If I had a dollar for every time someone said to me 'Oh you're a nutritionist? What can I do to lose weight? I would be a very wealthy women. As this might be a small part of our profession, there are just so many other roles we play.
At the core of all Nutritionists, it is our goal to get your body back to homeostasis- balance. All good nutritionists will start with a comprehensive questionnaire of every system in your body and look for clues (signs and symptoms) that suggest a nutritional deficiency, or a disease/disorder, eventually getting to a diagnosis. Then with the signs and symptoms analysis underway, we validate (where possible) the information with pathology testing. This can be any type of test from blood, stool, urine, or even hair. We will also do a comprehensive analysis of your diet, further validating associated signs and symptoms with the knowledge of potential nutritional deficiencies.
It is only then that we will give a definitive treatment protocol. The scope of a nutritional protocol includes: diet intervention, supplementation (only if needed) and lifestyle tools. We will also refer if needed, acknowledging a multi-disciplinary approach will almost always yield the best outcome.
It's important to note that more often than not we find nutritional deficiencies through signs/symptoms in many systems in your body. An example of this is a patient will commonly have problems with acne, feeling anxious, have sleep disturbances, low appetite, and gut issues, all pointing to the micronutrient Zinc!
All in all, my favourite part of being a nutritionalist is educating people to make better food choices and giving them the sense of freedom. Knowledge is power!