Lately, most people have been developing a deep desire to stay healthy and fit by following appropriate diet plans. This is why more and more dieticians are blooming across the nation. These dieticians assess the food choices of their clients, and suggest personalized diet plans to them, based on their age, gender, medical conditions, and a few other factors. To become a dietician, you must study nutrition and dietetics. Here are the essentials of becoming a dietician in India.
The essentials of becoming a dietician in India
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Complete your 12th standard:
To become a dietician, you must be a 12th standard pass-out, from a recognized board affiliated with the government. You can complete your 12th standard preferably in the science stream with subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. -
Opt for a degree course:
After passing out your 12th standard, you must enroll in a bachelor’s degree course related to nutrition, such as BSc in nutrition, BSc in food technology, and others.
- BSc in nutrition: The duration of this course is 3 years and it aims at providing a basic understanding of nutrition and knowledge about the overall health and nutrition of individuals. A BSc nutrition course also covers subjects like human physiology, weight loss techniques, food preservation techniques, and more. As a result, with the help of this course, you can prepare diet plans for individual clients.
- BSc in food and technology: The duration of this course is 3 years and it aims at providing a deeper insight into the science of food and nutrition. A BSc in food technology teaches the principles of food technology to its students. Also, it helps the students to learn how to select, preserve and package different food products based on these principles.
- Opt for a post-graduation course: Once you are a graduate in nutrition, you can either opt for a master’s in nutrition and dietetics or pursue a PG diploma in nutrition and dietetics.
- MSc in food and nutrition: With the help of a master’s course in food and nutrition, you can specialize in various subjects related to food and nutrition. This course provides not only theoretical knowledge, but also offers practical training, such as workshops, internships, and more. You must join an internship of about 6-8 months at the end of the course. Not only this, but you must also submit a dissertation on a topic that interests you, at the end of the course.
- Post Graduate Diploma: The duration of this course is 1 year. If you want to learn the basics of public nutrition, food management, and many more, then a PG diploma course is ideal for you. At the end of the course, you must work as an intern in a health organization for about 7-8 weeks.
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Become a registered dietician:
After the completion of your MSc nutrition and dietetics or PG diploma in nutrition, combined with the 6-months internship, you can become a registered dietician by appearing for an entrance exam that is held by the Indian Dietetic Association (IDA). This exam consists of two sets of paper. Once you pass this entrance exam, you will become a registered member of the IDA. As a result, you can become a registered dietician.
Conclusion:
The above-mentioned educational qualifications can help you become a registered dietician. As a dietician, you can work in various settings such as hospitals, health organizations, schools, fitness centers, gyms, and more. A career in dietetics and nutrition has endless job opportunities. You can further explore a diverse range of topics related to food and nutrition, once you are a registered dietician.