Entry Level Qualification 

10

Career Fields 

Beauty, Fitness & Wellness

For Specially Abled 

Career Entrance Exam 

No Entrance Exam

About Career 

Nutritionists assess, diagnose, and treat nutritional problems and requirements of their clients or patients. As a Nutritionist, your primary objective should be assisting in health promotion and disease prevention (and management). You will be recommending or suggesting nutritional principles, dietary plans or modifications to your patients or clients and you should be able to translate scientific information about food into practical dietary advice for patients and other health care professionals.

As a Nutritionist, you shall need immense knowledge of diets, foods and nutrients, metabolism, digestion and absorption, physical activity, obesity, organ function, infant nutrition, growth and development and ageing. The 4 important pillars that are used to define the science behind nutrition and dietetics are: Dietary intake (what we eat), Nutritional Status (what we are), Functional Capacity (what we can do), Goodness of fit (what to eat and biologically why).

You should also keep yourself updated about trending food habits, availability of new food alternatives, their benefits etc. You will be involved in conducting regular researches relating to the field of Food, Nutrition and Health Education. You will also have to maintain proper records and documentation to monitor the progress of your clients or to manage other necessary administrative activities.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

As a Nutritionist, you will be engaged with one or more of the following roles and responsibilities: -

1. You will be assessing the nutritional needs, current health plans and diet restrictions to develop dietary-care plans and provide nutritional counseling.

2. You will be making suggestions toclients and their families on nutritional principles, dietary plans or modifications, food preparation, healthy eating habits and basic rules of good nutrition for improving their quality of life.

3. You will be advising your clients regarding public policies like nutrition labeling on consumer products, nutrition standards for school programs or food fortification (the process of adding key vitamins and minerals to primary nutrition sources like rice, milk and salt for improving their nutritional content).

4. You will be consulting with personal physicians or medical officers for determining nutritional needs, diet histories and diet restrictions of clientsand patients for providing them with nutritional counseling.

5. You will be monitoring food service operations in hospitals and other healthcare establishments for ensuring adherence to nutritional safety and quality standards.

6. You will be educating and supervising workers who prepare and serve meals to the patients in hospitals and other healthcare establishments.

7. You will be planning and conducting regular dietary, nutritional, and epidemiological (related to distribution and control of diseases) or similar researches to keep yourself updated.

8. You will be tabulating, assessing and recording research findings and maintaining regular records, digitally on a computer or physically on paper.

Career Entry Pathway 

Class 10 all subjects as per the scheme of studies – Class 11-12 Chemistry, Biology and Home Science along with any other subject as per the scheme of studies / Class 11-12 Physics, Chemistry and Biology along with any other subject as per the scheme of studies/ Class 11-12 Commerce and Home Science along with any other subject as per the scheme of studies/ Class 11-12 Arts/Humanities along with any other subject as per the scheme of studies – Bachelor degree

After Class 11-12 Chemistry, Biology and Home Science along with any other subject as per scheme of studies / Class 11-12 Physics, Chemistry and Biology along with any other subject as per scheme of studies/ Class 11-12 Commerce and Home Science along with any other subject as per scheme of studies/ Class 11-12 Arts/Humanities along with any other subject as per scheme of studies, you can pursue a Bachelor degree (B.A., B. Sc.) course in ‘Home Science’, ‘Food and Nutrition’, ‘Nutrition and Dietetics’, ‘Nutrition and Healthcare Science’, ‘Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics’, ‘Nutritional Biochemistry’, ‘Applied Nutrition’, ‘Nutritional Sciences’, ‘Nutrition / Sports Nutrition’, ‘Clinical Nutrition’, ‘Public Nutrition & Programme Planning’, ‘Dietetics and Public Health Nutrition’, ‘Health and Social Gerontology’, ‘Nutrition & Health Education’ or similar.

