With age, health problems related to food can appear. These can be diseases such as diabetes, cholesterol or obesity. Older people can also suffer from eating disorders with consequences for their general health. The dietician or the nutritionist can help to treat such illnesses or rebalance a diet. Which of these practitioners to consult depending on the nutrition-related disorders observed?
A nutritionist is a qualified doctor who has followed classic medical studies, like all doctors, six years after the baccalaureate. He then specialized for several years in nutrition, that is to say, according to the definition of Robert, with regard to "all the phenomena (assimilation, excretion, respiration) which take place in a living organism, allowing the production of vital energy ». This is why it is more accurate to speak of a doctor-nutritionist.
A doctor-nutritionist, who can exercise his profession as a liberal or in a hospital environment, has the possibility of specializing, for example, in endocrinology-diabetology or in research in the field of nutrition.
A nutritionist therefore takes care of patients with nutrition-related disorders such as obesity, diabetes, cholesterol, food allergies, etc. He also treats patients with eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, or even food phobias.
As a doctor, the nutritionist carries out a diagnosis and prescribes medication or recommends that his patients undergo specific examinations or analyzes to clarify his diagnosis and define the necessary treatments according to the patient's pathology.
The fees of a nutritionist are free and depend on his status (liberal or hospital). They are in principle between 20 and 90 euros and Social Security covers them on the basis of the price of a consultation with the doctor. Some mutuals supplement the reimbursement of Social Security.
Unlike the nutritionist, a dietitian has not followed medical studies leading to a doctor's degree. However, it is a health professional who specialized two years after the baccalaureate and who holds a higher technician certificate (BTS) specializing in dietetics or a university diploma in technology (DUT) in biological engineering, dietary option. The real term that designates this health professional is actually dietitian-nutritionist.
Dieticians practice their profession either as liberals or in a hospital setting where they work in collaboration with doctors. Organizations such as school canteens, vacation centers, retirement homes, etc., most often call on the services of a dietitian.
The role of the dietitian is indeed more that of a nutrition educator. He specializes in the prevention of disorders and inconveniences related to food. Thus, this health professional ensures the nutritional balance of his patients by giving them food advice, by correcting their bad eating habits, often by developing adapted and personalized food programs, by teaching them to make dietetic recipes by example.
The dietician is consulted in particular by patients who need a special diet, whether children or adults, because they suffer from eating disorders or want to lose weight in particular . He adapts his work of prevention and advice in terms of diet, in particular according to the age of his patients. Food needs are not the same for a teenager or an elderly person.
A dietician can freely set his consultation fees (generally between 25 and 70 euros depending on his specialties). His fees are not reimbursed by Social Security because he is not a doctor. However, some mutual funds accept part of the cost of consulting a dietitian.
