Nutritional advice

Nutritional advice by a dietician / ecotrophologist with the help of diagrams

A nutritional advice provides information on nutritional physiological , biochemical and allergy relationships of diet and includes advice on food structure, their production processes and, where appropriate, on issues such as eating habits, lifestyle, body awareness and sports.

Nutritionist

In contrast to diet therapy, nutritional advice is always aimed at healthy people in special life situations (such as pregnant women, athletes) or people who already have risk factors, such as B. Overweight (not obesity ), but are not yet ill.

Germany

In Germany, nutritional advice is subsidized by the statutory health insurance companies in accordance with Section 20 of the Book V of the Social Code . Accordingly, various professional groups are qualified for nutritional advice, such as B. dietitians , nutrition scientists and nutritionists. Nutritionists and nutritionists have to obtain further qualifications after their studies in order to be able to bill the health insurance companies for nutritional advice. This training is z. B. the further training to become a nutritionist / DGE ( German Society for Nutrition ), or to become a certified nutritionist VDOE from the professional association Oecotrophologie e. V. (VDOE).

Since dietitians are among the so-called medical auxiliary professions regulated by federal law (synonym health care profession , medical professional profession, medical auxiliary profession, etc.), there is no need for an additional qualification. Dietitians can apply directly to their professional association for a nutritionist / VDD certificate that is equivalent to the other certificates. This certificate must also be updated every 3 years through further training. The Diet Assistants Act of 1994 and the associated training and examination regulations have the following training objective:

"The training should, in accordance with the task of the profession, convey in particular the knowledge, abilities and skills that enable people to independently carry out diet therapy and nutritional medicine measures on medical orders or within the framework of medical prescriptions, such as creating diet plans, planning, calculating and producing scientifically recognized forms of diet , as well as to participate in the prevention and therapy of diseases and to carry out nutritional advice and training (dietician training and examination ordinance, 1994). "

Serious nutritional advice is characterized by the fact that no sales take place within the advice and the consultant's statements are manufacturer-neutral and free of advertising. This is regulated, for example, in the professional regulations for freelance oecotrphologists of the VDOE.

Dietician / dietologist (Austria, formerly dietician) - medical assistant for the field of dietetics and nutrition
Ecotrophologist / Trophologist (Master and Bachelor of Science, formerly a diploma) - Study of household and nutritional science, nutritional science and food hygiene, in the case of trophology excluding economics and business administration
Nutritionist - doctor with additional qualification

The terms nutritionist and nutrition therapist enjoy no legal protection and can therefore be used in general terms by every person. To ensure qualified advice, the German Nutrition Society and the Oecotrophology Professional Association certify trained nutritionists (nutritionists / DGE or nutritionists VDOE). However, people who have internal / private degrees or training as nutritionists may also work in primary prevention. Corresponding training courses are offered full-time, part-time and in the form of distance learning.

A patient protection association wanted to ensure that those who manufacture and sell nutritional supplements and work as nutritionists require the approval of a health authority. In particular, it was demanded that the professional title of nutritionist be protected by law. The petition process was closed on September 20, 2007 because the request could not be granted.

In the reason why this concern could not be met, the Bundestag refers to the Federal Ministry of Health, which, together with the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, refers to Art. 74, Paragraph 1, No. 19 of the Basic Law . According to this, the federal government has the power to regulate admission to medical and other health professions . The federal legislature has made use of this for the area of nutrition through the Diet Assistants Act. This explanation goes on to say:

“The Diet Assistants Act of March 8, 1994 protects the job title and regulates national training. The training goal of dietitians includes in particular imparting knowledge, skills and abilities to independently carry out diet therapy and nutritional medicine measures on a doctor's order or within the framework of medical prescriptions, such as the creation of diet plans, the planning, calculation and production of scientifically recognized forms of diet, as well as To participate in the prevention and therapy of diseases and to carry out nutritional therapy advice and training [...] The area of nutritional advice is covered by separate subjects in theoretical and practical teaching as well as parts of practical training. The oral and practical part of the state examination also includes a. on the subject of diet and nutrition advice. With the Diet Assistants Act, the federal legislature has created the basis for a profession that is trained under federal law and is able to work in the field of nutritional advice [...] "

Austria

In Austria, nutritional advice is divided into two areas:

in medical and
in the commercial sector.

With medical nutritional advice, the nutritional medical treatment, advice and therapy of sick people or people who are suspected of being ill are legally reserved for doctors and dieticians and - under medical supervision - qualified health and nursing staff.

Nutritional advice in the commercial sector is legally aimed at people who are not sick or who are suspected of being ill. Nutritional advice has been a sub-area of life and social advice since the 2002 amendment to the trade regulation. The practice of the trade “life and social counseling restricted to nutrition counseling” is bound to the successful completion of the study course nutrition science at a domestic university or the successful training as a dietician (cf. § 119 Abs. 1 GewO).

Austria and Germany show differences in the coverage of costs by health insurers. While in Austria the use of a service by a freelance nutritionist is entirely your own, in Germany there are some cost subsidies. The various health insurances carry out an individual case-by-case examination and differentiate between preventive and nutritional therapy advice.

Web links

Individual evidence

^ DGE: Admission criteria for nutritional advice. German Nutrition Society, 2019, accessed on November 3, 2019 .
↑ Training and examination regulations for dietitians (DietAss-APrV)
↑ Justification of the Patientenschutz eV Berlin LAG Nord , from September 20, 2007
↑ Justification of patient protection e. V. Berlin LAG Nord , from September 20, 2007, p. 2 (PDF).
↑ Trade Regulations 1994, Life and Social Advisor ( Memento from August 18, 2018 in the Internet Archive )

[1] DGE: Admission criteria for nutritional advice. German Nutrition Society, 2019, accessed on November 3, 2019 .

[2] Training and examination regulations for dietitians (DietAss-APrV)

[3] Justification of the Patientenschutz eV Berlin LAG Nord , from September 20, 2007

[4] Justification of patient protection e. V. Berlin LAG Nord , from September 20, 2007, p. 2 (PDF).

[5] Trade Regulations 1994, Life and Social Advisor ( Memento from August 18, 2018 in the Internet Archive )