When it comes to career path options after you earn your nutrition coach certification, the sky is truly the limit! We have seen graduates of the Food Matters Nutrition Certification Program go on to provide one-on-one coaching and group coaching, create recipe books, host podcasts, and more. There’s no shortage of inspiration. Take a look at our list of top 10 top career paths for nutrition coaches, and find the one that matches your interests and goals!

 1. Private Practice

Starting your own nutrition coaching business is a popular career path for many nutrition coaches. As a private practice nutrition coach, you can work independently, advising clients within your scope of practice. The benefits? You can set your own schedule, choose your clients, and specialize in areas of nutrition that you are passionate about. And with the right business know-how, the earning potential is uncapped!

Note: most coaches start out doing a mix of self-employed and corporate/clinical industry work (Primal Health Coaching). 

2. Corporate Wellness

The Corporate Wellness market is expected to be valued at $84.5 billion USD globally by 2027 (Acumen Research and Consulting).   

More and more companies are now looking to hire nutrition coaches to provide wellness programs and consultations in the workplace. As a corporate wellness nutrition coach, you can work with companies to promote healthy eating habits, offer advice on nutrition to employees, and create wellness programs.

Got ambitions of making the workplace wellness program everyone wants to take part in? This career path might be for you. 

3. Clinical Nutrition

Clinical nutrition is a career path that involves working in a hospital or healthcare facility, providing nutritional support to patients with chronic conditions or illnesses. Clients may be referred to nutrition coaches by physicians, dentists, chiropractors, physical therapists, psychotherapists, and more (Primal Health Coaching). As a clinical nutrition coach, you can work with patients to provide ideas on foods that support their health goals and recovery. 

Consider clinical nutrition as a career path if you’re passionate about mind-body recovery.

 4. Sports Nutrition

Sports nutrition is a specialized area of nutrition that focuses on improving the performance and overall health of athletes. As a sports nutrition coach, you can work with athletes to help optimize their nutrition, provide nutrition education, and support their training and competition needs.  

If you live and breathe sports, this career path could be your home run!

 5. Community Health

 As a community health nutrition coach, you can work with organizations, schools, and community centers to teach workshops and provide nutrition education. You may also run classes and food demos in public places such as the local shopping mall. Imagine teaching someone the value of cooking and meal prep for the first time. Life-changing! 

 If you love getting out and about in your community, this career path could be for you.

 6. Education and Research

More often than not, we are not taught the value of good nutrition in school. We can go through grade school, high school, and even college before we learn nutritional principles 101, the health impacts of the modern food industry, or the right foods to fuel our bodies. But you can be part of the education reform!

Take up this career path, and work in research, conducting studies on nutrition-related topics. 

7. Food Industry

Did you know that each country has different food industry standards? This applies to everything from which food dyes and additives the country deems acceptable in their food, to how they must mark ingredients on food packaging and labels. In this career path, you can work with food companies to develop and promote healthy food products, create nutrition content for their marketing materials, and provide other nutrition services. 

There is an abundance of false food marketing that exists in the world, so this career path is your chance to make big changes!

 8. Media and Publishing

How many times do you see sugary sodas, greasy fries, or other typically unhealthy foods appear in your favorite shows or magazines? As a nutrition coach in media and publishing, you can write articles or create content for TV, podcasts, or other online platforms that promote healthy eating habits and lifestyles. 

If you enjoy writing and creating content, a career in media and publishing may be a good fit for you. 

 9. Personal Training

 Personal training qualifications, combined with being a certified nutrition coach is a great way to enhance your scope of practice. You can have one without the other, but why would you, when good nutrition only supports our physical performance! You can work at a local gym, niche athletic center, or from client’s homes (or local parks!), and help clients reach their fitness and health goals.

If you love hitting the gym but would like to uplevel the gym-junkie mindset of nutrition, go for it here!

 10. Government or Public Health

 A career in government agencies or public health organizations is another option for nutrition coaches. You can work in these organizations to develop and implement policies and programs that promote healthy eating habits and prevent nutrition-related illnesses. And who knows? With time, governments worldwide may make nutrition coaches more accessible to the public.

If your goal is to help as many people as possible upgrade their eating and lifestyle habits and achieve better health (and could use a little funding to make it happen!) ,this career path could be perfect.

 As a nutrition coach, you have various career prospects - it just comes down to your interests and goals. Whether you start your own business, work in a hospital, or teach nutrition courses, you can make a difference in people's lives by helping them improve their health and wellness through better nutrition. 

Expand your career prospects as a Food Matters Nutrition Certification Program graduate.