Does the Nutrition Certification apply to vegan/vegetarian and other special diets?

The program applies to all diets including vegan and vegetarian. The course content does not emphasize a “nutrition camp” or a “one-size fits all” approach to eating. Instead, it openly discusses many ways to consume a healthy diet. The end result is that Nutrition Coaches will be able to consider their client’s unique food preferences, religion, family and work obligations, and cultural differences when providing nutritional guidance.

Female Nutrition Coach assisting client with cutting cucumbers

Male in flannel shirt sitting outside using tablet

CNC

Certified Nutrition Coach

Q: Can I do this program while working full-time?

Absolutely! You can complete the NASM Nutrition Certification while also working full-time. The study material is 100% online and self-paced, and can be accessed on a computer, or a mobile device such as a phone or tablet.

Nutrition serves as an incredibly enriching discipline due to its potential to change the lives of clients. Nutrition serves as the foundation for our health and the fuel for our performance. However, to get to a balance in life, you need support, discipline, empathy, methodology and drive to positively change behaviors.

And as a Certified Nutrition Coach, you’ll learn the science of nutrition and use it to promote better health in yourself and others through smarter dietary choices, sustainable change, and a better relationship with food.

Evaluate client nutrition needs and provide guidance on a healthy, effective diet that supports their fitness and wellness goals
Learn & utilize the latest evidence-based nutrition science
Master & use behavior change strategies to develop long-lasting weight loss and healthful nutrition habits
Help clients navigate realistic diet challenges like food labels, portion sizes, and fad diets
Self-paced online program makes it easy and convenient to launch your new career from home in as little as 4 weeks
CEU Value: 1.9 NASM
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The NASM Nutrition Coach Certification Program provides in-depth training in nutritional science, behavior change strategies, and nutrition coaching. By the time you’re finished, you’ll have all the expert knowledge you need to help clients transform their relationship to food and guide them to make better dietary choices.

When you choose NASM to become a Certified Nutrition Coach, you’ll get access to:

• World-class fitness & nutrition experts
• Peer-reviewed content from the brightest minds in the industry
• State-of-the-art digital learning platform designed to meet multiple learning styles
• A curriculum that is consistently reviewed and updated with the most up-to-date material available

See the full Certified Nutrition Coach curriculum here.

NASM’s online program makes becoming a Certified Nutrition Coach as easy and convenient as can be. By completing the self-guided study materials at your own pace, you can become a Certified Nutrition Coach and begin working with clients in as little as 4 weeks.

To become an NASM Certified Nutrition Coach, you simply have to:

1) Register in the CNC program.
2) Complete the self-guided online study materials in your own time from the comfort of home.
3) Pass the certification exam.

After completing the study materials, you'll take an online exam to become a Certified Nutrition Coach. This exam features:

• 100 multiple-choice questions
• 90 minutes to complete
• Open-book format
• 70% required to pass
• 3 test attempts included

NASM has over 35 years of experience training the world’s top fitness professionals, and we do it better than anyone else. NASM credentials stand out to employers and distinguish you as a highly trained fitness professional.

Since our formation, we’ve trained over 1.5 million fitness professionals in 100+ countries. In that time we’ve developed extensive partnerships with over 12,000 gyms and health clubs. That means we have the connections necessary to help you get in the door and gain employment from the fitness company of your dreams.

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Nutrition Coach Certification

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Benefits

Evidence-Based Program Designed and Reviewed by 20 Leading Nutrition Experts
100% Online & Self-Paced Program
State-of-the-Art, Digital Learning Platform
41 High-Quality Videos Across 24 In-Depth Chapters
190 Custom Infographics, 11 Printable Handouts, and 98 Knowledge Checks
Comprehensive Practice Exam
Downloadable PDF of Textbook
5-Year Unlimited Access to Online Content
1.9 NASM CEUs
Certificate Upon Passing Exam

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Nutrition & Fitness Bundle

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Benefits

Everything in Certified Nutrition Coach plus…
Certified Personal Trainer Self-Study

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Nutrition Essentials Bundle

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Benefits

Everything in Nutrition & Fitness Bundle plus…
Behavior Change Specialization (BCS)
CPR/AED Certification Online
$549 added value

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Best Value

Nutrition Pro Bundle

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Benefits

Everything in Nutrition Essentials Bundle plus…
Weight Loss Specialization (WLS)
$899 added value

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see the reviews

“

I help clients achieve their fitness goals by complimenting their nutrition. It's definitely a tangible benefit I see. This is my happiness because I feel fulfilled as a personal trainer and a nutrition coach.

Yulibeth L.| NASM CPT and CNC

“

Nutrition coaching removes the guesswork for nutrition coaches and clients. Takes into consideration the differences in your clients, from goals to dietary preferences. Fitness and health go hand in hand.

