A Research Paper By Ritu Mehrotra, Nutrition Coach, UNITED STATES
When people hear the word “holistic,” they right away think about holistic medicine or alternative therapies. While those are included in holistic health, there is much more to it.
When things turn out the way we expect them to, we usually lower our guard. However, when life puts us in a very tough spot, we tend to panic. Indeed, it is a normal and natural human reaction, but if we manage to balance mind, body, and soul, it would be easier to face difficult times and get through struggles.
One may ask why it is so important?
If the body is failing, the mind and soul will suffer as well. Moreover, likewise, the mind is powerful enough to affect the body. So making sure the mental health is up to par is equally essential. Furthermore, once physically and mentally healthy, one is better equipped to evolve spiritually. Therefore, it is so crucial that all three areas are healthy and in balance.
Life is incredibly challenging. There is no doubt about that. It is believed that balance is our “life immune system,” which protects us and makes us stronger in this perplexed and chaotic world we live in.
A holistic perspective understands that the background of sickness can be mental or emotional, not just physical and that there are various ways to approach the treatment of that individual.
The Benefits of a Holistic Approach
Holistic Nutrition looks at the body as a whole rather than individual pieces. We try to address root causes rather than offer band-aid solutions to rebuild their relationship with food from the ground up. Holistic Nutrition is using whole foods the way nature intended. Whole foods are foods that are complete and perfect in their natural state. These foods contain a balance of vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates, sugars, and countless other vital nutrients.
This approach sees an individual as a whole. Not as symptoms presented from an illness as modern medicine does. A physical condition could be caused by mental imbalance and a poor mindset. Seeing all life elements as connected and whole, the person becomes more aware of overall well-being.
Ultimately, stress, diet, environment, physical health, and social interactions can impact wellness. Whether positively or negatively is dependent on the individual.
Holistic nutrition goals are not necessarily to help anyone go down in dress size or put on a very restrictive eating plan. Instead, holistic nutritionists believe that the path to optimum health through food will vary for every individual and that the goal of any healthy diet should be to help feel best.
Benefits of Holistic Approach to Daily Life
- Living with the integrity of mind, body, and soul helps us to create a healthy relationship with ourselves
- Control our life and confront the chaos of everyday life efficiently.
- Find our inner peace.
- Fight procrastination
- Improve our concentration and Focus
- Increase motivation
- Master our fear & overcome anxiety
- Develop self-respect
- Improve sleep
- Find happiness
- Find identity
- Live a mindful and conscious life.
- Develop self-awareness
- Awaken intuition
- Believe
- Stop negative self-talk
- Build confidence
- Prioritize life
What Is a Holistic Health Coach?
A Holistic Health Coach is a trained professional who uses an integrative approach to diet and lifestyle changes to improve their client’s health. Working as a guide toward an overall healthier life, they will look at their clients’ nutrition patterns, relationships, physical fitness, spirituality, and more.
I like to think of a health coach as a health support mentor who educates and supports people in their journey to build healthy new habits and create sustainable lifestyle changes. Of course, there are Health Coaches that generalize and others that are more specialized, for example, autoimmune like myself. I have seen that many health coaches specialize in health struggles that they went through themselves. This is a big part of holistic living as our entire system is affected by the things we put into our bodies.
I am an Integrative Nutrition and life Coach. I talk about holistic wellness, self-healing, and food-as-medicine. I am passionate about nutritional therapies and lifestyle interventions when dealing with chronic illness, autoimmune disease, and hormone imbalance. I help women simplify their life, and minds, live with more aligned intentions. My mission is to help others suffering from chronic illness, autoimmune disease, hormone imbalance, and unfulfilled lives take control of their healing, preserve the integrity of their recovery, maintain the integrity of their bodies, and live life on their terms.
As a health coach, I am here to provide the tools and support clients need to work on their health and wellness goals. In other words, I am supplemental help in all aspects of wellness and Nutrition but also career, relationships, mental wellbeing.
Imagine a World in Which All Women Were Healthy
I want to empower women’s wellness through coaching and sharing holistic sensual self-care education on natural choices to bring balance, happiness, and pleasure back into more women’s lives?
The coaching process involves being honest with where one stands right now, the current personal challenges, and mental blockages.
Most of all, one needs to be committed to making real changes in life. It sometimes will not feel right, but I will support my clients and find ways to make things work. We will use different self-awareness tools to make sure they progress in a way that truly aligns with them.
Does This Sound Like Your Life?
Doctor hopping.
Frustrated by all of the medical testings with zero answers. Tired, doctors tell nothing is wrong or that it is all in the head. Also always worried about the conditions to the point that it impacts the relationships negatively.
Why Is This Holistic Nutrition Coaching So Needed Today?
Women are continually reaching out and serving others, often compromising how much effort they put into taking care of themselves, when women empower themselves through self-care, the world changes in profound, significant ways.
Holistic Nutrition takes a close look at how diet and lifestyle affect our health and ability to heal. Working with a health coach can help change habits and adopt a new lifestyle. If women feel overwhelmed or undernourished, we can work together to unify the mind, body, and soul and discover the healthy, whole you.
