Many people looking for new remote career opportunities want something a little more challenging than customer service or transcription. Perhaps you long for a job that feels more rewarding than simply meeting a deadline or sales metric.
Some creative workers are succeeding in make money online in the online nutrition coaching business. If health, fitness, and general wellness are your passion, this may be a great career for you. And all the training can be done from the comfort of your own home.
What an Online Nutrition Coach Does
It is important to know that a nutrition coach is very different than a registered dietitian or even a certified one. Nutritionist. Those degrees require much more training, as well as a degree and certification.
Local laws largely dictate much of what a nutrition coach is allowed to do. However, in most places, a nutrition coach can only “make suggestions” about what a client might eat to support her overall health goals. A nutrition coach cannot make a diagnosis, prescribe anything, even a meal plan, or treat a client with nutritional therapy.
A good way to think about health coaching in any aspect is to educate clients and then help them create habits to achieve their goals. A credible nutrition coach can:
- Explain the pros and cons of different diets.
- teach portion size
- Teach to read a nutritional label.
- Discover the myths of the diet
- Discuss healthy cooking options
- Direct a customer to trusted resources and tools to help them achieve their goals
Health coaching is a kind of mentoring. You can ask a client the right questions to help them find the right answers, but you can’t take the test or do the homework for them.
Average Salary of a Nutrition Consultant
According Glass doorthe average salary for nutrition coaches in the US was around $42,000 in 2021. As always, nutrition coaching fees it can vary greatly by location and field of expertise.
Requirements to become a certified nutrition coach
There are no formal training requirements to be called a nutrition coach. That said, it’s imperative that you know what you’re doing when advising another person about their habits and their health. Most nutrition coaches have earned a degree in some other type of health-related field and are looking to add nutrition consulting to their practice. Examples would include a massage therapist, personal trainer, registered dietitian, nurse, and more. That being said, a primary health related degree is not an absolute necessity. Even if you’re just a health and fitness buff, you may be able to make a career out of nutrition counseling online.
You have quite a few options to become a nutrition coach online. Most online courses take a minimum of six months to complete and can cost less than $1,000.
Choosing the Right Nutrition Coach Certification
Do your research. As with anything online, there will be programs that cost you a lot of money and leave you little in return. Make sure the program has expert teachers and offers in-depth training covering nutritional sciences, biochemistry, physiology, anatomy, and other related topics. They must also inform you in detail about the Code of Ethics and common standards nutrition coach mistakes.
Many training institutes are accredited, or at least recognized, by a legitimate professional organization. Many programs will also qualify for continuing education credits. These things can help show that a training program is respected and recognized in the field. Whichever program you choose, it should also allow you to become a board-certified holistic health professional or a board-certified health and wellness coach through NBHWC upon completion.
Because there is no official “one size fits all” title to becoming a nutrition coach, it’s important to weigh your future goals and where you want to focus your practice when choosing a training program. If you are looking to start your own wellness business, you should make sure that the program also teaches you some skills related to the business.
Jobs You Can Get As A Nutrition Coach Online
In addition to finding a health coach job in a traditional setting like a gym, yoga studio, or hospital, there are also remote health coach jobs. Weight Watchers, for example, frequently searches for virtual fitness coaches. Calibrate is another weight loss and wellness company with frequent openings for remote trainers.
While the two jobs mentioned above do not require training as a nutrition coach, they do require coaching experience and a passion for wellness and weight loss. Many nutrition coaches, however, are actually looking to start their own wellness business where they can focus on their passion and ideal clients.
To start your own nutrition coach business, you need to consider the following:
- What is your specialty?
- Who is your ideal client?
- What are the local legal requirements for nutrition counselling?
- How will you market your business?
These are things all new business owners need to think about, but the legal aspects of this industry are especially important. You are dealing with someone’s health, after all. Make sure your I’s are dotted and your T’s are crossed.
Is lifestyle coaching the right career for you?
Perhaps the most important question to ask yourself when deciding if nutrition coaching is right for you is: “Do you really enjoy helping people?” Nutrition consulting is not just learning about food, after all, you will have to rely a lot on psychology and human behavior for your clients to achieve their goals. You have to be able to make that personal connection instead of just telling them what to do. That can be frustrating for some people and truly rewarding for others.
