans for clients with specific dietary requirements – e.g. vegetarians and vegans

Whilst this particular qualification strives to cover a variety of holistic and specialist topics, please keep in mind that it has been primarily designed for individuals who wish to pursue sports-based nutrition.

If you’re still questioning whether this route is right for you, we’d advise checking out our article debating becoming a nutritionist with and without a qualification.

Here you will discover how this vocational training can positively shape your career for the better!

Legal Coverage Following a Nutritionist Qualification

When discussing dietician vs nutritionist job titles as we have previously mentioned that this role is not protected by law in the UK.

Remember, anyone can technically call themselves a nutritionist, even if they have no prior qualifications or training. However, in order to be recognised by the law as a nutritionist, you must register with the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN).

Please be aware that this is a highly strict process, one which not all nutritionists are automatically eligible for.

You’ll need to have either:

• Graduated from a Nutritionist course in the last 3 years (to become a Registered Associate Nutritionist)
• Complete a Bachelors or Masters Degree in Nutrition, and have demonstrable, evidence-based experience in nutrition-related fields.

Following this, you can dub yourself as a ‘registered nutritionist’, but by no means are you allowed to call yourself a dietician.

On the back of this, due to the lack of legal standing nutritionists are also allowed to recommend supplements and other forms of medical treatments, but they are not allowed to prescribe anything, as this is the job of a medical professional.

Dietician University Qualifications

In order to become a dietician you must hold a qualification in dietetics or human nutrition that has been accredited by the British Dietetic Association.

This can respectively include:

• Bachelor’s Level Degree
• Masters Degree
• Other Postgraduate levels (such as PhD)

An example of what these Bachelor-level courses entail can be found below from Leeds Beckett University:

Here we can see that a strong emphasis is placed on understanding and communicating the science behind nutrition.

However, whilst you can enter the workplace following the completion of your BSc, you can also complete a Masters Degree, an example of which can be found below for The University of Glasgow’s course on Human Nutrition:

As a graduate on any level be it Bachelors or Postgraduate, you need to understand how the body is influenced by what we consume in our diets, and how they can be used to treat disease and optimise health.

But going through the higher-education system isn’t the only way to obtain a dietician qualification, as you can also pursue apprenticeships too.

Dietician Apprenticeships

When discussing the differences between dietician vs nutritionist qualifications we have previously made references to how vocational qualifications can be a beneficial alternative to the traditional approach to education.

Apprenticeship can act in similar ways, and in this instance, this choice is ideal for those who wish to work in a dietetic setting with a direct income, whilst simultaneously completing a degree programme.

Individuals who choose to pursue this pathway are recruited by employers and will attend a combination of lectures, practical learning, and assessments at their university.

This will be accompanied by 1,000 hours of practice based learning. As of 2023, though, there is only one apprenticeship available, located at Coventry University:

Other dietetic apprenticeships are in the process of being crafted, and all interested parties should keep an eye on the DBA website.

For reference, anyone who completes this programme will be able to label themselves under the protected title of dietitian.

With all this in mind, you may be wondering what you’ll receive in return for your hard-earned qualification.

After all, it’s only natural to have questions regarding the employment benefits of dieticians vs nutritionists in the UK.

Legal Protection Following Dietician Qualifications

Whilst shifting focus back on to the difference between dieticians vs nutritionists in the UK, please remember that this role is the only nutritional profession that is governed and regulated by law.

If you decide to pursue this employment within the UK, you need to register with The Health & Care Professional Council (HCPC).

The HCPC is a strict regulating body that oversees policies and practices relating to dieticians. To be recognised by them, dieticians must hold an undergraduate degree in dietetics, or a science-related degree with a postgraduate diploma in dieteticYou may remember from the previous section that registration with governing bodies is optional for nutritionists.

However, this is a clear example of the difference between a nutritionist vs dietician in the UK, as registering as a dietician with the HCPC is a legal requirement and cannot be avoided.

Nutritionist vs Dietician Salaries

Some readers may have clicked on this article with the sole intention of discovering what is a dietician vs a nutritionist’s average wage.