There are so many amazing, successful women out there that struggle with putting themselves first, creating daily habits that give them mental energy, or knowing how or when they need to make time for powerful self-care.
Autoimmune Disease, chronic illness, and chronic health conditions do not need to be EVERYTHING. They do not need to become their disease and lose themselves in the process. Where they are right now in life does not define where they’ll be in the future. They have the power to progress and grow. Health coaching will give that power.
What a Holistic Health Coach is not!
A Health Coach is NOT a nutritionist, a GP, a PT, or any other form of a psychological or psychiatric counselor or doctor. A Health Coach is NOT supposed to replace any of those; instead, it supports and complements other health care professionals.
Why Is the Approach of a Health Coach So Unique Compared to the Majority of the Healthcare System?
The approach of a health coach is pretty unique compared to the traditional western system. Nutraphoria (school) has a strong focus on the idea that health is not just what you eat but recognizes that things like relationships, career, movement, and connectedness to oneself all play a massive part in our health. Well, it is a pretty revolutionary viewpoint compared to the traditional reactive, disease-treatment-focused health care system that we are used to.
For me, holistic living is about my entire being—the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. I recognize that each of these systems affects each other (for better and worse) because they are connected as a whole.
For many living with chronic disease and undiagnosable symptoms, the modern-day healthcare industry has failed them. It is time that a more holistic, whole-body solution became a standard part of the way we treat and support the health of the billions of people living on this planet.
Holistic health also considers many external and environmental factors supporting or impacting our overall health and wellness. With climate change affecting our surrounding environments more and more each day, we must have a systematic way of addressing health in the future.
What Kind of Training and Experience Does a Holistic Health Coach Have?
Health Coach Certification. teach’s what an individual needs to know about basic holistic anatomy, physiology, nutrition essentials, eating, and exercising, as well as wellness and stress management, understanding and preventing disease, making healthy choices and overcoming obstacles, health coaching, client intake, best practices, and how to build clientele. Holistic health coaches focus on a person’s physical, mental, and emotional health in a way that other health professionals do not.
I studied for a year with the “Nutraphoria school of Holistic Nutrition.” I continue my education, learning Fundamentals of Integrative Nutrition, Principles of Holistic Health and Nutritional Medicine, Nutrition Science and Applications, and Coaching Skills & Meal Planning Essentials. I also will be a Certified Life Coach through ICA.
My Nutritionist coaching certification, together with ICA certification and my other skills, make me more confident that I can be that person who can help women reach their health and life goals.
Women should find someone who truly resonates with them and has the skills they feel comfortable with. If they have any specific medical condition, working with a Holistic Health Coach in addition to their doctor is an excellent way to get support during the healing journey.
What Is the Difference Between the Health & Wellness Coach and Holistic Health Coach Certification Programs?
The Health & Wellness Coach (HWC) certification program focuses on the processes of coaching, how to be an effective coach, and how to elicit behavior change from your clients. The Holistic Health Coach Certification program focuses on how health is specifically dependent on diet and exercise and supportive relationships, work/life balance, spirituality, and more. HWC also looks at many areas of a client’s life—instead of diet and exercise alone—contributing to stress and poor health.
The Holistic Nutrition (HN) certification program focuses on meal planning and dietary guidelines for disease prevention and optimal health through whole foods nutrition—but not necessarily a vegetarian or vegan diet. When one designs a whole foods diet that is 90 percent or more plant-based, keep animal products—meat, eggs, dairy, fish—to no more than 10 percent of the total daily caloric intake. Keeping in mind that one diet plan does not suit all, various other holistic dietary options are also discussed.
Our brains are complicated, detailed, and mysterious things. This can make it challenging to get to the route of any problems one faces. This can be due to limiting beliefs, mental blocks, negative self-talk, and self-sabotaging behavior. The mental state investigation can reveal the emotional, spiritual, social, and environmental health and wellbeing.
Health is vital, and the individual is the one in control of it. Understanding one’s body, health, and mentality can completely change life and how to live it.
Deciding how one wants to go forward and be the best version of themselves is the first step, and action is the most difficult. Introduce a wellness routine into daily life, choose Nutrition and training for the body.
The best way to get started is by working with a qualified holistic nutritionist. Set up an appointment with a professional who has a holistic nutrition degree or certification. The first holistic nutrition consultation will go in-depth into the health history, eating habits, and goals, taking about 60 to 90 minutes.
For holistic Nutrition to be a success, you need to approach it with an open mind. Your holistic nutritionist will suggest making gradual adjustments to your diet during weekly meetings (either in person or by phone) over the course of three to four months. They might also ask you to document your transition to a holistic nutrition diet through food journals, mood trackers, and sleep logs to better understand how you’re eating affects overall health.
There is no single approach to holistic Nutrition, and the way one gets there will be tailored to the individual.
References
Nutraphoria school of Holistic Nutrition
Becoming a Holistic Health Coach
Health Coaching
Thyroid
Fibromyalgia
Epstein Barr Virus
Chelation Therapy