The start of a new year often rouses a new resolve to lose weight-a goal that's especially important for people prone to heart disease. Yet a fear of heart disease doesn't help most people lose weight. Knowing the basics of a low-calorie diet and a fat-burning exercise regimen doesn't necessarily do the trick, either. That’s where a nutrition coach comes in. But what does a nutrition coach do? Do we even need a coach? This comprehensive guide dives into the multifaceted role of a nutrition coach, exploring their responsibilities, the benefits they offer, and how they differ from other nutrition professionals.
What is a Nutrition Coach?
Maybe you’ve heard the term “nutrition coach”-or been given the recommendation to find one-but you’re unclear about what this role entails. Whether you’re searching for a nutrition coach or are interested in making this your career, it’s important to know what a nutrition coach actually does on a day-to-day basis. Nutrition coaching is a specific niche of the larger health and wellness education market.
Nutrition coaches guide people on how to eat better, create nutrition goals and identify ways to boost their physical and mental health. Nutrition coaches, sometimes called health coaches, are focused on educating their clients about making smarter and healthier food choices that might improve overall wellness. They work with clients from the general population who are not seeking treatment for particular medical conditions.
A nutrition coach empowers clients with the knowledge they might need to make the best food choices for their distinct situations. Nutrition coaches teach clients about the basic principles of nutrition, but they base their approach on the client’s needs or interests. This may include lessons on optimal macronutrient and micronutrient intake, appropriate portion sizes, food group classifications, and how to read food packaging labels. They might also provide specific strategies that could promote healthy, sustainable weight loss or optimal physical performance.
The Role of a Nutrition Coach
The role of the nutrition coach: Help the client identify other steps they can take to start making progress toward goals. A good nutrition coach doesn’t just tell you what to do ― they teach you what you need to know so that you can take the steps yourself.
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Assessment and Goal Setting
At a client’s first visit, the coach assesses the client’s goals, current skills, current diet, any pre-existing health challenges, and anything else that will help them create an appropriate plan. The coach may use intake forms, a client interview, or other methods to gather important information to help customize the plan.
Determine goals. We don’t want to start this process blindly. Figure out some goals and write them down. Let’s say we have a goal of eating a vegetable with every dinner. Determine what “success” looks like. How will we know if we’re on the right track? Is it eating more vegetables? Losing 10 pounds?
Education and Guidance
Nutrition coaches offer nutrition education, advice, and accountability as you work toward improving your health. Because most states have strict requirements for nutrition services, there’s a limit on the services that a nutrition coach can offer. For example, a nutrition coach can’t diagnose health conditions, prescribe interventions, or treat medical conditions. But, a nutrition coach can play a supportive role in someone’s health journey by:
- Helping clients identify health and nutrition goals
- Sharing strategies clients can follow to meet their goals
- Educating clients on health and nutrition concepts
- Offering clients support and accountability on their journey
A nutrition coach can also offer general nutrition education and advice to larger populations of people. So, in addition to one-on-one coaching support, you might also find nutrition coaches holding nutrition workshops and classes.
While you can’t provide nutritional therapy, you can explain the pros and cons of diets and teach healthy portion sizes.
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Habit Formation and Lifestyle Integration
In many cases, a client’s challenges with nutrition may have to do with habits around eating and cooking or lifestyle factors like physical activity or social connection. A nutrition coach may help clients create new eating habits and strategies to support their nutrition goals. If you’ve ever tried to change a habit, you likely know that it can be challenging to establish new routines.
Practicality plays a central role when it comes to nutrition. To implement new, lasting habits, people need help creating routines and strategies. And without that help, they tend to struggle. Even if they eat a few veggies and give up soda for a while, they eventually have a bad day. And then another bad day.
Accountability and Support
Nutrition coaches provide accountability support for their clients who are trying to make new habits stick. At these coaching sessions, the coach will check in about the homework assignments, and see if the plan needs to be adjusted. A client may need extra support with their action steps. The nutrition coach’s job is to provide the resources the client needs to succeed. In between sessions, clients often have questions and need clarification.
That’s because knowing what to do is one thing. I know when my coach asks me about my workout, I don’t want to let him down. One of the main benefits of participating in these programs is the group support -aspect. "It's a lot harder to stick to a program on your own, especially in an environment where everyone else is doing something else," Dr. Blackburn says. Being a nutrition coach can help you provide guidance and accountability.
