You Can Be Anything › All careers › Healthcare & Medicine
Nutritionist / Dietitian
Plans diets and advises on food choices to promote health and manage diseases.
Did you know?
Astronauts on the space station need about 2,500 to 3,500 calories a day, partly because they must exercise two hours daily to protect bones and muscles.
How subjects help
- Biology: Explain how the gut digests food and how diet affects conditions like diabetes.
- Chemistry: Understand how fats, sugars and vitamins are used by the body for energy and repair.
- Food Science: Read food labels and suggest swaps that cut salt or sugar without losing taste.
- Mathematics: Add up calories and nutrients to build a meal plan that meets a patient's needs.
A famous name
Ancel Keys: American nutrition scientist who created the army K-ration and studied how diet affects heart health.
Try it yourself: Pack a match-day lunch
- Plan a lunch for a young footballer with a match in the afternoon.
- Check it against the guide: is every food group there?
- What snack and drink would you pack for half-time?
- Why might someone eat differently on a rest day?
Sports nutritionists help athletes plan food around training and matches, fitting each person rather than giving one diet to everyone.
Also try: Run a fair test with sugar.
Known for it in
USA, Australia, Canada, UK, Switzerland