Nutrition & Dietetics: A healthy career choice

Best schools: SNDT college, Institute of Health Systems (IHS), Lady Irwin College, Avinashilingam University for Women, Banasthali University, Qualification: BSc Home Science, MSc Food & Nutrition, What you become: Nutritionists, Dietician Recruiters: Governmental, UN organizations, FMCGs, R&D institutes, schools, colleges

INDIA, the global capital for diabetes and other diseases (cardiovascular disorders, hypertension, heart disease, cancers) needs both curative and preventive nutrition,” says Kumud Khanna, Director, Institute of Home Economics (IHE). As a part of Home Science, nutritional studies kicked off in the 1930s in India.

“Earlier, the attention was towards finishing and grooming courses such as cooking and textile management. But nutrition education started gaining visibility in the early 1960s. At present, with new areas of practice, the nutrition domain has taken tremendous strides,” says Prof. Santosh Jain Passi, IHE.

The nutritionist/ dietician’s job

Research the nutritive value of food
Understand all food components
Advise people on eating habits
Plan diets that will improve health
A thin line of difference

Dieticians: Also referred to as clinical or therapeutic dietitians, these titles vary across the workplace. But essentially, they plan and supervise the preparation of diets designed for patients, and work in hospitals, clinics, health care centres, wellness programmes, fitness, sports centres or own private clinics. “A dietician helps to plan and monitor an individual’s diet,” says Namrata Singh, Senior Dietician at Department of Gastroenterology and Human Nutrition, AIIMS. In hospitals, they work closely with doctors and develop expertise in a particular medical domain. “Besides making the rounds of the respective wards, we check the quality and hygiene levels in the hospital kitchen. To excel, dieticians must be in tune with the medical world (diseases, medicines, treatment),” Singh adds.

Nutritionists: They work in the areas of food science, community development, research projects and Fast Moving Consumer Goods Companies (FMCG). Their work relates to research aspect. It could be in the field, desk or laboratory. Public health nutritionists work in the developmental sector. “They go beyond diets – move into the science of biochemistry, food science. They do not do so much of clinical nutrition as a dietician does,” says Kajali Paintal, Senior Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF, India.

How to kickstart your career
You can opt for a nutrition course after 10+2. There are numerous programmes available at the graduate, postgraduate level, and course combinations, also. At Delhi University, the entry point is BSc Home Science, of which Food & Nutrition is one subject. There are two types of programmes: BSc Home Science (Pass) and (Honors). In BSc Home Science (Hons), a student can specialise in Food & Nutrition in the second and third year, whereas in the Pass programme, there is no specialisation. The Honours programme admits only students from science backgrounds as its subjects include Biochemistry, Botany, Physics, Zoology and Chemistry.

If you are not good in subjects like biology, chemistry, physics  at the school level, then you are likely to struggle with the course curriculum. The top two colleges (Lady Irwin and IHE) allow students from both science and non-science backgrounds. “You must look into the course curriculum and syllabi of the institute closely before taking admission,” Prof. Passi advises.

At the postgraduate level, you can either do a one-year Post Graduate Diploma in Dietetics and Public Health Nutrition (DDPHN) or a two-year Maste
r’s programme.

The MSc Food and Nutrition allows you to specialise in one of these areas:
Therapeutic Nutrition
Public Health Nutrition
Food Science

MSc comprises general subjects such as Research Methods and Computer applications, Biochemistry, Food Microbiology and Food Safety, Food Science and Quality Control, Advanced Human Nutrition, Physiology and Principles of Food Science.

Advancing in the field
Exploring higher studies means coming up with greater ideas and implementing them.  There are some institutes, which spend majority of their time on research. “We take MSc nutritionists for PhD or research work. We hold seminars and symposia, and bring out recommendations. Here, one can finish PhD in 5 years,” says Prema Ramachandran, Director, Nutrition Foundation of India (NFI). One can also look at the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, a renowned research institute in India.

Registered Dieticians
This credential is offered to professionals authorised by Indian Dietetics Association (IDA). It can be used by dietitians working at hospitals, day-care clinics and consultancy clinics. Those who possess these credentials would have specific academic and practice requirements. For more info visit  the website     www.idaindia.com

Skills and aptitude 
Interest in food/ food preparation
Good communication skills to interact with people, individually and in groups
Writing skills to produce reports, documentation, leaflets
Good research skills
Figure out new ways to solve a problem.
Patience and a genuine concern for fellow beings
Planning, administrative skills and organisational ability
The real challenge
For those working in the field, hospitals and consultancy clinics inspiring clients to eat healthy, is a challenge. ‘It is tough to convince patients, clients and illiterate masses to eat selectively’ - this sentiment resonates with every dietician or nutritionist you speak with. “It is because everyone has different tastes for food and it is not easy to break their eating habit,” says Namrata. So, the trick is to make healthy choices appealing.

A growing demand
Today demand is emerging, especially in these areas, slowly but steadily:
FMCGs and Pharmaceutical companies: Like Nestle, Cadbury’s, Unilever, GSK, Eli Lilly, Novartis require nutritionists in two areas - R&D and medical marketing. Ruchika Chugh, Senior nutritionist at Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) who worked in the food industry for  8 years shares her experience in the R& D centre of GlaxoSmithKline - Consumer Healthcare (GSK). “I used to  develop new product concept, work on the claims, interface with different department regulatory and give them technical support,” she recounts. At Dumex, her role was diversified. She prepared medical marketing kit. “I used to organise scientific conferences, KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) management, prepare manuals, flip charts, leaflets, posters for sales force and eventually trained them. We also met doctors frequently to understand if a product is working,” she adds.

Government bodies: Many are hiring nutritionists for social welfare and developmental work. They also work in public health departments. “Depending on the number of vacancies available, UPSC conducts interviews for posts at Food & Nutrition Board (FNB). If recruited you jump on to become a class-I gazetted officer,” says Dr Surindra Jain, Assistant Technical Advisor, Nutritionist at FNB, Ministry of Women and Child Development.  There are a sizeable number of nutritionists working as Advisor, Technical Advisor or Deputy Advisor.  “There are 43 food and nutrition extension/field units across the country where a nutritionist’s support is needed,” she adds.

Salary talk
The pay scale varies depending on the area of location, education and experience. For instance, a nutritionist in a small town would be paid less as compared to one working in a metro, while a dietician in a hospital may earn less than a dietician with his or her own practice.

A fresher can earn between Rs. 15,000 to 20,000 per month. After gaining a good experience, you may touch Rs 30,000 plus. “In government hospitals, with the Sixth Pay Commission, the salaries have risen to Rs. 25,000,” says Namrata. Nutritionists working in the private sector will have differing pay amounts.

Keeping India healthy
Balanced representation of different types of work has brought legitimacy to the profession. Even though it is a female-dominated field, there are options for men, too. Last but not the least, it’s a profession that gives you an opportunity to make a difference to your nation’s health and well-being. 

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