Holistic Nutrition is founded on the principle of interconnectedness – healing and health from a whole-person point of view.
Despite the perceived trendiness around ‘holistic eating’, there is nothing new about it. The use of holistic nutrition, or food as medicine, has been in practice since as early as 3000 BCE along the fertile banks of the Nile River. The word nutrition finds its roots in Latin. Translated from the original nūtrīre, it means to nourish.
In his article in the Journal of Public Health Nutrition in 2005, author and former director of science for the World Cancer Research Fund and member of the Centre for Epidemiological Studies in Nutrition and Health, Geoffrey Cannon asserts, “Emperor Huang Ti around 2500 BCE, and of the Indian Ayurvedic tradition, also stress the importance of specified dietary patterns, foods and drinks, and plants with medicinal qualities, to prevent and treat disease and also as ways to a spiritually, morally, emotionally and mentally enlightened life.”
We’ve known the power of food and nutrition and how it impacts our health and healing for a long time!
Holistic Nutrition Explained
As a philosophy, holistic nutrition identifies that a person’s health is the outward expression of the very complex relationship between the physical and the chemical, mental and emotional, and the environmental and spiritual aspects of our being and living.
And, while the practice may be almost as old as humanity itself, the word holistic is a term coined in the early 20th Century to express holism or inclusivity – the whole. It’s a term that addresses the reality that our bodies and minds are an interconnected whole. Holistic encompasses a focus on the total being and the interdependence of the diverse elements of that totality.
Building on that, holistic nutrition is about the total being and how the food we eat contributes to, or undermines, our whole health. Nutrition is explored and utilized in the context of individual body ecology, eating patterns, and lifestyle factors.
As we do in our Holistic Nutrition Certificate Program (HNCP), holistic nutrition often draws upon a combination of Eastern and Western models of food therapy. This includes using real, whole foods as medicine to promote balance and prevent and treat disease.
Whole health and wellness delivered by a qualified professional
Holistic Nutrition professionals who are appropriately trained always approach healing and health from the perspective of the whole person.
Holistic nutrition professionals emphasize enhanced health and wellness only by treating each person as unique – not one-size-fits-all. The priority is to educate the individual and help engage them in their treatment.
Part of the process of recovery involves trusting in the individual’s innate wisdom – delivering care in a collaborative, cooperative, and empowering way to develop a path to optimal health.
A Holistic Nutrition practitioner consults and advises. They work with individuals, families, and even groups on everything from improving diet and lifestyle to changing attitudes to help promote good health. So, your experience with them might also include cooperation with your licensed healthcare provider (MD, ND, DO, DC, RN, etc.). This relationship is vital to help patients with illnesses or preexisting conditions identify possible toxicities and biochemical imbalances that undermine their health.
To be most effective, Holistic Nutrition professionals can offer the following services, individually or as part of a program:
- Evaluation of diet and lifestyle
- Educate about healthy eating
- Suggest improvements to lifestyle
- Suggest ways to manage anxiety and stress
- Design meal plans to address weight, energy level, and mood
- Meal plans for individuals and families
- Lead classes about holistic nutrition and wellness
- Lead food and supplement shopping tours
- Advised clients about basic supplementation to health and wellness
Are you interested in becoming a practitioner of Holistic Nutrition? CONTACT US to find out more about our programs!