Class 10 all subjects as per scheme of studies – Class 11-12 Chemistry, Biology and Home Science along with any other subject as per scheme of studies / Class 11-12 Physics, Chemistry and Biology along with any other subject as per scheme of studies/ Class 11-12 Commerce and Home Science along with any other subject as per scheme of studies/ Class 11-12 Arts/Humanities along with any other subject as per scheme of studies– Bachelor degree – Master degree in Home Science with specialization in Food & Nutrition

After Class 11-12 Chemistry, Biology and Home Science along with any other subject as per the scheme of studies / Class 11-12 Physics, Chemistry and Biology along with any other subject as per the scheme of studies, you can pursue a Bachelor's degree (B.A., B. Sc.) course in ‘Home Science’, ‘Food and Nutrition’, ‘Nutrition and Dietetics’, ‘Nutrition and Healthcare Science’, ‘Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics’, ‘Nutritional Biochemistry’, ‘Applied Nutrition’, ‘Nutritional Sciences’, ‘Nutrition / Sports Nutrition’, ‘Clinical Nutrition’, ‘Public Nutrition & Programme Planning’, ‘Dietetics and Public Health Nutrition’, ‘Health and Social Gerontology’, ‘Nutrition & Health Education’ or similar. Then you can go for a Master's degree program (M. A., M. Sc) in Home Science with a specialization in Food and nutrition or similar disciplines.

Class 10 all subjects as per the scheme of studies –Class 11-12 Chemistry, Biology and Home Science along with any other subject as per the scheme of studies / Class 11-12 Physics, Chemistry and Biology along with any other subject as per the scheme of studies – Bachelor degree – Master degree

After completing Class 11-12 Chemistry, Biology and Home Science along with any other subject as per the scheme of studies / Class 11-12 Physics, Chemistry and Biology along with any other subject as per the scheme of studies. Then you can pursue a Post Graduation Degree or Diploma in ‘Applied Nutrition’, ‘Nutritional Sciences’, ‘Nutrition / Sports Nutrition’, ‘Nutrition and Dietetics’, or similar disciplines.

Class 10 all subjects as per the scheme of studies – Class 11-12 Chemistry, Biology and Home Science along with any other subject as per the scheme of studies / Class 11-12 Physics, Chemistry and Biology along with any other subject as per the scheme of studies – Bachelor degree – Master degree

After Class 11-12 Chemistry, Biology and Home Science along with any other subject as per the scheme of studies / Class 11-12 Physics, Chemistry and Biology along with any other subject as per the scheme of studies, you can pursue a Bachelor's degree (B.A., B. Sc.) course in ‘Home Science’, ‘Food and Nutrition’, ‘Nutrition and Dietetics’, ‘Nutrition and Healthcare Science’, ‘Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics’, ‘Nutritional Biochemistry’, ‘Applied Nutrition’, ‘Nutritional Sciences’, ‘Nutrition / Sports Nutrition’, ‘Clinical Nutrition’, ‘Public Nutrition & Programme Planning’, ‘Dietetics and Public Health Nutrition’, ‘Health and Social Gerontology’, ‘Nutrition & Health Education’ or similar. Then you can go for a Master's degree in ‘Applied Nutrition’, ‘Nutritional Sciences’, ‘Nutrition / Sports Nutrition’, ‘Nutrition and Dietetics’ or similar disciplines.

Class 10 all subjects as per the scheme of studies – Class 11-12 Chemistry, Biology and Home Science along with any other subject as per the scheme of studies - Bachelor in Animal Sciences / Veterinary Sciences – Post Graduation degree in ‘Animal Nutrition’ or similar

After Class 11-12 Chemistry, Biology and Home Science along with any other subject as per the scheme of studies, you can go for a Bachelor's degree in Animal Sciences / Veterinary Sciences. Then you can pursue a post-graduation degree in ‘Animal Nutrition’ or similar disciplines.

Required Qualification & Competencies 

After Class 11-12, you can go for Bachelor's degree courses (B.A., B. Sc., MBBS, BDS).

After your graduation, you can either go for a Post Graduate Diploma or Advanced Diploma. You can also choose to go for Master's Degree (M.A., M. Sc., MD) programs in various related fields.

Attempts to include the field of ‘Nutrition’ as a clinical speciality for medical careers (after MBBS) are of strategic importance for governing authorities now because registered doctors (those who have passed MBBS) with expertise in Nutrition Science can prove to be valuable resources in this field.

Various private and public educational establishments offer these or related courses:

1. Food and Nutrition

2. Food Science & Nutrition

3. Nutritional Physiology

4. Molecular Nutrition

5. Nutrition Sciences

6. Nutrition and Dietetics

7. Sports Nutrition

8. Animal Nutrition

COMPETENCIES REQUIRED

1. You should have an interest in Investigative Occupations. Investigative occupations involve working with ideas and quite a lot of thinking, often abstract or conceptual thinking. These involve learning about facts and figures; involve use of data analysis, assessment of situations, decision making and problem-solving.

