What is Holistic Nutrition?

I have been studying Holistic Nutrition at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. When I graduate, I will be considered a registered holistic nutritionist. But wait…what is holistic nutrition? I get asked this question all the time and have been trying to find the best way to explain it. Basically, holistic nutrition focuses on the whole body approach. The term holistic refers to natural, meaning as close to nature as possible. It looks at using natural methods of improving health before relying on medicine and pharmaceutical drugs. That being said, it doesn’t mean not to use them at all, just to look at alternatives first.

Holistic nutrition looks not only at diet, but lifestyle as well. Think about the mind, body and spirit. The mind refers to mindset and the emotional component. Releasing emotions instead of holding them in and hiding them can be contributing to many health concerns without us realizing. Body encompasses nutrition and diet, exercise, as well what products you are putting on and in your body. The spirit focuses on a higher power, higher self or higher energy and can help relate to health. Knowing that you are divinely guided helps us to make decisions in our lives and reduce our stress levels

I want to be able to share my knowledge on this platform to help teach about the importance of not only nutrition, but a healthy lifestyle. I hope to go back to the basics and teach people the joys of cooking your own food, knowing how to grocery shop, and other tips and tricks about living your best healthy lifestyle. Nutrition is something that is constantly changing and I find everyday that I am learning new facts about certain foods.

Did you know that doctors and nurses are barely even trained on nutrition. I looked at a few schools and checked how many hours they dedicate to nutrition. I looked at multiple universities in Ontario and could only calculate about 10-20 hours being spent. Now, I understand the amount of schooling a doctor has to go through and the amount of knowledge that they have to digest and learn, however, in 10 years of schooling, is it fair that only 10-20 hours is spent on nutrition? That doesn’t seem that fair, especially when doctors and scientists have admitted that cardiovascular disease, blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and cancer (which are the LEADING causes of death in North America), have a direct correlation to diet and lifestyle. This isn’t new knowledge either, so why haven’t they changed their curriculum to include more education about nutrition and healthy lifestyle?

Most doctors and practitioners are trained to treat disease with drugs and do not view food as a powerful medicine even though the scientific research is slowly coming to the forefront. Slowly more knowledge is coming forward about the implications that not only diet, but a healthy lifestyle can reduce risks of major life ailments and improve overall health.

Either way a healthy lifestyle is so important and quality of life is something we all take for granted. We don’t realize that our headaches can be related to water intake or your new fancy scented candle. The breakouts on our face can be corelated to the amount of processed foods or high fat in our diet. And, that 3pm crash can be directly correlated to what you had for lunch or the lack of quality sleep you’ve been getting lately. By living a healthy lifestyle and being aware of the foods and products you use in your everyday life, it can have a great impact on how you look and feel on a daily basis.

There are a lot of symptoms that we pass of as ‘normal’, when in reality, it is our body telling us something is wrong and somewhere, we have an imbalance. I wanted to list a few common symptoms that most people consider ‘normal’

• PMS
• Bloating & cramps
• Indigestion and gas
• Headaches
• Heartburn
• Hair loss or brittle and dry hair
• Diarrhea and constipation
• Anxiety and depression
• Mood swings
• Brain fog
• Eczema and psoriasis
• Acne and breakouts
• Fatigue

The list can go on, but I think you get the gist. Our bodies normally function as they were designed, but when it is not given the proper nutrients and vitamins to properly function, things break down and symptoms arise.

I think most people get confused when it comes to eating healthy because they are fed all different types of information from every angle. Eat more fat, eat less fat, eat more carbs, eat less carbs. Then there are countless diets like Keto, Paleo, Atkins, Weight Watchers, Low carb and so on. So how do you know which one is right for you and which information about nutrition is correct? I think if we can strip everything down and start at the beginning it will make a lot more sense. 

Another aspect of health includes personal growth and development and healing the emotional aspect including mindset. It’s important to love ourselves and increase our self-worth so that we can feel confident in our bodies. There is no one size fits all when it comes to the right health approach. We are all unique, so the happier we are in our own bodies, the more we can let our own uniqueness shine through! Don’t strive to just be thinner, just strive to be healthier and I can promise you, that you will be happier. It’s that simple, so time to unlock your happiness.

 <3

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