If you are searching for the best nutrition course and can’t decide, you have come to the right place. There are many different nutrition courses with different price tags and specific focuses.Â
Although I had already completed Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s Plant-Based Nutrition Course and loved how detailed and educational it was, I wanted a more in-depth nutrition course that focused on nutrition science. I also wanted to become a certified nutrition coach.Â
My research took a few weeks, and I have settled for two nutrition courses and decided on Precision Nutrition LEVEL 1 NUTRITION CERTIFICATION.
The main reasons for choosing Precision Nutrition LEVEL 1 NUTRITION CERTIFICATION were:Â
- The price. I paid $599.00 for a self-paste course as I wanted to study on my own time. Â
- Focus on nutrition science as I wanted to understand how nutrition works in more detail.
- Some courses only provide a certificate of completion, after finishing this course, you become a Certified Nutrition Coach.
- I could do it at my own pace in my own time.  Â
It took me exactly three months to finish the PN LEVEL 1 NUTRITION CERTIFICATION course, and here is my honest review. If you are considering it and want to choose the best nutrition course, here is a full breakdown of the structure and pros and cons.
Precision Nutrition Level 1 Nutrition Certification Course Signup And Payment
Buying the course was very simple. You can pay in full or set up monthly payments. After the payment, you get access to the portal. The Precision Nutrition course also offers books that are included in the price. I was pleasantly surprised to receive very nicely packaged books within a week, as I live in Europe, and they were shipped from the US. Please note that Precision Nutrition certification is valid for two years.
Precision Nutrition Level 1 Nutrition Certification StructureÂ
The course consists of 3 Units:Â
UNIT 1 – The Precision Nutrition ApproachÂ
UNIT 2 – The Science of NutritionÂ
UNIT 3 – Working through the PN coaching process
All 3 Units include 20 chapters. Each chapter starts with a short animation video on the portal. Then, you read the chapter in the book( or online) and make notes. Some chapters have case studies to illustrate real-world scenarios. There are also many Assessment Forms, Coaching Resources and bonus material, including articles, infographics, and videos on the Precision Nutrition platform.Â
After each chapter, you must pass a 10-question open-book exam. In total, there are 200 questions. To pass the exams and become certified, you must correctly answer 150 questions. You do not have a final exam.Â
Things I liked
- I liked that the overall PN approach, nutrition science, and coaching were separated into different units. It made the learning more segmented and less overwhelming.Â
- I did like to have physical books, as it is nice to rest from screens and read in bed or on a train.
- I liked the detailed nutrition science section; this was my favourite part.
- I liked case studies and preparation for exam questions that helped to cement my knowledge.Â
Things could be improved
- I found some information scattered and repetitive. Everything could be tightened up, condensed, and structured better.Â
- There was way too much supportive information, and sometimes, it was even more informative than the main information in the books, but some of it needed to be more relevant. Â
- Units 1 and 3 could have been much more condensed and straight to the point; perhaps they could have been combined into one unit.Â
- Unit 2 about nutrition had so much information that it was very difficult to digest. I wish it had been split into smaller sections and some parts illustrated better so it was easier to learn and fully understand everything.Â
Precision Nutrition Support and CommunityÂ
I chose a self-paced course that allowed me to ask questions on the Precision Nutrition Facebook community channel, which is dedicated to course students.Â
Things I likedÂ
- I had suggestions on how some information about plant-based eating should be corrected, and I got a reply from one of the course co-writers, who promised to rephrase it.Â
- It is great to have a community chat and meet people who took or are still taking the course. It makes you feel less alone and motivates you to finish the course.Â
- I liked that the community manager was very polite and tried to help as much as possible.Â
Things could be improvedÂ
The community and the support should be separated.
It would have been so much better if nutrition-sense questions had been answered only by the course creators or more qualified team members and separated from the community chat.
I did not like that other students could also try to answer questions that other students had about the course, which led to a lot of guessing, opinions, and sometimes heated and irrelevant discussions. A few times, my questions were not answered in detail due to members of the community going off the topic.