Within this section, we’re going to break down the annual earnings of each respective role and will pull examples from existing job vacancies to support our findings.

The Average Salary of a Nutritionist:

The screenshot provided above comes from the UK Gov website, in which it’s clearly depicted that the average salary of a nutritionist ranges from £24,907 – £37,890.

This statistic has been generated through analysing existing job advertisements within the marketplace.

To support this information we went to PayScale who estimated the average salary of a nutritionist to be anywhere between £20,000 – £39,000 a year.

Please note that the estimated figures presented in both screenshots are from a holistic nutritionist perspective, other specialities may produce varying results.

Furthermore, whilst the figures presented in this section may look appealing, they should be taken with a pinch of salt.

This is largely due to the fact that these sites use statistics that are generated by active site users, meaning that crucial information could be missing from those who don’t use the sites.

However, we can see how influential industry experience is from the screenshot below, which clearly establishes a ‘negotiable’ salary of £23,500 – £27,500.

The Mac-Nutrition Collective even clearly states that the agreed-upon salary will be influenced by the amount of experience an applicant holds.

Therefore, if you’re newer to the industry you can expect to be earning on the lower end of this spectrum.

In contrast to this, we can see the positive influences that experience can have on the average salary of a nutritionist, with this position at the Nigel Wright group offering £40,000 a year.

The Indeed ad clearly states within ‘The Candidate’ section that they are looking for an individual with ‘experience’ within the specific field of formulation and nutrition.

Therefore, we can say without a doubt that if you’re questioning becoming a nutritionist vs dietician, you will need to dedicate a significant amount of years to the craft and industry, before you can obtain this higher salary.

#1 – Earning A Higher Salary as a Specialist Sports Nutritionist

When discussing the difference between a nutritionist and a dietician’s salaries, many may have expected there to be only two direct answers, one for either respective job role.

But specialising in one area of nutrition can help to earn a higher average salary than the ones that have previously been discussed.

Whilst there are plenty of areas of interest to choose from, one of the most lucrative opportunities (especially for newcomers) is sports nutrition.

As evident from the screenshot below from Glassdoor, the average salary of a sports nutritionist ranges from £28,000 – £49,000, a significant jump from the holistic figures shown within the previous section.

This salary is reflected in the job advertisement below for the Women’s England Cricket Team.

Here, we can see that you can expect to earn anywhere between £30,070 – £39.647, which alone is the equivalent of a senior role in holistic approaches.

Whilst this job role is working for a Nationally recognised sports team, it still helps to signify the beneficial qualities of a specialist qualification.

These specialist certifications can help to set you apart from holistic nutritionists, ensuring that you can tackle more challenging tasks in your sector.

As a sports nutritionist, instead of just offering advice on topics such as weight loss, you will be dedicating your time to ensuring athletes are at their peak performance level.

If you’d like to pursue this career path, we’d recommend enquiring about our Online Sports Nutrition Courses. This will provide you with the specialist skills and knowledge required to kickstart a successful career in this area of nutrition.

#2 – How Much Can I Earn as a Freelance Nutritionist?

As this article is centred around the difference between nutritionist and dieticians in the UK, it’s equally important to note that many qualified nutritionists choose to work in a freelance capacity.

Freelancing is an appealing prospect that many qualified professionals choose to pursue, but how much you earn can ultimately differ from person to person. This is dependent on factors such as:

• How much experience you have
• Your area of expertise
• How many active clients you have
• Working hours

According to research conducted by the employment site Prospects, the estimated earnings of a self-employed nutritionist are:

• Initial consultation: £45 – £75
• Follow up sessions (each): £30 – £50
• Recipe / diet analysis report (each): £15 – £20

‘How much does a nutritionist cost?’ is therefore somewhat of a subjective question that can be influenced by your individual circumstances.

Ultimately, your earning potential as a freelancer is dependent on how much work you’re willing to take on.

For example, this could become a form of full-time employment in which you dedicate 40+ hours per week to the role.

