A momtrepreneur has a head start in becoming a nutrition consultant. As a mom, you have experience with planning and cooking nutritious and healthy meals for your entire family. Nutritional consultants advise others on proper diet, supplements and nutrition to help improve their health. With the proper certification and training, you can start your consulting practice and earn a living from home.

Education and Training

You'll need at least an associate's degree in dietetics education or in a related field. It depends on what your state requires. You may also need to get certified. Getting a certificate or registration is not necessary to become a nutrition consultant. However, you may get far fewer clients or opportunities if you don't have one. There's a lot involved when it comes to consulting in this field, because you're dealing with people's health and it can have a big impact on their lives. There are also restrictive state regulations for who can practice nutritional consulting. Therefore, people will want to know that they're dealing with someone who knows what they're doing, and they might measure that by whether or not you're certified or registered. You can get a certificate through organizations, such as The American Association of Nutritional Consultants. You can also become a registered dietitian or a registered dietetic technician with the American Dietetic Association ("ADA"). You can also earn your bachelor's degree through the ADA.

State Regulations

State laws vary on what is required to get a dietetics license or otherwise register your nutritional consulting practice. They also govern what you can and cannot call yourself. Check with your state's health department or Board of Dietetics and Nutrition regarding the regulations for the titles you can use in your business. For example, there may be particular state educational and license requirements if you want to call yourself a "weight management consultant." If you launch your business using this title without meeting government regulations, you could face fines or a penalty that could force you to shut down your business.

Business Opportunities

A momtrepeneur has many options when it comes to launching a nutritional consulting business.

• You can consult through writing books or writing for nutrition publications.
• You can consult other health professionals, such as doctors.
• You can become an educator and teach courses and seminars, or design your own curriculum to be used in classrooms or by home educators.
• You can start a blog providing free nutritional information, and you can market health related products to your readers.
• If you enjoy coaching, you can work as a life coach specializing in diet and healthy living. 
• You can open your own online health store and use drop-shippers to deliver products to your customers. While you won't consult everyday, you will have opportunities to advise clients who will call or email concerning your products. It can also be a way to supplement your income while you're building your consulting business.

The opportunities are numerous, so it's important to consider your skills, experience and passions, and choose a compatible business.

General Services

As a nutrition consultant with a practice, you should have the skills and experience necessary to provide the following services:

• Consult with and identify behaviors that need to be modified (related to dietary intake and management)
• Help clients establish nutritional goals and teach them how to meet them
• Review and evaluate your clients' dietary needs
• Educate clients on how to improve their overall quality of life through appropriate health and lifestyle measures

The reward is great for a momtrepreneur who wants to make a living from home as a nutrition consultant. You can play an active role in improving the physical and mental health of your clients, while making a decent living from home.

Daphne Mallory, Esq. is the co-owner of Mallory Writing Services and has written more than 100 articles helping home based business owners and entrepreneurs start and market their business. You can learn more about her here.