2. You should have an interest in Social Occupations. Social occupations involve helping or assisting others; these involve working with and communicating with people to provide various services; these may involve educating and advising others.

3. You should have an interest in Enterprising Occupations. Enterprising occupations involve taking initiative, initiating actions, and planning to achieve goals, often business goals. These involve gathering resources and leading people to get things done. These require decision-making, risk-taking and action orientation.

4. You should know about Healthcare Science and Services - different fields that are related to offering various types of healthcare services to people; and assisting physicians and surgeons to carry out diagnosis, treatment and prevention of human diseases, ailments and disorders. This includes knowledge of different practices apart from medicine which are used to treat and prevent human diseases or to provide holistic healthcare and wellness. This also includes knowledge about drugs and medicines.

5. You should know Biological Sciences - plants and animals, their anatomical structure, cell structure, tissues, physiological functions, evolution, and all other related aspects.

6. You should know about Customer Service - how to provide customer services. This includes understanding customer needs, helping customers to use products and services, answering customer queries, handling customer complaints and grievances, and evaluating customer satisfaction.

7. You should have Active Listening Skills- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, understanding the points being made by others, asking questions, etc.

8. You should have Critical Thinking Skills- analysis of complex situations, using of logic and reasoning to understand the situations and take appropriate actions or make interpretations and inferences.

9. You should have Public Speaking Skills- Talking effectively to a large group of people or an audience or addressing the public at large in different settings such as conferences, seminars, meetings, etc.

10. You should have Service Orientation Skills- or a keen interest in helping and assisting people.

11. You should have a Deductive Reasoning Ability- apply general rules and common logic to specific problems to produce answers that are logical and make sense. For example, understanding the reasons behind an event or a situation using general rules and common logic.

12. You should have Information Ordering Ability- arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

13. You should have Inter-Personal Ability- build and maintain good relationships with others at workplaces and elsewhere.

14. You should have a Written Expression Ability- to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

15. You are always or mostly careful about your actions and behaviour.

16. You are always or mostly organized in your day-to-day life and activities.

17. You are always friendly and outgoing; you love to be in the company of people always or most of the time.

18. You are always or mostly caring, supportive, sympathetic and kind to others.

19. You always prefer to experience new things and have new experiences or you mostly do.

Career - Job Opportunities & Profiles 

You may get many work opportunities with:

1. Various established Private as well as Government establishments

2. Independent clinics, hospitals

3. Hospitality Industry (hotels etc.)

4. Schools

5. Modeling industry

6. Sports industry

7. Veterinary clinics and hospitals

8. Companies in the food and beverage business

9. Diagnostic laboratories

10. Quality control labs

11. NGOs

12. Health clinics

13. For nutrition programmes with leading international organizations like FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), WHO (World Health Organisation), UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) etc.

You may get roles like:

1. Nutritionist

2. Public Health Advisor

3. Consultant Nutritionist

4. Food Inspection Officer

5. Community Health Worker

6. Clinical Nutritionist

7. Research Dietitian

8. Medical Officer

9. Health Counselor& Advisor

10. Diet Counselor

11. Nutrition Advisor

12. Pediatrician

13. Consultant Diet Programmer

You can also set up your own clinic or nutrition studio offering services and sales (retail products) related to this field of nutrition, diet counseling etc.

SPECIALISATION TRACKS IN THIS CAREER

Nutritionist (Applied Nutrition)

Nutritionists specializing in Applied Nutrition can apply a range of skills in a culinary setting to meet nutritional guidelines. A doctor can prescribe some certain managed dietary regimen but it is the Applied Nutritionists who recommend the exact amount of carbohydrates, necessary proteins or other nutrients that are to be taken following the prescription. Applied Nutritionists can also be the head of culinary services at a hospital. They will know how to modify a particular recipe in order to include or eliminate exact amounts of certain nutrients. They are experts in nutritional analyses.

