Principles for Holistic Eating and Nutrition
Whether you’re interested in tweaking your diet with new holistic options, or are ready to completely overhaul your eating regime, these principles will help point you in the right direction for better health.
Benefits of a Holistic Approach to Eating
Our diet affects us spiritually, mentally, and physically. A holistic approach to nutrition is focused on eating yourself healthier. It all begins with eating whole foods, that you find in nature.
A Meal Plan Tailored to You
Instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach to your health, you’ll be able to work with a nutritionist to craft a specific overall plan based on your likes and lifestyle. It’s like having a food trainer instead of a personal trainer—your personal food coach to give you a gentle butt-kicking.
A Holistic Approach to Nutrition Increases Energy & Focus
Eating whole foods makes our bodies run better and gives us more energy. But why do our bodies crave clean eating? Our bodies know how to break down foods that are not altered, stripped, or refined in any way and utilize them for maximum energy and potential.
Put Your Mind at Ease
Keeping your body healthy is a necessity, so is finding a mental and spiritual calm, especially with all the stresses we deal with on a daily basis. Many ailments are linked to emotional stresses, like anger or worry, and by improving your diet, you can improve your mood.
Disease Prevention
An estimated 80% of Type 2 diabetes cases can be prevented with proper nutrition and exercise. If you need more evidence that healthy eating can prevent disease, then look to those who eat the Mediterranean diet. This type of nutritious meal plan can prevent a second heart attack by up to 70%. Your body’s immune system and ability to repair itself is linked to nutrition, and by improving what you eat, you can encourage greater healing, as well as keep ailments from developing.
More than a Diet: Anyone who has gone on a diet knows that it works for a little while, but it’s not sustainable. A holistic approach to nutrition teaches you a holistic model of health by providing not only dietary guidance but lifestyle suggestions too.
How to Eat Holistically
The key to holistic nutrition is eating natural unprocessed, whole, organic foods whenever possible.
Eat Whole, Raw Foods
This is nutrition in its simplest form and is as easy as it sounds. When clients are looking for a healthy snack, you can recommend that they eat an apple, banana, carrot, celery, grapes, melon, avocado, or their favorite fruit or vegetable the way nature intended – raw and unprocessed!
Go Organic
Avoid pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and hormones in your food by selecting organic options whenever possible. Plus, organic food tastes better and maybe more nutritious.
Lose the Sweet Tooth
Refined and artificial sweeteners may taste sweet, but their impact on your client’s health is anything but. It will take time, but by replacing sugar, corn syrup and sweeteners with naturally sweet alternatives like fruit, you will reap significant health improvements for your clients.
Drink Water
There’s nothing new here – at least eight glasses a day is recommended to promote good digestion and health. Also, encourage clients to avoid (or significantly reduce) soda, alcohol, and all caffeinated beverages.
Reduce Sodium Intake
Sodium is one of the key factors in developing hypertension or high blood pressure. Although the ideal daily sodium consumption is between 1,500 and 2,300 milligrams, many people (clients included) eat much more than they should. Reduce your salt intake by avoiding processed food and by keeping the salt shaker off the dinner table.
Buy Local Produce
Produce that’s grown locally not only looks and tastes better; it can be more nutritious. In fact, it’s often better to eat local, fresh produce that’s not certified organic than it is to buy certified organic food that was shipped a long distance. If your clients are up to it, you may suggest they consider growing some of their own fruits and veggies, or visit their farmer’s market for local produce.
Eliminate White Flour
As a holistic nutrition coach, you may recommend the elimination of all wheat from the diet. If this isn’t an ideal option for you, go with whole-grain options instead when purchasing cereals, breads, rice or pasta since the white varieties are stripped of most of their nutrition and fiber.
Eat Healthy Fats
Healthy fats are important for good health, so be sure to incorporate moderate amounts of organic cold-pressed oils like extra virgin olive oil or flaxseed oil in your meal preparation. For high-heat cooking, select oils that can stand up to the heat such as organic canola or coconut oil. However, avoid trans fats from hydrogenated oils, and saturated animal fats from red meat and dairy products.
Watch Portions
Even when you’re clients are eating healthy food, it’s still important that they are mindful of their portion size. A serving of meat should be about the same size as a deck of cards, while a healthy serving of pasta is about half a cup.
Everything in Moderation
Food is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Have fun with food, indulge in a treat occasionally, and give yourself permission to enjoy your favorite, not-so-healthy meal once in a while. Healthy eating shouldn’t be about deprivation, it’s about making good choices most of the time for sustained success.
How to Become a Holistic Nutrition Coach
After one year in development, the NEW Spencer Institute Holistic Nutrition Coach Certification is LIVE. And, you will also get a VERY comprehensive online and offline coaching business system as our gift to you.
If you are a health and fitness pro, the knowledge you’ll gain in this course is the missing key to help your clients reduce that fatigue, lack of recovery or inflammation your clients want solved.
If you currently offer nutrition coaching/consulting, you will want to add these skills and this credential to your resume.
If you focus your work in the “holistic” areas of health, fitness and wellness, THIS is your next step. Without this knowledge and certification, you won’t have everything you need to help all your clients.
If you are looking for CEUs, we got you covered. Completion of this course also gives you 4.0 CEUs.
You will want to click over now to learn what the buzz is all about. This is unlike any other nutrition certification offered in the industry.
Stay healthy!
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