39 Questions to Ask a Nutritionist in an Interview (With Example Answers)
Practicing how you will answer both general and in-depth nutritionist interview questions can help you plan your answers so you are ready to talk about your experience with the interviewer. You might be asked if you have ever worked with kids or taught classes on nutrition. You can also make a good impression on the interviewer by talking about your ability to connect with clients and by giving examples of how you encourage healthy eating habits. 39 Questions to Ask a Nutritionist
This article goes over both general and more specific nutritionist interview questions, as well as some sample answers to help you get ready.
General questions
The interviewer will learn more about who you are and what you believe in by asking you the following questions:
- Tell me a little bit about yourself.
- How familiar are you with our group?
- What are some of your professional goals?
- Tell me what your best quality is.
- Which of your flaws do you think is the worst?
- How did you find out about this job?
- Why should this company hire you?
- What do you want to get done in your first three months on the job?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- Are you interested in learning more about our group?
Questions about your past and present
During your interview, you should be ready to answer questions about your background and qualifications, such as:
- Why did you decide to work in the food industry?
- How would you describe yourself?
- What do you think are the most important things to talk to clients about when it comes to nutrition?
- Who have you worked with in the past, and what were they like?
- How do you figure out what to feed a new client?
- Have you ever had a client who was difficult to please? What did you say?
- What have you learned from the doctors you’ve worked with?
- Have you and a coworker ever disagreed about how to eat?
- Have you ever had a chance to work with a social worker?
- What kinds of meal plans have you made in the past for clients?
In-depth questions
The following questions about your past jobs can give you an idea of what the nutritionist interviewer might ask:
- How would you help someone come up with a plan to lose weight?
- How would you meet a client’s food needs if they have Type 1 diabetes?
- How would you tell a client that they need to eat more vitamins and minerals?
- How would you help someone who wants to gain weight with their diet?
- How would you make a meal plan for an older person?
- What is basal metabolic rate, and how does it affect the number of calories a person needs?
- Explain the differences between saturated, unsaturated, and monounsaturated fats.
- Would you help a client get in the best shape possible by working with a fitness trainer?
- What are antioxidants, and what foods have them?
- What should someone who has an autoimmune deficiency eat?
Interview questions and examples of how to answer them
Use the following nutritionist interview questions and answers as a guide:
How much protein should a person with Type 2 diabetes get from the food they eat?
Your answer can show the interviewer that you know how to treat diabetes with good nutrition planning. When making plans for diabetic clients’ food choices, it’s important to show that you can look at the risks and benefits of each option.
Example: “From my research on Type 2 diabetes, I’ve learned that high-protein foods like white meat, fish, and eggs don’t have a negative effect on blood sugar levels. With this in mind, I have always told my clients that 15% to 20% of their daily calories should come from protein, unless they had diabetes-related chronic kidney disease.”
How would you help kids who are at risk of getting diabetes with their diet?
A big part of the job may require you to have worked with and evaluated people with diabetes. The interviewer wants to know if you can look at health risks and make plans to help kids get the best nutrition possible. Give some examples of how you work with kids who are at risk and how that has made them less at risk.
Example: “I’ve talked to a lot of parents whose children might get diabetes. At my last job, I met with families often and told them how to get their kids to eat more whole foods and exercise regularly. I’ve helped many families get healthier by getting them to stop eating processed sugars and refined starches. I’ve also helped kids learn more about healthy eating and come up with fun ways to keep them interested in and motivated to choose healthy foods.”
How would you advise a vegetarian who wants to eat well?
The interviewer wants to know how well you know your body’s needs for vitamins and minerals and where they come from. Use your answer to show off what you know and give an example of a vegetarian diet plan that helps them get the most nutrients.
Example: “Because they don’t eat meat or other animal products, most vegetarians need extra nutrition. At my last job, I worked with someone who was vegan and didn’t eat anything made from animals. I told the client that if they didn’t eat animal proteins, they might not get enough Vitamin B-12, so I suggested they take a soluble form of the vitamin.”
