Sarah de Roche – SAAHSP, CIDESCO
Sarah is a talented and valued part of our customer services team both on email and social media, she is committed to helping our customers optimise their health.
About Sarah
Qualifying as a Health and Skin Care Therapist in 2002 and later as a Medical Aesthetician, Sarah took a special interest in treating the skin and body from the inside out through nutrition, supplementation and topical treatments. Having studied nutrition and medical anatomy & physiology, Sarah has a holistic approach to health and wellness and is especially keen to further her research on how the skin and gut are intrinsically linked as well as the importance of nutrition through pregnancy and lactation.
What is a Registered Nutritionist?
When you choose a nutritionist, check their qualifications first.
Who regulates nutritionists
The Association for Nutrition (AfN) is the independent regulator for Registered Nutritionists. Registered Nutritionists are listed on the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN). To join the register, a nutritionist has to meet strict standards of competence and professionalism. The UKVRN is the only register of qualified nutritionists recognised by the NHS.
Nutritionists' training
There are two main routes to becoming a nutritionist:
- Registered Nutritionists (rNutr) usually train through AfN-accredited science degrees and register with the AfN.
- Nutritional therapists train through colleges such as the Institute of Optimum Nutrition (ION) and the College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM), and register with BANT or CNHC. Their training covers nutritional science, functional and lifestyle medicine, vitamins and supplements. It includes 2,000–3,500 hours of study over 2–4 years, plus 200–400 hours of clinical practice.
By comparison, a GP gets fewer than 2 hours of nutrition training on average across all of their medical training (Source: Time for nutrition in medical education, BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, 2020). That means a nutritional therapist trained through these colleges has about 200–350 times more nutrition than a GP.
There are about 5,000 - 7,000 qualified, practising nutritionists in the UK.
Registrations and titles to look for
- AfN / rNutr: Association for Nutrition / Registered Nutritionist
- mBANT: British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine
- CNHC: Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council
- RNTP: Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner
Book a free 15-minute consultation with one of our qualified nutritionists: Book Consultation