how to become a culinary nutritionist

How to Become a Culinary Nutritionist in 7 Easy Steps

If you love preparing delicious, healthy meals, exploring a future in food preparation might be a great next step. Jobs in the food industry have expanded dramatically with a more health conscious approach to commercially prepared foods. Today, more companies offer nutrition information about their meals than ever. If food and health top your list of priorities, you might want to start looking at culinary nutrition schools to combine the things you love with your work. Learn how you can enter this exciting and growing field.

1. Love to cook!

Before you get into the hard science of nutrition, it is important to start with a love of cuisine. If you don't enjoy preparing meals, you are not likely to enjoy putting together complex menus. If cooking is something that makes you smile, consider rounding out your education with a background in nutrition and commercial food preparation.

2. Learn to cook!

The need for a greater focus on healthy meals is undeniable, but before you add the nutrition element, it is crucial to have a good understanding of meal preparation and functioning in a commercial kitchen. You'll need a solid understanding of mise en place, the organization, and preparation of foods for later use in a recipe. You'll also need to develop a series of skills ranging from different knife cuts to butchering. As you develop your kitchen skills, you move further along in your culinary journey.

3. Delve into delicious and nutritious! 

Once you have all the skills you need to operate in a professional kitchen, it is time to start learning about the science behind food. Nutrition plays an important role in total body health, and restaurants are being challenged to produce food that both tastes delicious and has solid health benefits. A background in nutrition can help you plan menus that hit the spot from both a taste and health standpoint. You'll need to learn how to analyze a recipe and alter it to fit different dietary needs. 

4. Understand different diets!

A big part of nutrition lies in learning what to serve and when. A person on a low sodium diet needs big flavors to combat the lack of salt. Someone on a carbohydrate restricted diet might need to avoid traditional filler foods. As a culinary nutritionist, you need to understand how to give those on specialty diets a filling meal that doesn't leave them looking for snacks. You might learn about lower-glycemic foods and spicing that can punch up a dish. The more diets you are familiar with, the more plates you can conceive to satisfy any diner. All of this information is generally covered on the curriculum at culinary nutrition schools.

5. Source different ingredients!

In addition to the preparation and planning, you need to know where to go to get alternative ingredients. When you can't use rice, you might want to use a lot more squash, sweet potato, or grains like quinoa or amaranth. With the right ingredients available, you can produce food that is filling and gluten free, low carb or heart healthy. 

6. Get into the behind-the-scenes skills!

After you learn how to prepare food and build a healthy, restriction-friendly meal plan, you'll want to learn more about the management side of hospitality, restaurants, and even healthcare establishments. Maintaining inventory, proper service etiquette, and sanitation requirements are just some of the skills you need to be successful as a culinary nutritionist. As a culinary nutritionist, you might find employment in a restaurant, hotel, hospital, or assisted living community. In any of these fields, you will need a range of skills that extend far beyond the prep counter. To be successful, you need to manage waste and keep costs low, all while turning out exceptional and healthful food. 

7. Earn your degree!

Take the classes you need to get the skills required for success as a culinary nutritionist. An associate degree in culinary nutrition is one way to get started on the path to healthy food preparation. You might even choose to continue your education with a bachelor's degree and become a licensed nutritionist or dietitian.

If you are interested in a future in healthy hospitality, consider earning a degree at one of the culinary nutrition schools out there. ECPI University's College of Culinary Arts offers an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts and Applied Nutrition that could be completed in as little as 15 months. It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

Learn more about ECPI's College of Culinary Arts TODAY!

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