Sports nutritionists are professionals who devise nutrition plans that provide for the nutritional needs of athletes. They can also offer counseling with the goal promoting good eating habits and an overall healthy lifestyle for individuals who participate in sports, based on what they currently know and additional knowledge provided by recent nutritional research. Independent practitioners are able to provide more flexibility to their clients in terms of schedules.

 

Requirements for Practice

 

In order to work as a sports nutritionist, a bachelor's degree in nutrition or sports nutrition is required, along with an internship where the person will actually be working with athletes in order to acquire on-the-job experience. To give you a better understanding on this, you might want to read the details at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_nutrition first. Working in this field needs one to be registered and licensed, and there specialty certifications available.

 

Obtaining a Bachelor's Degree

 

Those who plan to become sports nutritionists must complete a nutrition or sports nutrition bachelor's degree program that has earned accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics or ACEND. Covered in the program are such subjects as nutrition counseling, the life cycle, kinesiology and a lot more. To enroll in the program, prerequisite courses in biology, anatomy and chemistry should be completed.

 

Internship

 

A 1,200-hour dietetic internship approved by the ACEND must be completed for one to be registered as a dietician. In some bachelor's degree programs from the site at anhs-school.com, the internship is already included, but in others, graduates are left on their own. Universities and non-profit organizations, along with school districts, are usually where internships are found.

 

Licensing and Registration

 

In most cases, nutritionists and dieticians need a license to practice. Licenses are generally issued based on training and experience, but there may be specific requirements from one state to another. As indicated by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a person can obtain a license by being certified as a Registered Dietician by the American Dietetic Association, although some states also have unique requirements.The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says an individual may acquire a license by earning a Registered Dietician certification issued by the American Dietetic Association, although there can be unique state requirements as well. Becoming a registered dietician requires passing an exam which is different from the licensure exam.

 

Getting Certification

 

If you want to know how to be a nutritionist, sports nutritionists are certified by the Commission on Dietetic Registraton. Applicants should be Registered Dieticians who have 1,500 of sports nutrition specialty practice experience. Certification is given to people who pass an exam which tackles subjects like nutrition assessment, energy metabolism, etc. Although certification is not required, it lands sports nutritionists a spot in the CDR directory.Certification is not required, but it allows sports nutritionists to be included in the CDR directory.

 

 

Continuing Education

 

The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics requires Registered Dieticians to be in continuing education so they can keep their RD status and, in certain states, even their licenses. Continuing education may be equivalent to taking online courses, attending seminars or lectures, or enrolling in a master's degree program in sports nutrition.