Customization and Experimentation
Their recommendations are almost like experiments. Plus, a good nutrition coach will understand this. Once a client has tried out some of the suggestions, the coach may help adapt or personalize the plan based on feedback from the client.
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These missions are discussed and built between the coach and client, so we can custom-make the best plan for you! Their recommendations are almost like experiments. If those solutions aren’t working for us - no big deal. Do we need a medical professional for a prescribed way of eating? Or can a more generalized approach work?
Key Strategies Employed by Nutrition Coaches
Nutrition coaches utilize various strategies to guide their clients toward healthier eating habits and overall well-being. These strategies include:
Mindful Eating: Eating mindfully and slowly. Our bodies take a while to recognize they’re full. That’s why slowing down and concentrating on our meals can help with portion control.
Recognizing Hunger and Fullness Cues: Recognizing hunger and fullness cues. Sometimes, we eat just to eat. Maybe we’re more bored than hungry. Maybe we’re stressed and find ourselves emotionally eating. To help fight this, we can keep a “Hunger and Fullness Journal.” With our journal, we rate our hunger from 1 to 10 before eating anything. If it’s less than 6 or 7, maybe we pause for 30 minutes or so and check back in later. It’s the same idea for our fullness. We’ll pause during the meal so we can ask “How hungry am I still?” If our hunger has subsided, maybe we save the rest of our food for later.
Scheduled Meals: Creating a schedule for meals. Most people do best with eating on some type of routine. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner at roughly the same time.
Food Diary: Keep a food diary. Writing down everything you eat is a proven strategy for losing weight and keeping it off. Smartphone apps can make this task easier. Look for a user-friendly, free one that has a large database of foods (including store brands and chain restaurant menu items) and that lists both calories and nutrients, says Goedkoop. Two popular ones are Lose It!
Why Hire a Nutrition Coach?
This is one of the top reasons people hire a coach in the first place.
Personalized Recommendations
They can offer specific recommendations around our unique challenges (and we all have unique challenges).
Expertise Beyond Nutrition Science
But being an expert in nutrition science is only half of it. Yep, a nutrition coach also needs to be an expert on folks like us.
Addressing the Bigger Picture
To make a real difference, trainers must look at the bigger picture-at a client’s fitness, lifestyle and nutrition as a package. The food and drink a person ingests is a big piece of the puzzle. “As a rule of thumb, weight loss is generally 75% diet and 25% exercise,” according to Shawn M. Talbott, PhD, nutritional biochemist and former director of the University of Utah Nutrition Clinic.
Again, to meet most health, wellness and weight loss goals, trainers must look beyond exercise and even nutrition. Hedegore says it’s important to focus on habits in general. He adds that lifestyle changes often work hand in hand, since “managing stress will often lead to decreased appetite, better sleep and more energy.” As an added bonus, with better sleep, more hormone consistency and regulation, and a smaller appetite, clients will likely have more willpower to make better food choices.
Filtering Information
It’s worth noting that there is a myriad of nutrition resources online, so clients need more than simple education. Sometimes, less is more, and trainers can often help by getting a client to focus. “Clients need someone to filter out the noise and to focus on what actually works for them,” says Dieter.
Setting Obtainable Goals
And while clients come to you with goals in mind, a trainer and/or nutrition coach can be very helpful when it comes to mapping out appropriate goals and addressing assumptions, especially regarding timelines. “Many people struggle with setting obtainable goals,” says Fantigrassi. “They are usually trying to do too much too soon, and they have unrealistic expectations of how fast, sustainable physical changes happen.
Overcoming Challenges
One challenge is to find the time to shop and make healthy meals, says Goedkoop. Pick one day a week to devote to planning, shopping, and prepping the coming week's lunches and dinners. "Otherwise, it's a constant battle not to fall into the habit of getting take-out," she says.
Who Can Benefit from a Nutrition Coach?
Not everyone who is looking for a nutrition coach has the same needs or goals. Some people want to lose weight, while others might be concerned about getting enough nutrition or making healthier choices.
