It’s a root cause approach. Functional nutrition is at the core of the functional medicine approach for the prevention and resolution of disease, emphasizing diet and lifestyle changes, and nutritional supplements.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How does working with a functional nutritional therapist differ from working with a nutritionist?
Nutritional therapy recognizes the biological individuality of each person. Every individual has different nutritional needs that cannot be met with a “one size fits all” approach. Nutritional therapy focuses on utilizing key indicators to correct imbalances or deficiencies at the root of an individual’s symptoms. Deficiencies and imbalances are discovered or confirmed through a hands-on non-invasive technique which is unique to nutritional therapy.
What is your approach to the nutritional assessment?
I use a foundational approach that strives to promote optimal wellness through smart food choice and, when and if necessary, natural food supplements. I work with you to identify and correct the imbalances and / or deficiencies that may be at the root of nagging symptoms or health issues that you are experiencing. This is accomplished through a combination of the inputs I collect from you as well as the data I gather first-hand from the functional evaluation that I perform.
What does “foundational approach” mean?
We begin the assessment by taking a detailed look at your food choices and lifestyle. This is where nutritional health begins. Then we consider digestion. Health starts in your digestive tract and this is where nutritional health typically begins to break down. Then we move on to vitamin and mineral balances, healthy fat intake, hydration, and blood sugar and nervous system regulation – all the foundations of health.
Think of these foundations of health as key indicators of nutritional health. When out of balance you may experience many different symptoms, and when left unchecked, they can lead to more complex health issues.
Why do you focus on digestion?
Optimal digestion is ABSOLUTELY fundamental to good health. Say your digestion isn’t functioning optimally – frequent bloating, gas or heartburn, stomach pain, constipation or diarrhea. Sound familiar? A lot of people experience these symptoms on a daily basis and have come to think of the discomfort or pain as normal. It’s not normal. And most importantly, poor digestion means poor absorption of nutrients. You may be eating very healthy food BUT you won’t receive the full nutritional benefit. Your body will not be fed and nourished appropriately. This is the common thread to many health issues. Make sense?
What are the most common issues you help your clients to address?
Fatigue and lack of energy; digestive issues such as frequent discomfort from gas, bloating, acid reflux, constipation or diarrhea; sleeplessness; frequent headaches and migraines; alleviating painful periods or menopausal symptoms.
How will I benefit from the nutritional assessment?
If you have a specific issue you are interested in addressing, we will identify imbalances and deficiencies and develop a specific plan to alleviate the nagging symptoms or more serious health issue that you are experiencing.
If you are in the feel-pretty-good category but are interested in turning over a new leaf and eating healthier, the assessment will serve as a baseline of your current nutritional health. An invaluable tool as you improve upon your ability to make the connection between what you eat and how you feel. Kudos to you for being proactive!
In addition, clients are always thrilled with the important insights they gain into the benefits of healthy food choice and shocked when learning the real story between the popular myths and what really constitutes healthy nutrition. Knowledge is a good thing. Particularly when it pertains to that which nourishes and sustains you – food.
What will I receive?
You will receive a detailed personalized program to follow that includes food and lifestyle recommendations as well as an improved understanding of the fundamentals of proper nutritional health versus the popular myths.
You will not receive meal plans, be encouraged to count calories, be asked to deprive yourself or to over-analyze your food. That approach and mindset is not sustainable and is a plan for failure.
How do you identify potential root causes of my symptoms?
I use a technique called functional evaluation. It is a hands-on, non-invasive technique that will identify potential nutritional imbalances and deficiencies.
How do you isolate which nutrients are missing?
I determine whether a particular food or nutritional supplement will help to correct an imbalance or deficiency through lingual-neural testing. Lingual-neural testing relies on your body’s innate intelligence to determine what it needs. Everybody is different. Combined with the functional evaluation, it increases the chance that the food or supplement will be beneficial to you.
Are supplements always necessary?
Utilizing solely nutrient-dense whole food to achieve results is always an option. However, clients typically realize quicker and more sustainable results with supplements on an interim basis. Everybody is different. Each situation is different. The choice is always yours and I support either approach. The line of professional supplements that I use are whole-food based.
What is required of me to initiate the assessment process?
I will ask you to complete a brief profile (20 minutes), a nutritional assessment questionnaire (20 minutes tops), and to keep an “honest” food journal for 3 days. The food journal provides me the opportunity to be informed about your current food choices. That’s it.
Have additional questions that I didn’t cover?
Schedule a 30-minute discovery call to learn more about my foundational approach to health and how I can help you to feel better, have more energy, and lead a healthy life.