Jill P. | NASM CPT, CNC

“

NASM is very supportive in becoming a personal trainer and furthering the education. I became a CNC on top of my CPT certification in order to help my clients achieve their goals.

Melina C. | NASM CPT

“

My dream is to reach out to as many people as I can. Inspiring them to live healthier lifestyles. I love challenging people and then seeing them overcome their challenges, that makes me so happy.

Joanne S. | NASM CPT

“

NASM has provided me with the knowledge that I need to be a confident trainer and I think that shines through when you meet new people and new clients, that you're confident in your craft.

Cornelia H. | NASM CPT

“

I chose NASM because it's research-based and the foremost leader in all of the fitness industry in terms of certifying personal trainers.

Nolan H. | NASM Certified Trainer MMA Professional Fighter

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CURRICULUM

There are no prerequisites for the Nutrition Certification. But we always encourage preparing for a career in nutrition by familiarizing yourself with the many nutrition courses NASM has to offer.

Chapter 1: Introduction
Learn about the role of a Nutrition Coach and how the NASM Nutrition Certification can help enhance your career.

Chapter 2: Scope of Practice
Understand a Nutrition Coach's scope of practice, professional expectations, and differentiate among related nutrition professions.

Chapter 3: Evidence-Based Nutrition and Practice
In this chapter, you'll learn the importance of evidence-based practice as a nutrition specialist, the difference between basic scientific principles and methodology, and how to define scientific research processes.

Chapter 4: Food Preference and Influences
Understand the effects of nutritional intake on individual health, identify the role of dietary habits in overall health, and describe factors that influence dietary patterns. You'll also be able to recognize the dangers of a one-diet-fits-all approach and identify how different factors can influence eating patterns.

Chapter 5: Energy Balance and Metabolism
This chapter explores how macronutrients fuel activity and bodily functions, as well as how to balance the energy in versus energy out equation. You'll understand the First Law of Thermodynamics, energy balance, and energy systems.

Chapter 6: Protein
Protein is an important macronutrient that many bodily functions depend on. Learn the structure and function of protein, total daily protein requirements, and methods for establishing protein requirements in a dietary program.

Chapter 7: Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates provide energy for the body. Understand their structure and function, the digestion and absorption process, daily carbohydrate requirements, and more.

Chapter 8: Fats
Dietary fat has many important functions. In this chapter, you'll learn about the function and intake recommendations, healthy versus unhealthy fats, as well as key myths and hot topics related to fat.

Chapter 9: Alcohol
This chapter explains the digestion and absorption process of alcohol, as well as the physiological effects and methods for accommodating alcohol in a dietary program.

Chapter 10: Micronutrients
Micronutrients help maintain the metabolic processes required to produce energy. Understand the difference between water-soluble vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins, and minerals, identify common food sources, and learn to calculate daily recommended intakes and the values for each micronutrient.

Chapter 11: Hydration
In this chapter, you'll learn the compartmental aspects and shifts of water in the body following significant sweat losses. You'll also discover methods to help decrease excessive hypo- or hyper-hydration and learn about proper hydration strategies.

Chapter 12: Nutrient Timing
Discover appropriate nutrient-timing strategies for performance and for altering body composition, as well as the role that nutrient timing plays within an overall nutrition strategy.

Chapter 13: Supplements
Understand the role of supplementation across various goals, explain the strength of the evidence base for commonly used supplements, and learn to communicate with clients about the pros and cons of supplementation.

• 110 Infographics
• 14 Videos
• 53 Knowledge Checks
• 1 Printable Handout

Chapter 14: Psychology of Weight Control and Behavior Change
In this chapter, you'll learn how psychology affects fitness and wellness. Identify barriers to diet and exercise, common eating disorders, and common client types used to develop customized programs.

Chapter 15: Coaching and Communication
It's important for Personal Nutrition Coaches to communicate in a way that positively influences adherence to their programs. You'll identify strategies for building rapport and use effective communication skills to elicit behavior change.

Chapter 16: Motivational Interviewing
This chapter explains motivational interviewing and strategies that are used to help clients understand the underlying reasons for their own change while affirming their motivation.

Chapter 17: Goal Setting
Understand different types of goals, the benefits of effective goal-setting, methods for providing feedback and tracking progress, and identify obstacles commonly encountered when setting goals.

• 18 Infographics
• 11 Videos
• 16 Knowledge Checks

Chapter 18: Dietary Assessment and Body Composition Testing
In this chapter, you'll discover a step-by-step approach to assessing dietary intake and monitoring body composition. You'll compare body-composition assessment methods and understand the importance of consistency and accessibility.

Chapter 19: Food and Supplement Labels and Portion Size
Learn about the labeling standards for food and supplement products, as well as portion size recommendations.

Chapter 20: Helping Clients Navigate the Real World
This chapter explains strategies that can help clients make healthy food choices in everyday situations, such as at the grocery store or dining out.

