While the term natural nutrition usually inspires thoughts of apples, blueberries, lentils and spinach, it actually runs a lot deeper than this!
In fact, naturopathic nutrition involves a scientific evidence based approach with appropriate testing, alongside natural holistic principles including dietary and lifestyle advice, medicinal herbs and nutritional support.
Naturopathic nutrition is the science of the components that exist within food, and within us, and how they influence our bodies. It analyses this balance, and identifies the relationship between nutrients and various body functions. By appreciating how each organ relates to the other, and by what mechanisms this occurs, a comprehensive interpretation of the patient’s state of health can be made. This enables a more effective treatment plan.
The aim is to support the body’s own functional processes to help it return to its natural state. The body has an innate ability to heal itself, so by using diet, lifestyle changes, and supplementation where necessary, imbalances, obstructions or deficiencies can be removed to let the body do its work. Once restored to health the important work of maintaining the healthy state can be supervised by the naturopathic nutritionist.
A naturopathic nutritionist is a basically a food expert! They use a personal, holistic approach to nutrition counselling by providing you with individualized diet assessments and creating wellness programs based on your individual preferences, your health requirements, and your lifestyle.
The naturopathic nutritionist can answer all your questions about food and diet giving advice and suggestions as to what an individual should be eating to stay healthy. They can recommend foods that are high in certain minerals that you may lack, for example, if you need more magnesium they may suggest you eat more green leafy vegetables. Or, if you are an athlete they will be able to work out how much protein you should eat everyday and which proteins would suit your needs.
A naturopathic nutritionist can also help you with symptoms relating to food allergy and intolerance by helping you follow an elimination diet, replacing certain foods with healthier alternatives. The Food Detective is a simple test which can be carried out in clinic for food intolerances.
A naturopathic nutritionist can give you ‘tips and tricks’ to use with fussy eaters and ‘tips and tricks’ to tempt and treat with healthier foods!
They will prescribe therapeutic practitioner only nutritional supplements which are not available over the counter at your local health food store or supermarket.
In addition they can perform simple tests in clinic to check for food intolerance, deficiencies like zinc, saliva pH, urinary glucose and send off samples of your hair to test for heavy metal contamination. Hair analysis can give you a wealth of information; including how well you absorb your food and whether you are receiving adequate minerals in your daily diet.
Optimal nutrition is essential for constitutional strength; effective functioning of the body and mind as well as enabling treatments and therapies to work is the best possible environment to enable healing.