Glossary
Dietitian Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential dietitian terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key dietitian vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in dietitian training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- ADIME
- Assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring, evaluation.
- BMI
- Body mass index.
- Carbohydrate counting
- Tracking carbs for diabetes.
- Enteral nutrition
- Tube feeding.
- Food allergy
- An immune reaction to food.
- Macronutrients
- Carbohydrates, protein and fat.
- Malnutrition
- Lack of adequate nutrition.
- Medical nutrition therapy
- Nutrition treatment for medical conditions.
- Micronutrients
- Vitamins and minerals.
- Motivational interviewing
- Counseling to support change.
- Nutrition assessment
- Evaluating dietary needs.
- Parenteral nutrition
- IV nutrition.
- RDN
- Registered dietitian nutritionist.
- Sodium restriction
- Limiting salt intake.
- Therapeutic diet
- A diet modified for health conditions.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Dietitian practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Dietitian training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.