Weight Loss
One of the most common reasons people decide to work with a nutrition coach is to lose weight. There are myriad fad diets that promise fast results, but they rarely help in the long term. "The goal is to lose at least 1% of your body weight a week for the first four weeks," says George L. Blackburn, professor of nutrition at Harvard Medical School and director of the Center for Nutrition Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. In the following months, the goal is to lose 5% to 10% of your weight, which will counter high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and other problems that raise cardiovascular risk. Programs are available at many major medical centers throughout the country; your primary care provider may be able to recommend one. Be aware that the costs of these programs vary widely, and many are not covered by health insurance. The program at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, known as Healthy Habits for Life, costs $550 and includes 12 group support and education sessions, a customized eating plan, and two visits with a personal trainer.
Athletes
Athletes are naturally concerned with the relationship between food and body-specifically, what they eat and how it might impact their physical performance. With a host of health-related misinformation prevalent today, athletes might find it difficult to determine what they should be doing to improve their performance. Nutrition coaches who specialize in sports nutrition are uniquely qualified to examine an individual athlete and determine where they need the most support from a nutrition perspective. They might take into account the athlete’s current state of health and performance, future goals, age, body composition, and various facets of the sport, including impact, intensity, duration, and more. Then they can help create nutritional strategies that may properly fuel them-making optimizations along the way based on changes in their training routine or competition schedule.
Pre- and Post-Natal Nutrition
For individuals who are pregnant, trying to conceive, or have recently given birth, a nutrition coach specializing in pre- and post-natal nutrition can help foster their overall wellness-as well as the health of their baby. Some come to nutrition coaches to find the right nutritional plan for each trimester of pregnancy. Others may have weight loss-related goals after having a baby. Pregnancy might change hormone levels, caloric needs, vitamin and mineral requirements, and more-topics that pre- and postnatal nutrition coaches can make recommendations about.
Food Sensitivities and Dietary Changes
If you’re someone with food sensitivities, or who has had a specific regimen by your doctor, a nutrition coach may be able to help you make these suggested changes. Changing your diet can be difficult and confusing, especially if you’re experiencing a health challenge. You may also feel annoyed or resentful about needing to make changes at all.
Healthy Aging
Many people are interested in doing all they can to age well. Research in recent decades about so-called “Blue Zones” -places where a high percentage of people live to be 90 or 100- has confirmed that a healthy diet and lifestyle are correlated with long life.
Nutrition Coach vs. Other Nutrition Professionals
To those with little to no background knowledge in the field, the terms “nutrition coach,” “nutritionist,” and “dietitian” might sound interchangeable. If you’re wondering about the differences between a nutrition coach, nutritionist, and dietitian, here’s a quick rundown:
Nutrition Coach: This is someone with general nutrition and health knowledge who supports clients who are looking to make life changes. Since there are no licensing requirements for nutrition coaches, they may or may not have formal nutrition education and training. Anyone can throw the word “nutrition coach” on their resume. So look at their qualifications. Are they certified? Do they have a track record for helping people? Don’t hire the first nutrition coach found.
Nutritionist: “Nutritionist” is a term that’s often used to describe a wide range of nutrition professionals with varying levels of nutrition education and training. Regulations for who can call themselves a nutritionist, and what they can do, vary from state to state and country to country. Nutritionists work with the general population to develop healthy eating behavior, often to meet a client’s personal goal.
Dietitian: A dietitian is someone who has formal nutrition education ― typically a master’s degree or higher ― and has completed an internship and passed a board exam. Dietitians who have completed these requirements may call themselves a Registered Dietitian (RD) or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). Dietitians treat disease through nutrition and will often work within hospitals. For example, they might prescribe a diet to a patient with diabetes to help manage blood sugar levels. Registered Dietitians can do all of these tasks, and can also help treat injury, illness, and disease. They may also provide specific services, such as supporting those who struggle with eating disorders.
Most state regulations make it illegal for anyone other than RDs/RDNs to provide medical nutrition therapy for health conditions. But, many states allow nutritionists to perform one-on-one nutrition counseling with clients, even if there are some restrictions on their services.
Registered dietitians (RD) undergo more education and training than nutrition coaches do. They must complete a 900-to-1200 hour supervised internship, pass a comprehensive exam, and, in most places, register for a license to practice. Registered dietitians and nutrition coaches are not mutually exclusive. Sometimes they work together, much as an orthopedist might work with a physical therapist. And many registered dietitians earn nutrition coaching certifications, too. But in other places, the title “nutritionist” is protected by law. To use that title, someone often must undergo specific training, pass a certification exam, and apply for a license. In the United States, all registered dietitians are nutritionists and can market themselves as RDNs (Registered Dietitian Nutritionists).