The Average Salary of a Dietician

Naturally, in the interest of ensuring you’re fully aware of the difference between a dietician and a nutritionist in the UK, we’ll now shift our focus and discuss the average salary of dietitians.

As noted in the screenshot below from the UK Government website, the average salary of this role is estimated to be anywhere between £25,654 – £40,056.

This information is further supported by Payscale which estimated the average salary to be anywhere between £23K – £37K a year, with an average median salary of £29K.

Therefore, when questioning ‘is there a difference between a dietician and a nutritionist’s salary?’, some would argue that the former offers more lucrative career prospects.

Similar to the information provided within the previous section, the more experience you have as a dietician can directly influence your overall earnings.

This is evident from the screenshot featured below, which clearly states to work in a private medical field earning £35,000 – £38,000 a year, you need to have 2 years worth of experience.

Therefore, we can once again see how experience can factor in ensuring that you get a higher salary. However, in order to get this necessary experience, you will need to be on the lookout for entry-level jobs.

This can be seen in the advertisement below for a Dietitian Assistant, which advertises its salary as being between £20,330 and £21,777.

This form of part-time employment can be a great opportunity for students who are looking to break into the industry whilst maintaining their studies.

These employment opportunities may seem somewhat disappointing from a financial perspective, but they are essential in providing you with the necessary experience needed to gain a higher pay.

Much like the various different nutritionist specialities, there are a variety of niches you can explore within the dietician field in order to boost your salary.

#1 – Increasing Your Salary By Specialising as a Paediatric Dietician

As we have discussed at length throughout the course of this article, dieticians will typically work within medical and clinical fields.

However, those who choose to specialise in paediatric care can craft their niche providing medically assured nutritional advice to children.

This can be an incredibly lucrative career path that could see your salary grow exponentially. For reference, please refer to the Glassdoor graphic below which clearly outlines that paediatric dieticians can earn anywhere from £28k-39k per year, with an average salary of £37,235.

These findings are unfounded either, as medical organisations such as the NHS are willing to pay paediatric dieticians a significantly higher wage than those who are employed within a holistic field.

This can be seen in the screenshot below with an estimated salary of £45k – £51k per year to work as a paediatric dietician with a special interest in the treatment and prevention of diabetes.

Therefore, we can confidently state that a specialist area of interest can help to increase your earnings as a dietician.

You just need to ensure that you have all the necessary qualifications to enter said subsection of the industry, as it may not be possible to work in these roles with a holistic degree/qualification.

#2 – Can I Earn as a Self-Employed Dietician?

In the interest of exploring the difference between dietician and nutritionist freelance work, we must immediately clarify that it is somewhat harder to work as a dietician in a self-employed capacity.

This is due to the fact that a dietician’s role largely comprises providing medical advice and prescriptions for patients with health issues.

Making and providing these prescriptions is impossible to do if you’re not directly involved within the medical field.

That’s not to say that it’s impossible to become a dietician on a freelance basis, the opportunities are just few and far between.

You can choose to work within your local community, in which instance you will be advising low risk clients who are simply looking to improve their diets, like the role we’ve outlined below:

These roles won’t typically pay exceptionally well, and will usually require you to work only 1-2 times per week for a maximum of two hours.

The job referenced above for example only charged £30 per hour, requiring clients to work for just two hours per week.

Therefore, you can work as a freelance dietician, but the job opportunities aren’t as vast as frequent traditional contracted roles.

This is yet another example of a difference between a nutritionist and a dietician in the UK, in which instance you may be better off operating as a self-employed nutritionist.

Before You Go!

We understand that there is always going to be some confusion regarding the debate between dietician vs nutritionist roles, but our article sought to clarify some of these common misconceptions.

Remember, these practices are completely separate entities and the requirements to be a dietician or nutritionist are vastly different.

With this in mind, please remember that you can take your first steps into this industry by completing a vocational Nutritionist Qualification with OriGym.

Here you will learn the ins and outs of the industry, ensuring that you’re equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to immediately launch an incredibly lucrative career.