Do you ever find yourself wishing you had a personal health consultant? Someone who could help you make sense of the seemingly, ever-changing “rules” of how to eat healthy? Why isn’t the world of nutrition more black and white anyways? It was through my own desire for answers to similar questions that led me to pursue my certification as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner so that I could become a part of the solution for others who feel frustrated and confused when it comes to food.
What is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner?
Certified through the Nutritional Therapy Association, a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP) is a health professional trained to work with individuals to uncover unique nutritional needs and offer bio-individualized dietary recommendations. Nutritional Therapy Practitioners desire to restore the body’s innate ability to function and heal autonomously by supporting the foundations of optimal health.
What Does it Look Like to Work with a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner?
A Nutritional Therapy Practitioner always begins their work with a new client by conducting an in-depth initial interview to gather important puzzle pieces such a health history, current dietary habits and beliefs, and desired health outcomes. Additionally, a NTP will use a nutritional assessment questionnaire to gain further insight into the client’s current state of health and wellbeing. After gathering these important pieces of information during the intake process, a NTP will meet with their client on a regular basis to provide accountability, encouragement, and offer assistance and advice with health practices such as goal setting, meal planning, grocery shopping & label reading, food preparation techniques, and strategies for dietary modifications.
How is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner Different from a Licensed Dietician?
Similar to a Licensed Dietician, a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner is a health professional whose mission is to help others improve their overall health and wellbeing by offering guidance in the area of nutrition. However, one major distinction between a Licensed Dietitian, who practices medical nutritional therapy and a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner is that a NTP will never attempt to diagnose, treat or cure a client’s health condition or disease. Nutritional Therapy Practitioners focus on unleashing the natural ability of the body to heal itself by supporting the foundations of health that constitute a properly prepared, whole food, nutrient-dense diet.
Who Can Benefit from Working with a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner?
The person who feels stuck in their health efforts or frustrated by unmet goals. The person who is tired of being tired and reluctantly dependent upon a hit of sugar or caffeine for an afternoon pick-me-up. The person who is overwhelmed by the task of finding healthy recipes and creating a meal plan. The person who is confused by the food industry’s deceptive marketing and annoyed by all the conflicting health information in circulation. If you can relate to these feelings, and you’re ready to make a change, I would love to be a resource to you as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, helping you rediscover the freedom and confidence we all long to have in our health.