Nutrition & detox

Dietitian

นักกำหนดอาหาร

A dietitian is a licensed health professional who assesses your nutritional status and plans diet therapy, including for people living with a medical condition.

IntensityGentle

Origin

International

History

Organised as a profession since at least 1917 (USA); a licensed healing-arts branch in Thailand since 21 September 2020

Licence in Thailand

Required

Where it comes from

Dietetics grew up alongside hospitals and public health in the early 20th century. In the United States, a group of women led by Lenna F. Cooper and Lulu G. Graves founded the American Dietetic Association in Cleveland in 1917, partly to help the government conserve food during World War I. The organisation was renamed the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2012.

In many countries the title is now protected by law. In the United Kingdom, for example, only people registered with the Health and Care Professions Council can call themselves dietitians, after an accredited degree that includes around 1,000 hours of supervised practice. The title “nutritionist”, by contrast, is not protected there.

In Thailand, dietetics was taught at university for many years without a specific law. A Royal Decree of 2020 made dietetics a branch of the art of healing under the Healing Arts Practice Act B.E. 2542 (1999); it came into force on 21 September 2020.

The principle

A dietitian translates nutrition science into practical food advice for one person or for a group. Thai law describes the work as assessing a patient’s nutritional status, analysing and planning nutrition therapy, counselling, following up and evaluating, and adapting meals to a specific disease in line with the treatment plan.

Dietitians work with both healthy and sick people, often alongside doctors and nurses. Their advice starts from general healthy-eating principles, such as those set out by the WHO, and is then adapted to a person’s health, medicines, culture and daily life.

What people come for

Understand what and how much to eat with a long-term condition
Get tailored advice on digestive problems or food allergies
Plan meals during or after illness or a hospital stay
Build balanced eating habits for weight management
Adapt nutrition to sport, pregnancy or older age
Sort reliable nutrition information from marketing claims

How it works on the body

A dietitian does not touch the body: the work happens through what you eat and drink, which affects the whole organism.

A session, step by step

01
Health history
The dietitian asks about your health, medical conditions, medicines and any results your doctor has shared.
02
Nutrition assessment
Your usual diet, weight history and nutritional status are assessed to identify the main nutrition problem.
03
Shared plan
Together you set a realistic nutrition plan that fits your treatment, budget, culture and routine.
04
Counselling
You receive practical guidance, for example on portions, food labels or adapting Thai dishes.
05
Follow-up
Later visits review progress and adjust the plan if your health or needs change.

Precautions

In Thailand, check that the person holds a healing-arts licence in dietetics (ผู้ประกอบโรคศิลปะ สาขาการกำหนดอาหาร); presenting oneself as a dietitian without one is an offence.
If you have a medical condition, keep your doctor informed: a dietitian’s plan should fit your overall treatment.
Do not stop or change medicines because of a diet plan without talking to your doctor.
Be wary of anyone who combines nutrition advice with selling supplements or promises rapid weight loss.

Complementary practice: does not replace medical advice.

In Thailand

Since the 2020 Royal Decree, dietetics (การกำหนดอาหาร) is a branch of the art of healing supervised by a Dietetics Professional Committee under the Ministry of Public Health. Practitioners must register and hold a licence; people who worked in the field before the law, including those previously certified by the Thai Dietetic Association, had to re-register within transitional deadlines. The Committee also accredits university programmes: a four-year bachelor’s degree of at least 120 credits covering, among others, nutrition assessment, medical nutrition therapy, nutrition counselling and professional ethics and law. The Act forbids practising, or making others believe one may practise, without registration and a licence, with penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to 20,000 baht. Doctors and nurses may still give dietary advice within their own professional laws.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist?

In Thailand, as in the UK, “dietitian” is the regulated title: the person must be registered and licensed and may assess and treat nutrition problems, including in patients. “Nutritionist” is a broader term for people trained in nutrition science; in the UK it is not a protected title.

Do I need to be ill to see a dietitian?

No. Dietitians also work with healthy people, for example on balanced eating, sport, pregnancy or weight management.

How can I check a dietitian in Thailand?

Ask whether they hold a healing-arts licence in dietetics issued under the Healing Arts Practice Act; registered practitioners should be able to show it.

Will a dietitian give me a strict diet?

The aim is a plan that fits your health and daily life. Where a medical condition requires limits on certain nutrients, the dietitian explains why and adapts it with you.

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