Nutritionist (Sports Nutrition)

Sports Nutritionists specialize in the study and practice of diet and nutrition relating to enhancing a person’s athletic performance. They are especially required for strength sports (like bodybuilding and weightlifting) or endurance sports (like running, cycling, rowing, swimming). Sports Nutritionists focus on quantity of fluids, food and dietary supplements (which contain synthetic vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs or other botanicals) taken by an athlete.

Nutritionist (Clinical Nutrition)

Clinical Nutritionists focus on nutrition and disease management of patients at clinics and hospitals. They aim to keep a healthy energy balance in patients along with providing sufficient amounts of other nutrients like protein, vitamins, minerals.

Nutritionist (Nutrition & Dietetics)

Nutritionists specializing in Dietetics and Nutrition are experts in the science of how food and nutrition affects human health. They design controlled diets and have profound knowledge about various cuisines. They help people in planning their dietary maps depending upon age, work routines, fitness, medical history, occupational constraints, gender, and stress levels.

Nutritionist (Animal Nutrition)

Animal Nutritionists focus on the dietary needs of animals in captivity (livestock, pets) like the ones required in agriculture and food production, in zoos, aquariums, or in wildlife rehabilitation facilities. They have to evaluate the chemical and nutritional values of various animal feeds, assess nutritional disorders, formulate diet maps, carry out laboratory trials, investigate diet related diseases or assist in quality control studies too. They have to be well informed about ‘ethology’ or animal behavior too. Animal Nutritionists may also get various work roles in the food processing industry.

CAREER GROWTH

With work experience, you can grow to become a Chief Nutritionist, Diet Counselor, Consultant and Nutrition Advisor, Senior Pediatrician etc.

You may also offer your services independently to customers by setting up your own clinic or nutrition studio after some years of experience. This means you can have your personal business network in this field in future.

Salary Offered  

1. At the beginning of your career, you can expect about Rs. 4,000 – 30,000 or more per month.

2. With 3-5 years of experience, you can expect about Rs. 10,000-60,000 or even more per month.

3. With 8-10 years of experience, you can expect about Rs. 20,000 – 1, 00,000 or even more per month.

4. After 13+ years or experience, you can expect about Rs. 30, 000 – Rs. 2, 00, 000 or more a month.

5. In government hospitals or healthcare units, you will begin with about Rs. 15,000 a month. You will get yearly increments and you may look forward to earning about Rs. 40,000 – 60,000 a month after 15-20 years of experience. 

6. Private Nutritionists of media personalities may earn between Rs. 1, 00,000 – 3, 00,000 or even more per package. The duration of these packages may vary between 1 – 6 months.

MONTHLY EARNINGS IN INDIAN RUPEES

1. Entry level: 0 - 2 years of work experience  

2. Junior Level: From 1 to 12 years of work experience

3. Mid Level: From 5 to 20+ years of work experience

4. Senior Level: From 10 to 25+ years of work experience (there could be exceptions in some high-end technical, financial, engineering, creative, management, sports, and other careers; also in the near future, people will reach these levels much faster in many careers and in some careers, these levels will have no meaning as those careers will be completely tech skill driven such as even now, there is almost no level in a Cyber Security Expert’s job)

Famous Personalities 

Information Not Available.

Work Activities 

Providing advices and consultation to others - Giving advices or consultation to others about various issues, conceptual matters, know-hows, scientific matters, products or services.

Assisting and caring for people - Assisting people in availing of services; taking care of people in different situations; offering help and services to others.

Working directly with people - Working directly with people to offer them products and services, providing assistance, etc.

Strategic planning - Developing visions and goals, developing strategies and action plans for achieving visions and goals.

Decision making and problem-solving - Analysis of data and information; evaluation of alternative decisions and results of decisions; taking the right decisions and solving problems.

Getting Information and learning - Observing, hearing, and reading using computers, or otherwise obtaining information and learning from it.

Analysing and interpreting data and information - Analysis of data and information to find facts, trends, reasons behind situations, etc.; interpretation of data to aid in decision making.

Developing and maintaining inter-personal relationships - Developing professional relationships with co-workers and others outside organizations and maintaining good relationships.

Communicating with co-workers and others - Communicating with people in writing, verbally or otherwise inside your workplace and various other people who have professional relationships with your place of work including vendors, government officials, etc. or with people at large.

Information processing - Searching, compiling, tabulating, calculating, auditing, verifying or otherwise dealing with information processing including data entry, transcription, recording, storing and maintaining databases.