a food-first, root cause approach to health
A lot of what I use as the building blocks for my own coaching stems from what I learned through the Nutritional Therapy Association where I received my certification as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner.
Nutritional Therapy uses a holistic approach to focus on what is called “the foundations”, core functions within our body that when working properly, support and optimize our health. These foundations are nutrition, digestion, blood sugar regulation, fatty acids, mineral balance and hydration. Each foundation is best supported through the foods that we eat, lifestyle habits and targeted supplementation, if necessary.
Through these foundations, we work together to target symptoms involving:
- acid reflux, GERD, heartburn
- digestive discomfort and imbalances including gas, bloating, IBS, irregular bowel movements and/or constipation
- low energy and fatigue
- brain fog or difficulty concentrating
- salt, sugar and/or caffeine cravings
- achy joints
- PMS symptoms and/or menstrual cramps
- irregular menstrual cycles
- chronic stress
- abnormal sleep patterns
- headaches
- skin issues or acne
- mood fluctuations
- and more…
Can you explain more about the foundations?
The foundations will always be what we target in working together, as they are fundamental in activating the body’s natural healing process. We’ll go into much more detail in our individual sessions, but here’s a quick summary of each:
Nutrition
It’s so important to fuel our body with all the beneficial nutrients that come from food in its natural state. You will be amazed by what making simple changes to your diet can do for your health!
Digestion
Our digestive system plays a myriad of roles that often go unnoticed. While our digestive system is responsible for breaking down food, we can only benefit from the valuable nutrients that we actually absorb (this requires healthy gut function!). A balanced gut also means supporting a strong immune system and the gut-brain connection (think mood and appetite signaling).
Blood Sugar Regulation
Stabilizing our blood sugar is a key player in managing our energy levels, reducing cravings, balancing hormones, lowering stress on the body and helping it feel safe.
Fatty Acid Balance
Healthy fats are a must to build healthy cells and hormones, absorb certain vitamins and keep us full. Plus, fats provide loads of flavor and are super energy dense! There is no need to fear healthy fats.
Mineral Balance
These are our body’s “spark plugs” that lend a hand in tons of critical processes that help keep our bones, muscles, heart, and brain working properly. We can’t make them on our own, which means we must obtain them from our food.
Hydration
As obvious as it may seem, hydrating consistently throughout the day is easy to forget. Making up ~60% of the body, we simply can’t live without it. Trust me when I say that hydrating properly goes a long way for our heath.
Sleep, Stress & Movement
Building a healthy lifestyle is more than just what’s on our plate. We need balance in these areas to optimize and support our body in fighting off stressors and functioning as it should.
What does working together actually look like?
I talk all about the details of what that would look like here!