Chapter 21: Navigating Diets
Learn the latest facts regarding diets and how they impact health, body composition, and athletic performance. This chapter explores many different diets and provides details regarding their safety and effectiveness.

Chapter 22: Nutrition Hot Topics and Controversies
An in-depth approach to explaining the science behind many of the nutrition hot topics and controversies faced by clients today.

Chapter 23: Managing Weight-Loss Plateaus and Maintaining Weight Loss
This chapter examines the science and psychology of weight-loss plateaus and how to help clients avoid this vicious cycle.

Chapter 24: Programming - Putting it All Together
Nutrition Coaches must have a foundational level of knowledge regarding nutritional science and behavior psychology. However, knowledge without action is virtually useless, especially when helping clients achieve their health-and-wellness goals. This chapter puts all of this knowledge into practice and details a step-by-step process for nutrition programming.

• 62 Infographics
• 16 Videos
• 29 Knowledge Checks
• 10 Printable Handouts

After the completion of the course, you will take an online final exam from the comfort of your own home, or wherever you prefer to take tests. The test is 100, multiple-choice questions. You are allowed to go back and reference the course while taking the exam. The exam is timed and cannot exceed 90 minutes. To pass, you need a score of 70% or higher and you have up to 3 attempts to pass.

Certified Nutrition Coach FAQs

As one of the most trusted sources of fitness training certifications in the world, NASM is a distinguished name that will stand out to fitness employers. Joining the NASM community grants you access to a job guarantee program for select programs, your top choice of gyms to work for, access to world-class fitness experts, and much more.

• Peer-Reviewed Content from the Brightest Minds in the Industry
• State-of-the-Art Digital Learning Platform
• Programs Designed to Meet Multiple Learning Styles
• 35+ Years Of Experience Training Fitness Professionals
• 1.5M+ Fitness Professionals Trained
• 100+ Countries with NASM Fitness and Coach Professionals
• 12K+ Gym & Health Club Partnerships

You can complete your Certified Nutrition Coach Certification in as few as 4 weeks. In addition to its interactive multimedia-rich content, learning tools, resources, and comprehensive study-planning guide, you can also receive assistance from NASM experts when questions arise.

Absolutely! You can complete the NASM Certified Nutrition Coach program while also working full-time. The study material is 100% online and self-paced, and can be accessed on a computer, or a mobile device such as a phone or tablet.

NASM CNC is approved for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) by the following organizations:

1.9 CEUs
15 CEUs
3.0 CECs
10 CPD Points
10 Learning Hours

A Nutritionist is different from a Nutrition Coach. With the foundational knowledge you’ll gain as a Certified Nutrition Coach, you’ll have the expertise needed to help clients make smarter nutrition choices and create sustainable change in their lives.

When you sign up to become a Certified Nutrition Coach through NASM, you’ll learn how to assess your client’s nutritional needs and ensure they’re met through three unique yet equally important modules:

• Nutrition Science: From proteins to fats, energy balance to counting macros, get a comprehensive look at the scope of your practice as a nutrition leader.
• Behavior Change: Learn how to use motivation and communication to enhance the psychology behind how we eat.
• Nutrition Coaching: Put everything together to create a personalized course of action for your clients. Whether it’s weight loss or weight gain, bulking up or maintaining where they’re at, you now have the keys to nutritional success.

A Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC) works with a more general clientele to develop strategies that address issues like obesity, body composition, aging, and lifestyle approaches to disease management.

A Certified Sports Nutrition Coach (CSNC) digs a little deeper, working specifically with athletes to educate and provide coaching around performance nutrition within sports.

While these two roles differ in the audience they serve, they do work hand in hand to provide a well-rounded understanding of nutrition.

To that end, our CNC program sets down an effective foundation in nutrition to build from, helping through a fundamental understanding of how to serve clients’ nutrition needs. From there, our CSNC program takes what you learn throughout CNC and builds upon it to target a specific client base to focus on strategies that impact performance and recovery.

The final exam is administered online within your student portal. There are 100 multiple-choice questions and you'll have 90 minutes to complete it. A score of 70% or better is required to pass.

You have 365 days from the date of purchase to complete your final exam. If you need an extension or a retest, you can purchase one by calling Member Services at 1-800-460-6276 Option 3.

You will have 3 attempts to pass your final exam. If needed, you can purchase additional retests by calling Member Services at 1-800-460-6276.

Renewal of the Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC) is required every two years through completion of the CNC Renewal Exam. The CNC Renewal Exam will offer three exam attempts and will have an enrollment duration of 365 days. The CNC Renewal Exam will recertify the credential for another two years from the new completion date.

Certified Nutrition Coach

And as a Certified Nutrition Coach, you’ll learn the science of nutrition and use it to promote better health in yourself and others through smarter dietary choices, sustainable change, and a better relationship with food.