Surely you’ve heard this popular term as more integrative models of health and wellness have become popular in the last three decades.
But just what exactly is holistic nutrition?
First, let’s start with what holistic nutrition is not.
Who hasn’t had the experience of being told blanket health advice, like “eat more broccoli?” Everyone should eat more vegetables! Eat more broccoli!
- But what if you get terribly bloated after eating broccoli?
- What if you live in a food desert and it takes over 30 minutes to travel to the nearest store that carries fresh or frozen broccoli? Plus you’re already stretched thin from your commute and child care!
- What if you grew up in a household that never ate broccoli, so cooking with it is a mystery to you?
- What if you just plum hate broccoli?
Are you doomed to an unhealthy life because you can’t follow this nutrition advice?
Of course not!
There are as many ways to be healthy as there are people on the planet. The focus of holistic nutrition is to identify your way to health.
Holistic nutrition is a whole-life approach to optimal health. It treats the entire person. Infact, it treats the entire life surrounding that person. Sleep, stress, and social connections are all lifestyle factors that directly impact health. You can work with a nutritionist to eat more broccoli (or protein, or fiber, whatever the prescription), but if you’re underslept and overworked, you won’t see the results you’re looking for.
Other methods of nutrition and medicine may treat just part of a person’s life, body, or specific symptom. Holistic nutrition, however, holds that you cannot separate a person’s health from the physical and chemical, mental and emotional, as well as spiritual and environmental aspects of one’s life.
- Some people need to slow down. Others need to get up and get moving.
- Some clients require a full diet makeover. Others need a few targeted changes to get started and build some momentum.
- Some cases demand a detailed program with targeted supplements to rebalance biochemistry. Others simply need some reliable dinner recipes to stay healthy.
BeWell is steadily marching toward it’s 30th birthday! Since 1993, our mission has been to support you in achieving your health goals. And we do this by always empowering you to wholeness of body, mind, and spirit. The holistic nutrition approach ensures our client programs are always truly individualized. Contact us and let us help you on your health journey!
To another 30 years of health!
BeWell,
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