HOLISTIC NUTRITION

Holistic nutrition is based on the philosophy that one’s health is an expression of the complex interplay between the physical, chemical, mental and emotional, as well as spiritual and environmental aspects of one’s life and being. Holistic nutritionists and nutrition professionals approach nutrition as treating a whole person, not just as the kinds of nutrients and foods a person puts or does not put into their body. 

While a holistic nutrition professional’s emphasis is on coming up with individualized nutrition plans for their patients, they do this with an emphasis on nutritional education, where the nutrition professional works with their patients to educate them while also listening to and learning from them. Holistic nutrition professionals focus on building health and on reducing the risk-of disease a patient has. Like most holistic healthcare providers, holistic nutrition professionals will find out about many aspects of a patient’s life in order to understand the patient as a whole and to help them to balance out the many interconnected systems that makes up their whole being. They will likely spend much more time with their patients compared to a conventional nutritionist that focuses solely on their nutrition and sometimes on their diets as well.

Titles

Requirements for the use of the title of “nutritionist” vary from state to state. Some states require that a practitioner have a license and/or state certification before they are allowed to call themselves a nutritionist. The term “nutrition professional” is often used to encompass a wide range of titles including nutritionist, nutrition educator, nutrition consultant, nutritional or natural chef, to name just a few. If you are thinking of seeing a nutrition professional or are already seeing one, depending on your particular needs, it may be a good idea to find out your state’s requirements for nutrition professionals as well as whether or not the nutrition professional you are going to or thinking about going to, has the kind of credentials that you want them to have.

Holistic Nutrition Services

Holistic nutrition professionals provide a wide range of services to help people achieve their optimal physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. They do this through helping people to improve their diet, nutritional intake, lifestyle and attitude, in order to help put their bodies in balance so that the body’s inherent ability to self-heal improves.

Holistic nutrition professionals often offer one or more of the following types of services:

– Diet evaluation and counseling

– Teaching about healthy eating for optimal health

– Teaching how to cook nutrient rich foods 

– Teaching people how to incorporate nutrient rich foods into their 

  diets while taking out foods that are less healthy and not nutrient rich

– Teaching how to meal plan for a particular patient and their dietary needs (including cooking for one person, cooking for a family, etc.)

– Lifestyle evaluation and counseling

– Teaching strategies for reducing stress and managing stress levels

– Designing meal plans with specific objectives in mind such as increased energy, mood improvement, healthier skin, healthier organs, and/or weight loss, etc.

– Teaching about wellness, mindfulness and holistic nutrition

– Advise and prescribe nutritional supplements, vitamins and minerals

People seek out the advice and help of holistic nutrition professionals for many different reasons. Different holistic nutrition professionals are likely to have different styles and will offer different varieties of services. It is important to find the right kind with the right qualifications for your particular needs. Be informed about health related information and news with Healthy Solo.