Clinical dietitian-nutritionist

A clinical dietitian-nutritionist is the health professional who adapts a person's diet to a specific medical condition: diabetes, kidney disease, digestive disorders, overweight, pregnancy, malnutrition in older adults, food allergies. People commonly say dietitian or nutritionist, and in Israel the title is דיאטן or דיאטנית. Patients arrive either on referral from their doctor or simply because they want to eat better. A first consultation lasts 45 to 60 minutes: medical history, recent blood tests, real eating habits (not ideal ones), daily routine, budget and religious or cultural constraints. The result is a concrete plan, reviewed at shorter follow-up visits where things get adjusted rather than restarted from scratch.

• ✓Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes has just been diagnosed and the doctor recommends changing the diet.
• ✓High cholesterol or triglycerides, with a wish to act before or alongside medication.
• ✓Kidney, liver or heart disease requiring precise restrictions (salt, protein, potassium).
• ✓Chronic digestive disorders (irritable bowel syndrome, coeliac disease, Crohn's disease) that need a supervised diet.
• ✓Unintentional weight loss or gain, in an adult or an older person.
• ✓Pregnancy, breastfeeding or gestational diabetes.
• ✓A child or teenager with slowed growth, a food allergy or excess weight.
• ✓Preparation for or follow-up after bariatric surgery, or a vegetarian or vegan diet that needs to be made safe.

This is one of the few areas of nutrition where Israel is stricter than many European countries. Since the 2008 Health Professions Regulation Law (חוק הסדרת העיסוק במקצועות הבריאות), the title of clinical dietitian-nutritionist (דיאטן קליני / תזונאי קליני) has been a protected title: it requires a recognised university degree in nutrition sciences (a bachelor's degree of three years or more), a supervised clinical internship of about six months, passing the Ministry of Health's national licensing exam (בחינת רישוי ממשלתית) and registration in the Ministry's registry, which is searchable online (מאגר בעלי מקצועות רפואיים). Only a registered person may use the title and work in hospitals and health funds (קופות חולים). By contrast, nutrition adviser (יועץ תזונה), nutrition coach or naturopath are not protected titles: anyone can use them after a private course of a few weeks. In the UK the comparable protected title is registered dietitian (HCPC), while nutritionist alone is not protected; in France the title dietitian is protected but nutritionist is not. This creates confusion for newcomers. A degree obtained abroad must be assessed by the Ministry, after which the candidate sits the national exam, often after a supplementary internship. Before booking, ask for the certificate number (מספר תעודה) and check it on the Ministry website: it takes two minutes.