NUTRITION THERAPY FACTFILE

Fact:  Nutrition, also known as nourishment or aliment, is defined as ‘the process of being nourished’.
Founded: French scientist, Antoine Lavoisier, became the "Father of Nutrition" in the late 1700s after his outstanding work in chemistry.
Therapy Type:  Natural Medicine

Nutritional therapy examines and treats the body holistically, recognizing the mind, body, emotion and soul as a whole and by living in good health, we in turn holistically live in harmony.  The approach discovers the root cause of an issue and deals with the underlying fundamental problems, rather than just merely treating the symptoms, which is commonly the case with conventional medicine.  Individuals of various ages can reach and maintain their optimum health and wellness levels.

Due to the majority of us leading busy lives, our culture of how we eat has slowly changed, fast food has become progressively more popular and the standard and quality of food has declined due to such high demand. To cater for our busy lives, supermarkets are increasingly stocked with instant meals, which are often considerably poorer in their nutritional value, rather than home cooked meals prepared with fresh organically grown ingredients. Many health conditions, including chronic fatigue, insomnia, backache, skin complaints and headaches, can thus be relieved effectively with nutritional therapy.

At the core of Nutritional therapy is the principle that food is the body’s natural medicine and through food we can acquire and sustain good health.  This belief however is founded upon the fact that the food should be as nature intended.  Furthermore by sustaining our health and living alongside these beliefs, the mind can become clear and be more optimistic about how we see ourselves and how we deal with stress and overcome these hurdles with a positive mind-set.

IS NUTRITION THERAPY RIGHT FOR YOU?

Nutrition Therapy may benefit the following physical and mental conditions:

Your initial nutritional session may last between 60 and 80 minutes. Prior to the first appointment you will sometimes be asked to complete a confidential Nutritional lifestyle questionnaire or diary.

During the session, your nutritionist will conduct a holistic assessment of your nutritional requirements in order to compile an individual prescription for diet and supplementation. The objective here is to build up a complete, individual profile and then find a dietary and lifestyle programme to lead you towards optimum health.
 Upon discovering the cause of the problem, your nutritional therapist will recommend certain foods that will be beneficial for your overall wellbeing and others that should be avoided.  The therapist may also suggest supplements, which would compliment a specific diet plan and in addition may be coupled with relaxation and exercise routines to aid healing and recuperation of the body.

The following sessions depending on the individual could be weekly visits or may be less frequent, each session lasts between 20-45 minutes.  Sessions may involve food intolerance testing, assessing the individuals nutritional and lifestyle habits and examining any selective dietary abstentions.
Nutrition Therapy is often used in conjunction with other therapies such as counseling, Herbal Medicine, Massage and Kinesiology.
Individuals who undertake Nutritional therapy need to be prepared to work alongside the therapist and commit to their own part in their healing process.  For example, to discover the root cause of certain issues, various foods may have to be given up, which an individual needs to remain dedicated to otherwise results and further treatment become difficult.  Alongside this the client may be required to keep a food and lifestyle diary, to make tracking of changes and or improvements easier to follow.

Prior to booking your initial appointment, consider why you feel you need Nutritional Therapy.  Nutritional therapists and Dieticians can be consulted for medical issues, whereas for general nutritional guidance a nutritionist can be the better option.  It is also wise to carry out some research and select a therapist who is either a member of, or accredited by, an association or professional body such as The New Zealand Natural Medicine Association (NZNMA).   Nutritionists are obligated to a code of ethics and procedure that determines the therapy is carried out in a suitable and safe environment.  These regulations also guarantee a specialist who has undergone certifiable training and receives professional upskilling.

The Wellness Directory provides a ready-made referral list of certified Practitioners within your region.  We fully encourage you to do some independent research by checking out individual credentials, i.e. experience, training, qualifications, relevant client feedback and so forth.

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