If you want to lose weight, gain muscle mass, improve your health in the context of eating disorders or illness, the advice of competent nutrition professionals can be useful, if this is essential, in order to avoid diets that are too restrictive or unsuitable.
Nutritionist or dietician: who to turn to?
What are their qualifications and fields of intervention?
"
Le Figaro
" takes stock with Dr. Pauline Faucher, doctor-nutritionist at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital (AP-HP) in Paris.
What are the differences between a nutritionist and a dietitian?
The nutritionist doctor has the quality of doctor
.
"
He has a State diploma in medicine consolidated by specialized training in nutrition
", explains Dr. Faucher.
He can therefore prescribe biological or imaging examinations, medication, recourse to artificial nutrition or even oral food supplements (CNO).
He often intervenes within the framework of the multidisciplinary management of a patient suffering from eating disorders with a team of specialist doctors, paramedical staff and psychologists.
The term nutritionist therefore designates
a skill
that a doctor acquires in addition to his initial training.
For example, there are doctors-nutritionists (general practitioners who specialize in nutrition), endocrinologists-nutritionists or even oncologists-nutritionists.
Be careful however, some paramedics or professionals in alternative or traditional medicine also use this terminology (dieticians-nutritionists or naturopaths-nutritionists for example), although they are not doctors by training.
A dietician
is not a doctor, but a
nutrition professional working in the
paramedical field
.
He has a diploma recognized by the State which is obtained after 2 or 3 years of higher education: a patent of higher technician (BTS) specialized in dietetics or a university diploma of technology (DUT) in biological engineering, dietetics option .
“
As such, he cannot prescribe examinations or treatments reimbursed by Social Security
”, specifies Pauline Faucher.
He receives in private consultation, in hospital environment or within the framework of a multidisciplinary accompaniment, in particular in collaboration with a doctor-nutritionist.
When to consult a dietitian?
Its main mission is to develop personalized programs through the learning of dietary recipes, the splitting of meals or enrichment.
“
We can turn to a dietician when we think we need advice on food, to improve our state of health or correct bad habits
,” says Pauline Faucher.
Weight gain or loss, preparation for a sporting competition, nutritional balance when stopping a sport: so many situations where professional advice may be justified.
The dietician can also give food advice during and after pregnancy or help manage a child's diet (childhood obesity, need for dietary diversification, allergies).
"
His intervention can also be useful in addition to the work of medical specialists
", adds Dr Faucher, in particular in patients suffering from chronic diseases (thyroid disorders, diabetes, etc.), taking medication likely to disrupt the diet (anticoagulant , corticosteroids, etc.), but also in people who have undergone an operation or who have swallowing disorders.
Cost of a consultation
: “
The first appointment, which often lasts between 1 and 1.5 hours, can cost between 40 and 60 euros, but the prices vary
”, informs Pauline Faucher.
Since the dietician is not a doctor, no coverage by Social Security is possible.
However, some mutuals may offer a partial refund.
When to consult a nutritionist?
“
We will rather consult him as a second intention after the dietician, ideally under the advice of the attending physician or another referring physician (endocrinologist, oncologist, etc.)
says Pauline Faucher.
The nutritionist works specifically in the context of pathologies for which the advice of a dietician is not sufficient: obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, digestive disorders, food allergies or intolerance.
His skills are also useful to support people suffering from eating disorders (ED) such as anorexia, bulimia or food phobias.
One of its roles is also the management of undernutrition which affects young people, seniors or, for example, people suffering from cancer.
In this particular case, malnutrition can result from heavy treatments (chemotherapy, radiotherapy) likely to induce changes in appetite.
"
Unlike the dietician, he can, for example, set up an artificial feeding program when natural feeding, by mouth, becomes insufficient or impossible
”, specifies the doctor-nutritionist.
Note: the services of the nutritionist, like the dietician, can also be requested by school canteens, holiday centres, nursing homes, retirement homes and even the food industry with a view to informing the general public on the nutritional quality of allergenic products and components.
Cost of a consultation
: The fees of the doctor-nutritionist vary greatly according to his status (liberal, hospital), ranging in principle from 20 to 90 euros.
City consultations are reimbursed on a specialty rate (doctors approved in sector 2) by Social Security.
Partial coverage may also be offered by your health insurance fund.
