Why see a Holistic Nutrition Consultant?
With conflicting recommendations for optimal nutrition, how can one know what is beneficial and what is a waste of time, energy, and resources?
Have you ever found yourself wondering “What is the right information on nutrition? How can I determine which sources to believe, and which are another fad diet/belief? I do not want to make all these changes to my diet and lifestyle, only to find out it was not a reputable source of information and all this effort was in vain!”
With so much content on the internet these days, it is easy to get confused. This is where a nutrition consultant can help to shed light on your shadows of doubt and confusion. There is so much scientific evidence now about the undeniable benefits to our health and vitality that can be obtained from wholesome food and easy lifestyle practices. Eating a healthy whole food diet can reverse chronic diseases that were once thought to be incurable. For the first time in human history, the life expectancy has decreased 3 years in a row! With chronic disease rising at astronomical rates over the past 50 years, it is apparent to most that we must start doing something different to avoid falling prey to these debilitating diseases. If one or more are your reality, how do you recover from them? Even more important, our children’s health is at serious risk. Children born today are expected to live 5 years shorter as well as sicker lives than their parents! If they are poor or socially disadvantaged this number rises to 10-20 fewer years than their parents. The chronic diseases that were once thought to be adult problems, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, cancers, obesity, and more, are now manifesting in children. One in three children born today will have type 2 diabetes. This is unacceptable.
To help you understand how nutrition can set you on track for a future full of health and vitality, and how to steer your children and young adults away from chronic disease, a nutrition professional can guide you. A holistic nutrition consultant will combine all of your lifestyle practices - Nutrition, Exercise, Mindfulness, Sleep, Environment, History, Genetics, Epigenetics, and Lifestyle - and develop a plan/program tailored to fit your situation and your level of motivation.
At Prana Nutrition & Wellness, an initial consultation begins with a comprehensive health evaluation intake form, a system assessment questionnaire, and a 7-day diet and activity log. The health evaluation form allows us to gather personal information, health concerns, medical history, dietary habits and choices, lifestyle choices and habits, family history, and readiness to address health goals all in one document. The system assessment questionnaire collects information on current symptoms and experiences to help decode areas of stress. The responses on this form are subjective, and may change with time. The 7-day diet and activity log provides a picture of current diet and lifestyle practices. It is important to be as truthful and thorough when filling this out. Without honest and accurate knowledge of what current practice is, we are limited to generalized recommendations. There are no wrong answers and there is no shaming if foods are consumed that one knows “should” not be eaten.
Once these forms are completed, submitted, and reviewed, the first 1.5 hour consultation session will be scheduled to discuss the evaluation results and then an action plan will be developed. It is important to design this plan with the client to find what modifications are acceptable and doable. Change is only successful if there is commitment and confidence that one can make it.
In addition, a professional custom 7-day meal plan tailored to meet a client’s particular dietary needs and preferences, filtering likes and dislikes with foods (see a sample 1-day meal plan here). This 7-day plan gives suggestions of how to incorporate supportive whole foods in to the diet. It is not intended to be followed to the letter, unless the client wishes to do so.
An after visit summary will be prepared and emailed, and follow-up sessions will be scheduled to discuss how we can support our client on their wellness journey. Follow-Up notes that summarize meetings, complete with nutrition bytes (education), will be given after each follow-up meeting. The minimum number of follow-up visits to begin a program is 3 (included in our initial consultation package). It is recommended for visits to be every 1-2 weeks, depending on the client’s schedule and motivation. A program with a minimum of 3 months, and preferably 6-12 months is recommended to incorporate the gradual changes that will lead to sustainable improvement.
