Holistic Clinic Nutrition

Holistic clinics and holistic health coaches can be useful in helping you understand nutrition and design a healthier lifestyle. If you feel confused about diets and food choices or have trouble finding where to fit healthier habits into your life, you may want to check out the services offered in a holistic clinic. Remember, before starting any new dietary program, consult your primary care doctor.

What to Expect

When you have your first session at a holistic clinic, expect to speak about more than just your food. The coaches consider the whole person, including activities, jobs and relationships, when making recommendations for a client. "There is no perfect way of eating that works for everybody," Rose Payne, certified holistic health counselor and owner of New Jersey-based High Level Wellness, says on the clinic's website. "We believe in intuitive eating, based on the individual knowing that one person's food is another person's poison." A holistic health clinic such as High Level Wellness will offer programs in which the coaches work within your comfort zone to teach you about nutrition and encourage you to experiment with eating habits until you find a diet that keeps you healthy and fits your lifestyle. Such a clinic also provides one-on-one support and motivation as you make these changes. You may even find a clinic that offers cooking classes, lecture series and health food store tours.

Primary Food

Joshua Rosenthal, founder of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition holistic nutrition school in New York City, says a holistic clinic considers personal relationships, exercise habits and even spiritual practice to be food. Rosenthal says in his book "Integrative Nutrition" that finding balance in these areas of your life is more important than the food you put in your mouth. He calls these lifestyle elements primary food.

Secondary Food

In his book, Rosenthal classifies the food we eat as secondary food. Like Payne, he points out that there is no one right way to eat. Holistic health coaches tend to be familiar with a wide variety of dietary theories, both Eastern and Western, and knowledgeable about basic human nutrition. In general they promote organic, sustainable foods and prefer whole foods to processed foods, but will work on small changes with you if these guidelines are not practical for your lifestyle.

Dietitian Versus Nutritionist

It is common in holistic health clinics to find coaches who are certified nutritionists. You may also come across a few who are registered dietitians.The title of dietitian is a regulated term. In the United States, a registered dietitian must have completed strict educational requirements as laid out by the American Dietetic Association. The title of nutritionist is an unregulated term and is used by anyone who has studied nutrition from an institution not regulated by the ADA. Dietitians follow nutritional guidelines laid out by the ADA. Nutritionists do not have set guidelines and will follow the practices taught to them in their individual certification programs.

Warnings

Although it is true that many health conditions can be improved through exercise and proper nutrition, holistic clinics should never replace care by your physician. Do not stop taking medications prescribed by your doctor without consulting that doctor first. Because nutritionist is not a regulated term, consult your doctor and carefully research the clinic before beginning a program at a holistic clinic.