Who should take the Precision Nutrition Level 1 Nutrition Certification Course?Â
You should take this course:
- If you are a fitness instructor, and you would like to help your clients with basic nutrition knowledge and losing/gaining weight.Â
- You want to understand nutrition to be able to differentiate fad diets from nutrition science.Â
- You need help creating good nutritional habits yourself or would like to help others.Â
You should not take this course if:Â
- You are interested in holistic nutrition. If you want to understand more about food as medicine and focus on longevity, this course might not be for you. The PN level 1 nutrition course is more about functional nutrition, understanding your macros, and overall habit formation. It is more about how to help your clients to achieve their weight target rather than live longer.Â
- If you want to find out where food comes from or care about sustainability, cooking, and recipes, this course will not cover it.
I would not recommend it to plant-based eaters, as there are way better courses covering plant-based eating. Instead, I would recommend Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s Plant-Based Nutrition Course.
Overall Precision Nutrition Level 1 Nutrition Certification course review:
Things I likedÂ
- The price, compared to other courses, is much cheaper.
- I enjoyed learning about the science of nutrition and deep health, the philosophy that eating healthy is just one part of overall human well-being.Â
- I did like having physical books. Â
- I like Precision Nutrition’s way of simplifying macronutrient intake, which is by using your hand to measure your portions rather than counting calories.Â
- I like the fact that I can assess the course material forever.Â
Things could be improved
- Printed Books. The books are great but printed in black and white with PN corporate blue. Sometimes, this works, but sometimes, it needs more colour, especially when learning about the science of nutrition.
- Online Platform. The platform is very basic and needs to be brought to the 21st century. The key learning material is uploaded PDFs of the books, which are very clunky and not user-friendly.Â
- The information is very difficult to find and needs to be more interactive. I would expect at least clickable links and the ability to mark things on the platform.
- A few things also needed fixing, like submitting your exam twice before it went through.Â
- There is way too much Information. Although it is great to have a lot of information, most of it could be condensed, simplified, structured better, and easier to find. It makes it very difficult for the course creators to update it all, and you can find some contradictions throughout the course, especially in the supportive material. There are so many Assessment Forms and Coaching Resources that I would not know where to start working with clients.Â
- Faceless course. Unless you research the founder and the team, you don’t get to know the people behind the course. You don’t know who wrote what or how trustworthy they are. I found this useful in Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s Plant-Based Nutrition Course, where each expert discussed the subject. I prefer to watch real people explaining the science rather than animation.Â
- It is too broad. I wish the Precision Nutrition creators had focused the information more and given more solutions rather than stating some information without explaining how to deal with it in the real world. It tried to cover so much that, in the end, it only covered a few things in detail you would need to feel confident coaching real people.Â
- Instead of touching on how to couch athletes and more complex plans and very technical techniques like water manipulation, the course should have only focused on basic (level 1) clients and dived into more detail on those. I believe people who finish this course will not be qualified to coach athletes alone (at least, I would not feel qualified)
- The writing style. I did find the tone of voice a bit too childish in some places. They tried to be funny and entertaining when I would rather stick to the information that matters and condense it so it is easier to absorb, but that is my preference. I am sure some people like to have a bit of a giggle when learning nutrition science, but I’d rather keep it straight to the point and a bit more serious.Â
- They did not teach how to read science research. I learned it in a previous course, but I felt this information was crucial for nutrition coaches. I did feel this lack of research understanding showed in the community group, as people were sharing articles from Google and women’s magazines and not proven studies as proof of their beliefs.
- Lack of visual aid. Â You would only have one animated video at the beginning of each chapter and some black-and-white images to support the text. I would expect expert intravenous and more visual aids to support and make the learning less painful.Â
- Lastly, it was very clear that this course is only meant to scratch the surface. If you want to become a professional nutrition coach, especially if you want to work with athletes, you need to buy more courses and subscribe to the Precision Nutrition coaching platform ProCoach. Â
Conclusion:
Overall, I enjoyed some parts of the course and learned a lot, but I also struggled through some parts. It is important to remember that online nutrition courses are not university degrees and only scratch the surface. They are good for general knowledge, but I would take everything you read with a pinch of salt and learn to develop critical thinking, as nutrition science is so complex, and different authors will have their take on it.Â
Would I recommend it? I am still determining; it depends on what you want from it.
Have you finished the Precision Nutrition Level 1 Nutrition Certification course, what were your thoughts on it?
Silvija Meilunaite PN1-NC, is a certified nutrition coach and a writer in the nutrition and self-improvement field with a passion for exploring science-based knowledge focusing on holistic health and plant-based nutrition.
Featured in the Wellness on Time magazine.
