Regulated health professions
Dietetics
What is Dietetics?
- What is Dietetics for?
- Nutrition therapy and diet-related counselling for healthy and ill people
- Is Dietetics legally regulated?
- Legally regulated health profession (MTD Act). Listed in the health professions register (GBR).
- Does Dietetics treat illnesses?
- Yes. Besides physicians, the only professional group allowed to provide nutrition therapy in case of illness or suspected illness.
Dietetics is the only professional group besides physicians allowed to work on nutrition therapeutically in relation to illness: chronic conditions, intolerances and allergies, and eating disorders alongside therapy. Partly an insurance benefit with medical referral.
What is allowed
- Provide nutrition therapy for illnesses such as diabetes, intolerances, kidney or bowel disease
- Work alongside therapy and medicine in eating disorders
- Work in prevention and early detection without medical orders (new MTD Act)
- Carry out nutrition diagnostics and individual therapy plans
Where are the limits?
- Does not treat mental illness; in eating disorders only as part of a team
- May not prescribe medication, apart from future special provisions
How to recognise quality
- Listed in the health professions register
- Continuing education duty
- Works with medical findings and in exchange with physicians
- No blanket diet promises, no product sales as the main purpose
How it works
- Accesswith a medical prescription or, in prevention, directly
- Nutrition historyeating habits, findings and goal
- Therapy planpractical and adapted to the condition
- Supportadjust implementation, review progress
Costs & insurance
In hospital, spa or via insurer programmesoften free
Private practiceprivate service, usually no reimbursement
Guide price first consultationapprox. 90 to 150 € (60 to 90 min)
Guide price follow-upapprox. 50 to 90 €
SVS health bonus100 € per year for dietitian counselling