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Article A Day In The Life Of A Dietitian

Erin Murnane, Accredited Practising Dietitian and founder of Balance & Bite
April 30, 2025

13 Comments

Ever wondered what a dietitian’s job entails? We asked an expert with over a decade of experience what a day in the life of a dietitian looks like. Here’s what she had to say!

Expert banner for Erin Murnane.

Erin Murnane is the founder of Balance & Bite and an Accredited Practising Dietitian and body image coach with 12+ years of experience in Australia and the UK. After seeing too many smart and driven women waste years battling diets, she made it her mission to help them ditch food guilt and improve their nutrition with simple strategies.

Woman eating healthy breakfast.
Nutrition is just one part of what Erin works on with clients. Image: Canva

“I mostly work with women navigating ADHD, binge eating disorder and years of harmful diet information. Each session is 60 minutes in duration and we could talk about anything from specific nutrition advice to managing a medical condition like PCOS. We could also discuss their relationship with food and unpack the systemic oppression faced by women. My sessions are about far more than food, I help my clients rebuild body trust, body connection, and sustainable health habits they feel empowered and excited to maintain.”

Erin Murnane, Accredited Practising Dietitian

A day in the life of a dietitian

Here’s what a real, behind-the-scenes day looks like as a dietitian running my virtual private practice.

Before work

Woman walking in sneakers.
A gentle walk is a great way to start a workday. Image: Canva

I wake up between 6:30 am and 7:00 am and try to have an intentionally slow morning before work. I might go for a walk outside while listening to a podcast or music, or go to a yoga class.

When I get home, I get showered, dressed and religiously eat breakfast. I go through phases with breakfast and eat the same thing for a few weeks until I get sick of it. My current breakfast is Weetbix, milk, frozen berries and high protein yoghurt, and I’ll always have it with a Melbourne Breakfast tea while watching the news.

Morning

Woman at a table in an online meeting.
Erin’s clients meet with her virtually. Image: Canva

I’m usually at my desk around 8:30 am before my first client logs on at 9 am. I’ll check my emails, reply to any quick ones and see who I’m seeing for the day. I’ll make a list of tasks outside of client work I want to get done like creating content, calling the GP or replying to emails. I rarely get everything on my to-do list complete.

Usually, I see three clients back to back in the morning between 9 am and 12 pm. This has become a lot easier as I’ve become a more experienced dietitian with better time management and boundaries.

I try to write my notes during the sessions which makes a huge difference in keeping admin under control. And in between sessions, I’ll send through any required emails and resources.

Lunchtime

Eggs and avocado on wholegrain toast.
A healthy lunch is a must! Image: Canva

I always block time for a lunch break between 12 pm and 1 pm because I practice what I preach. I can have anything from leftovers to “girl dinner” (assorted snacks on a plate), eggs on toast or a bahn mi from my local Vietnamese bakery.

Afternoon

Woman typing on a laptop.
Afternoons involve client sessions and business admin tasks. Image: Canva

After lunch, I either continue with more client sessions, focus on admin work like sending GP letters, following up on referrals and handling scheduling tasks or I’ll create content to market my business. I usually work until around 5 pm.

I’m quite lucky that I’ve set my business up in a way where I only have to see 10-15 clients a week, which means I have plenty of spare time to stay on top of my admin, marketing and business development.

Running a private practice means constantly balancing clients with marketing and growth. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming wearing all the hats, but I love the variety.

Once my tasks for the day are complete, I try to split my work day from my home day. This is especially important because I work from home. It might involve a short walk around the block, a shower, going to a gym class or just sitting for five minutes with my eyes closed.

Have you considered seeing a dietitian? Leave us a comment below.

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Comments

  • I have only spoken with a dietician once, during pregnancy it was normal protocol with high risk pregnancies. I actually was diagnosed with ADHD a week ago and now upon reading this, feel that I should try to see one again and really manage my gut health to help my symptoms of ADHD. Thanks!

  • I’ve never seen a dietician but I think if I could go back in time I’d probably study to become one. I honestly find food and its effect on health and healing ( or harming) and the human body super fascinating and I love learning what different foods can do 🙂

  • I have never seen a dietician myself but did go with my Mum when she was diagnosed with Diabetes. It was very informative. I think many of us read up and think we know enough but I would not be surprised that a Dietician would be able to pick holes in my habits and offer me valuable info.

  • I have never thought of seeing a dietician. I can see the benefits, especially in understanding a person’s relationship with food. Also, we are all different and what works for one person will not necessarily work for someone else.

  • I had considered seeing a dietitian on the suggestion of my Dr but did not see it through. Having read this article now though I can see there is a lot more to the role that I thought. My problem is I know what is good for me and what isn’t ……I let myself down in the actions and choices that I make.

  • No I haven’t. I do wonder if seeing one may help me, I have thought about visiting one, not sure of how much help they’d be tho

  • I have thought of seeing a dietician. I suffer from osteo arthritis and often wonder if diet changes could help ease my pain

  • It looks like she practices what she preaches! It is not just about diet, but going for that morning walk would help with fitness and mental health too. There is nothing better than getting the fresh air, it can’t be replicated in a gym. It would be a hard job to help people to learn to make better eating choices.

  • I love that this lady is able to get up and go for a walk before work but unfortunately for me that is not possibly if I have to get my daughter ready for school and head into the office. These are great tips but not always practical. I love the idea of avocado and egg on toast for lunch, that looked so so delicious.

  • I love the intention behind Erin’s practices and the fact that body positivity is a focus too not just a creating a rigid plan. I developed PCOS in Highschool and was forced to see a Dietician. He was absolutely awful and pretty much encouraged pro-Ana styled eating “tips” and made me hate myself for not being perfect with my diet. Consequently, I battled eating disorders as a result for the 10+ years that followed and even today at 35 I still find myself slipping at times. It makes me so happy to see professionals like Erin encourage balance and to not demonise food.

  • I need to have the same intention to religiously eat breakfast. I find it’s my most skippable meal of the day, but it’s really the one that sets you up for success. I love how this dietitian wrote that she will have a girl lunch, thank you!! Sometimes we all get our snack on

  • Great reading ‘a day in a life’ type article. Interesting to see how some people manage their time and workload to have a more balanced work/life situation, especially when you are working from home. It’s definitely important to have intentional breaks to reset and recharge otherwise burnt out can be real!

  • We’ve spoken to a dietician as we have several people in our family with diagnosed medical needs that could be assisted with the right diet. We found them very helpful for general advice, although they didn’t give us as much tailored advice as we had hoped. Still, it was a very useful starting point.

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