It can be confusing to decide who to go see when you’re looking for someone to help you with your health and wellness. So let’s chat a little about what a Registered Holistic Nutritionist does…and doesn’t do.
I use the term Holistic Health Coach because in my experience when people see the word Nutritionist, they immediately think, that person just talks about food. They think “They’re going to tell me to stop eating all the yummy food I like and tell me to eat things I don’t like”. I’m not sure where that knee-jerk thought comes from but it seems to come up.
Hence why I use the term Health Coach, which people think is a more encompassing service.
A Registered Holistic Nutritionist doesn’t just focus on what you eat. A Holistic Nutritionist looks at you as a whole, reviewing health history, current lifestyle and eating habits and even emotional state to help with health challenges.
That being said, as each person is unique, each practitioner is unique as well, even though they may have the same designation (see the end of the article for designations). Every nutritionist will do things somewhat differently based on their life experience and additional individual training.
Personally, I have training in Reiki and Reflexology and have had issues with asthma, allergies, and adrenal fatigue that gives me a unique perspective to help my clients with those things.
Other Holistic Nutritionists will have had different life experiences and possibly different additional training.
What a Holistic Nutritionist can help you with
Below is a small list of some of the things a practitioner can help you with.
- Acne/skin conditions
- Cravings
- Constipation
- Depression/mood/happiness
- Detox / Cleanses
- Dietary changes/food allergies
- Disease prevention (i.e. osteoporosis/arthritis)
- Hormone issues
- Low energy / fatigue
- Sleep problems
- Stress
- Weight-loss
As I’ve mentioned each practitioner will do things differently and as I’m not speaking for all the Holistic Nutritionists out there (thank goodness) I’m going to focus on what I do and don’t do with my clients.
What I don't do
Focus solely on just food – our health is determined by more than what we eat
Give people a “diet” to follow and then leave them to figure out what to do afterwards.
Ignore referring to other practitioners that will help you achieve your health and wellness goals.
In my book Redesign Your Interior | 8 Steps to Reclaiming Your Health and Creating a Balance Life I have an entire chapter dedicated to “Who’s got your back?” because no one person can help you with all things.
As a holistic nutritionist, I can’t help realign your body as an osteopath can, I can’t give you the proper exercises to do to help with the pain in your shoulder like a physiotherapist can.
That’s why it’s important to me to have a team of professionals I can refer, if I need to, in order to help my clients achieve their best health.
What I do focus on
What I do with my clients is focus on them as a whole person and build a solid foundation (or a solid healthy lifestyle) that addresses:
Mindset – Long-term health & wellness starts in your head.
Your Goals – because without them, you have a hard time achieving anything.
Physical – How to eat healthily and exercise without it taking up a crazy amount of time.
Spiritual or (Self-Care) – Stress management, time to recharge and do things you enjoy
Body Systems - Health from the inside out.
EMPOWERMENT
They say knowledge is power, and they are SO right. I work by empowering my clients with the knowledge to know what do to daily to help them support their body, lose and maintain their weight and reach their health goals.
SUPPORT
We’re all unique (yay!), so we all have unique challenges to achieving health goals. Support in the way of knowledge, answering questions, and helping to figure things out is invaluable to my clients.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Yup. That tough love. We all (okay, maybe just most of us) need someone to help us define and achieve our goals.
I don’t put my clients a “diet” for a few weeks, and when it’s over they have no idea how to maintain it (that stuff just drives me crazy!).
It’s what you do every day that dictates your health, so why not just live your life every day in a healthy, unique to you, way.
No more stress of a diet…phew.
Now it's true that getting to the point of living that healthy lifestyle can be a hard thing to figure out with all the confusing information out there and the need for support and accountability.
As I say to my clients, "You have a job/profession or are an outstanding stay-at-home parent (hardest job ever). You shouldn’t now have to go be certified in holistic nutrition to be at the health you want".
That’s what I’m here for.
So click the button below to see how we can get you to your best health.
When you’re looking for someone to help you with your health and wellness, find someone that you click or connect with. There are a lot of amazing practitioners out there, and it’s important to feel comfortable with the one you choose.
One final note.
There are a few professional designations given to people who are trained in nutrition.
Designations could be:
- R.H.N. Registered Holistic Nutritionist
- C.H.N.C. Certified Holistic Nutritional Consultant
- C.H.N. Certified Holistic Nutritionist
- C.N.P Certified Nutritional Practitioners