What is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and why should you work with one?

“A Nutritional Therapy Practitioner is a nutritional therapist certified by the Nutritional Therapy Association to evaluate nutritional needs and make recommendations for dietary changes, helping clients balance body chemistry and achieve optimal wellness. NTPs are not trained to diagnose or treat pathological conditions, injuries, or diseases.” (Nutritional Therapy Association).

A Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP) is trained and certified through the Nutritional Therapy Association (NTA) on the foundations of health and their impact on human anatomy and physiology.

 What does this mean?

 NTPs help you tap into your body’s “innate intelligence” to support the foundations of health and get your systems working properly.

 What is your body’s “innate intelligence?”

 Essentially, your body knows what it needs and tells you based on how you feel.

 What are the foundations of health?

 The foundations of health are:

  • A diet consisting of properly prepared nutrient-dense whole foods.

  • Digestion

  • Blood Sugar Regulation

  • Fatty Acid Balance

  • Mineral Balance

  • Hydration

By giving our body the nutrients it needs and ensuring through proper digestion that our body is actually absorbing the nutrients, we can support our body’s natural pathway to health.

Focusing on the causes, not the symptoms, NTPs focus on the “root causes” of health dysfunction, rather than just addressing symptoms. Looking at diet, digestion, and lifestyle help support the foundations of overall health, rather than just one or two issues. Many people certainly want help fixing one or two issues, and NTPs can help with that, however many find other issues being resolved at the same time.

For example, if the concern is bloating and indigestion, Nutritional Therapy can address that, but at the same time some may find that their mood is more balanced, that they lose weight, their skin is clearer, or their energy levels increase and may have not even known that they had issues in those areas.

What conditions can Nutritional Therapy help?

Diet and lifestyle adjustments will help you improve your general health and provide prevention of other conditions.

Nutritional Therapy can provide improvement of conditions such as:

  • Blood sugar management

  • Digestive issues such as bloating, digestive distress, constipation, gut dysbiosis, leaky gut

  • Hormonal imbalances

  • Autoimmune conditions

  • Joint pain

  • Anxiety, depression, & stress levels

  • Chronic health conditions

  • Energy levels

  • Weight management

  • & more!

There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to Nutritional Therapy therefore we work with you to address your specific and unique bio-individual needs.

As previously mentioned, NTPs do not diagnose, treat, or cure disease but rather help you support your body’s foundational health and aid in its self-healing.

When you address the root causes of health issues, and support the foundations of health (digestion, blood sugar regulation, fatty acid balance, mineral balance, and hydration) through diet, nutritional supplementation & lifestyle modifications, and balancing your body, many symptoms will begin to heal on their own.

Who can an NTP help?

Anyone with health concerns can benefit from the support of an NTP. We come from a real food, holistic approach. Certainly, if you are looking to manage your weight, help with digestive issues or balance your blood sugar, an NTP can help. If you are diagnosed with a health condition that requires the care of a doctor, however, please make sure that you are under the care of one.

Recommendations from NTPs do NOT constitute medical advice and should not be taken as such. I will work alongside your doctor’s recommendations and support your body’s healing through diet, digestive support, and lifestyle modifications.

Many health concerns can be supported by addressing diet, how you’re digesting and absorbing your food, lifestyle changes, and nutritional supplementation.

What can you expect from working with a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner?

I will ask you to complete an Initial Interview Questionnaire so that I may obtain an understanding of your primary health concerns and what you hope to achieve through nutritional therapy. You will also need to complete a comprehensive Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire that will identify which of your body’s foundations and symptoms need to be addressed, in order of priority.

 Below is an example of a Symptom Burden Graph with “vitamin need” indicated as a priority for this particular individual.