How would you keep track of your clients’ diets?
The interviewer can see how well you can talk to clients and keep them motivated and on track with their diets by asking you this question. In your answer, describe how you got your clients involved by keeping track of their progress, getting them to keep a food diary, and coming up with ways to hold them accountable for their health.
Example: “I recently helped a group of pregnant women keep track of what they ate by showing them how to use a bullet journal. I showed everyone how to set up their food journals with a key of symbols to show goals, grocery lists, meal plans, and bulleted notes about progress. At our weekly meetings, the women I worked with talked about their progress and how their journals changed. I still use this method of tracking because it has worked for other clients.”
How would you put together a menu for someone with Hashimoto’s disease?
The interviewer wants to know how you help clients who have thyroid problems or other autoimmune diseases that make it hard to eat well without careful planning. Show how well you can do research and think critically by giving an example of how you came up with and carried out a diet plan for a client with a certain disorder to help them reach their best health.
Example: “First, I would find out how the client reacts to iodine, and then I would make sure that the foods I recommend don’t have a lot of this mineral. Some people with hypothyroidism need a small amount of iodine to keep their thyroids healthy, but for others, it can make their condition worse. For these clients, I would plan a menu with healthy foods that are low in iodine and tell them to avoid table salt and other types of iodine that are hard for the thyroid gland to process.”
What kinds of food should you eat to help your immune system work better?
This question shows the interviewer how you plan and figure out which food options are best for each client’s specific nutritional needs. Give some examples of how you figure out what a client needs and how you come up with a nutrition plan for them.
Example: “I would mix natural dairy with a wide range of high-nutrient foods, depending on what the client likes. Bell peppers, citrus fruits, kiwis, fish, and high-fiber vegetables like broccoli and spinach are all great foods to try with clients.”
What bad things could happen to your health if you took dietary supplements?
Nutritionists have to pay close attention to details and be able to talk with doctors to make sure that their clients’ diet plans are safe and take into account any possible health risks. In your answer, give an example of how you assessed a client based on their medical history and suggested dietary supplements.
Example: “Some prescription drugs don’t work well with certain vitamins and minerals, so I always check what my clients are taking to make sure they can safely take the supplements I recommend. I recently had a client whose doctor had given them SSRI antidepressants. Because of this, I had to plan my diet carefully so that I didn’t eat any foods that were known to make them worse.”
How do you think elementary school lunches could be made healthier?
Many nutritionists work with school dietitians to teach kids about healthy eating and promote it. Explain what you would think about when planning healthy meals for young children in your answer.
Example: “I would talk to the school dietitian about food allergies, which is an important topic. Even though kids with diabetes and common medicines are also things to think about, many foods are safe for them to eat. But when it comes to food allergies, I’d start by finding out how many kids have them so we can stay away from dangerous foods.”
For this job, you will have to teach nutrition workshops at schools in the area. How would you teach someone something?
The interviewer may ask you this question to see how well you plan and teach lessons so that kids are interested in nutrition. Give examples of nutrition lessons you’ve taught in the past or how you’d teach them if you had more one-on-one experience with clients in the past. This will show how creative you are and how well you can communicate.
Example: “I loved teaching workshops at the youth detention center because I could break down our weekly nutrition topics with fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole foods. One thing I taught was how to keep the immune system in good shape. We cooked and made simple meals with foods that help the immune system in the facility’s kitchen. The kids were interested, and many of them discovered skills they didn’t know they had or learned that they loved cooking. I love working with kids and getting them interested in learning about and taking care of their health.”
similar jobs to being a nutritionist
If you want to be a nutritionist, you can do a lot of different things. Here’s a list of jobs that might be similar to what you’re looking for:
1. Dietitian
2. Get yourself a trainer
3. Rehabilitation counselor
4. A food label expert
5. Someone who teaches health
6. Professional at making food
7. The person in charge of food services
8. A food safety expert
9. Chef
10. Author of food books
