In today’s day and age, there are a lot of labels in the healthcare industry. It can be hard to keep track of who does what. In this blog, we will explain the differences between health coaches and registered dietitians, specifically what they do, what sessions may look like, education and certifications, insurance coverage, and when it makes sense to see each one.
What is a Health Coach?
A health coach is a trained professional who, using the science of behavior change, helps people improve their health and well-being. They act like a coach similar to a sports team: to encourage, support, educate, and monitor your progress towards your goals by making lifestyle changes rooted in behavior-change strategies.
Who Do They Work With?
Health coaches can support people at many different stages of life. From college students learning self-care and life skills, to adults managing allergies or food intolerances, to busy parents and families trying to prioritize health and wellness in their daily routines, coaches can play an important role in a well-rounded care plan.
What Happens in Sessions?
During each session, health coaches work together with their clients to reach their goals. Health coaches are client-directed. This means that while coaches can guide their client in developing a “wellness vision”, the client designs and pursues their own intentions.
Each week, a few goals are set to be completed by the next meeting. Common areas of focus include nutrition education, meal planning, and grocery shopping. Health coaches use behavior science to keep you on track, even when there are barriers or set-backs.
Education & Licensing
Most coaches take a three to six month course and pass an exam to become certified. To maintain their certificate, they must meet continuing education requirements.
While health coaches may be individuals with formal college degrees and certificates, anyone can call themselves a “coach”. It is important to work with someone who holds a degree in nutrition, sports or health sciences, and is certified by the National Board of Certified Health & Wellness Coaches (NBHWC) to ensure you receive the highest quality care.
You can read about Gabrielle’s education, certification, and experience here.
Insurance Coverage
While some coaches accept insurance, a vast majority do not. Instead, services are often structured into packages, with a set number of pre-planned sessions. This can help the affordability of coaching services when insurance or reimbursement isn’t accepted.
When to See a Health Coach
Anyone can start working with a health coach. You may be a good fit if you need help: ● Staying consistent and accountable with your health goals
- Understanding what foods best support your health
- Managing food allergies, intolerances, or dietary restrictions
- Learning skills that improve health and wellbeing such as grocery shopping and meal planning
- Developing healthy habits
- Navigating weight loss or muscle gain in a healthy way
*Health coaching is not a substitute for a medically supervised treatment plan. Health coaches cannot diagnose, treat, or prescribe medical treatment, medications, or supplements, interpret medical data (such as a blood test), or provide psychological therapeutic interventions.
What is a Registered Dietitian?
A registered dietitian (RD or RDN) is a licensed healthcare professional who specializes in nutrition and its role in health, disease prevention, and medical management. Dietitians are trained to diagnose and treat nutrition-related diseases through science-based medical nutrition therapy (MNT).
Who Do They Work With?
Dietitians work with a wide range of clients: everyone from individuals looking to improve their overall health to patients managing chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or digestive disorders. They are also critical partners in mental health treatment when someone’s condition impacts their food choices, such as eating and feeding disorders. Dietitians collaborate closely with other healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and psychologists to ensure clients receive comprehensive care.
What Happens in Session?
Sessions can vary drastically by the dietitian’s specialty and the client’s needs. In an introductory session, a dietitian will typically assess a client’s health history, current eating patterns, and lifestyle factors. From there, they can coordinate evidence-based strategies tailored to the client’s medical needs and personal goals. This might include creating a
personalized meal plan, helping manage extensive food allergies or aversions, or providing education on how nutrition impacts a specific medical condition. Sessions often focus on both practical strategies, problem solving, and ongoing accountability.
For dietitians specializing in more complex cases, sessions may go beyond nutrition counseling to include approaches such as somatic therapy, embodiment techniques, mindfulness practices, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills, or other integrative methods. Instead of meeting in an office or online, dietitians may meet their clients in restaurants, grocery stores, gyms, or parks to help put their work into action.
Education & Licensing
Becoming an RD requires extensive training in the United States. Dietitians complete a bachelor’s and master’s degree in nutrition from Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) accredited programs, finish an internship with a minimum of 1,200 supervised hours, and pass a national exam from the Commission on Dietetic Registration to become licensed. To maintain their license, they must meet continuing education requirements. This rigorous process ensures that dietitians are qualified to deliver safe, evidence-based care.
Dietitians can also receive board certifications in specialized areas, including digestive health, sports dietetics, eating disorders, gerontological, oncology, pediatric, renal, and diabetes nutrition.
Insurance Coverage
Many insurance plans cover dietetic services, especially when care is related to a medical condition such as diabetes or heart disease. Coverage depends on the provider, their policies, and specialties.
When to See a Registered Dietitian?
There are certain times when an RD’s expertise is especially valuable. Dietitians are more appropriate choice if you:
- Have been diagnosed with a condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, celiac disease, or kidney disease, and need a medically supervised diet. ● Have or have had a history of an eating disorder, disordered eating, or trauma related to food and body image.
- Struggle with digestive issues like IBS, severe food allergies and/or intolerances, or unexplained gastrointestinal symptoms after eating.
- Have specific nutrition needs during life stages such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, or recovering from surgery.
- Need a medically-supervised diet for weight management or chronic illness care, including individuals on GLP-1 RA medications and those with insulin resistance.
- Are interested in high-level sports performance and want to fuel your body properly for training and recovery.
Summary
Dietitians and health coaches offer different levels of care. RDs have extensive training to offer a high level of specialized care for individuals with specific medical or nutritional needs, and can coordinate with other healthcare professionals. Health coaches empower clients to adopt and sustain healthy lifestyle practices by facilitating the development of self-management strategies grounded in behavior-change science.
If you have any questions about the services we provide at LCWNS or want to see if you are a good fit, contact us at Info@lauracipullo.com. If you are ready to get started with your health journey, make an appointment with one of our team members today.