The Scope of Practice for Nutrition Coaches
It’s a great question-and an important one. Nutrition is a vital part of wellbeing, and Health Coaches are often a client’s first point of contact when seeking to improve their health and lifestyle. Understanding what falls within a Health Coach’s scope of practice is essential to working ethically, professionally, and effectively.
Above all, Sutton says, fitness professionals and even nutrition coaches “should not provide services that are reserved for medical professionals. Although meal plans are off the table, there is still a lot you can do to educate your clients and provide support around nutrition, especially if you expand your education in this area. Nutrition coaches work with the general population to facilitate the inclusion of healthy eating behaviors and empower their clients to take responsibility for their own health,” says Sutton. “They are mentors and leaders who guide their clients toward a healthier lifestyle.
What a Nutrition Coach CAN do:
- Provide information about nutrition in a supportive and educational context.
- Help clients in improving their relationship with food, understanding general nutrition principles, and adopting healthier eating habits.
- Talk about the basics of balanced meals, hydration, mindful eating, and the importance of whole foods.
- Guide clients in structuring meals that aligns with their personal goals
- Share examples or inspiration of nourishing meal ideas and recipes while encouraging clients to reflect on what works best for them.
- Support a client in discussing supplement use with a qualified practitioner, or in researching options that have already been recommended to them.
- Help people build sustainable nutrition and lifestyle habits that will significantly improve their physical and mental health.
- Offer general nutrition education and advice to larger populations of people.
What a Nutrition Coach CANNOT do:
- Diagnose, treat, or prescribe nutrition protocols for specific medical conditions.
- Create prescriptive and personalised meal plans, especially for clients with diagnosed health conditions, unless they hold an additional qualification in clinical nutrition or dietetics.
- Recommend or sell supplements unless also a qualified Nutritionist, Pharmacist or Doctor or has received recognised training in supplement use.
- Prescribe medication.
- Prescribe anything in order to treat a health condition or symptom.
Becoming a Nutrition Coach
Are you eager to get started as a nutrition coach? MedCerts is ready to help! After completing the Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach program and certification, you’ll be ready to share your passion with clients across your city and beyond.
Education and Certification
Each course teaches you a different component of the program. In Professionalism in Allied Health, you’ll learn the soft skills needed for healthcare settings, such as office behavior, cultural and diversity bias, medical ethics and proper communication. The Introduction to Human Anatomy and Medical Terminology course gives a solid understanding of the human body systems, medical terminology and sensory organs. You’ll learn with 3D and augmented reality simulations for better recall. Two additional courses follow the National Academy of Sports Medicine’s (NASM) framework. In the Essentials of Nutrition Coaching course, you’ll learn about nutrition science and how to apply these practices to people of all ages and economic levels. The course teaches how to improve body composition, fitness and overall health through nutrition and dietary changes. After completing the MedCerts program, students will test for the Nutrition Coach Certification (CNC) from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. This certification requires renewal every two years. Along with the Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC) credentials, you may wish to double your certifications and sit for the Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) certification.
Key Skills and Qualities
Along with an interest in health and wellness, you’ll want a strong fitness level and a good understanding of nutrition basics. You’ll build on your knowledge during training to guide your clients to better health. Includes coaching techniques and change psychology.
Listening and Understanding: One of the most important things in helping clients reach their goal is to listen and truly understand what their goals are,” says Dieter. “Oftentimes we put our own ideas for what a client’s goals should be on the client, not letting the clients tell us themselves.
Empathy: How they think. How they feel. How they live. You might write that off as human nature.
Communication: They can offer specific recommendations around our unique challenges (and we all have unique challenges).
Finding a Program
When deciding on a program, look for one that will do more than simply give you a certification that you can put on your wall and add to your title.
The Career Outlook for Nutrition Coaches
Is health coaching a good career to pursue? Absolutely. The market share of health and wellness coaching sits at $3.83 billion in 2024. It’s expected to grow by nearly 8% each year, providing many job opportunities for certified trainers and coaches.