Now, What’s Holistic Nutrition?

Holistic nutrition can actually also be called wholistic nutrition and this spelling would probably be understood much easier. From the word wholistic, one quickly understands that we are talking about something that deals with the “whole” of something. Holistic nutrition, as with holistic medicine, makes reference to the practice of treating the whole individual, not only one symptom.

In contrast you have Western medicine, which in many cases, simply offers treatments for particular symptoms. Some examples of this are the use of pain killers, anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications. In all cases, brief reductions in symptoms are experienced, but nothing was accomplished in treating the root cause of the issue. A holistic approach would look at the way the mind, body and spirit function together and look to treat the whole person, not just make the headache go away for a couple of hours.

Holistic practitioners like: acupuncturists, herbalists, nutritionists, chiropractors, massage therapists, etc, emphasise their patient’s values, feelings, environment, nutrition, as well as the exact physical symptoms being experienced. In many cases, there are underlying issues and conditions that are causing the surface symptoms that are being experienced. By looking at each human as a whole being and treating it as such, a holistic practitioner can help their patients and clients use their own inborn capacity of self-healing.

Holistic nutrition believes that a particular balance of minerals , vitamins, proteins and other essential nutrients are needed to experience optimum levels of energy and overall health. On top of that, when addressing nutrition from a holistic standpoint, it is critical to consider that every person is different and unique. Because each person is different, every one of us requires variable quantities of each nutrient essential for overall health.

Study after study has suggested that consuming the right foods and avoiding other damaging ones can seriously lessen the possibility of many health problems, including: diabetes, heart disease, obesity and even cancer. We all have at least a general understanding of what good nutrition looks like. We’ve all heard, “eat your fruits and vegetables” or that we ought to avoid stuff like “trans fats” and processed carbohydrates. Sadly, in today’s ultra-informed society, with additional information available to every one of us than we could ever digest in a lifetime, things can get a bit puzzling.

Any person can begin gradually changing their diet to eat better and healthier. On the other hand, if you’re serious about eating for ideal emotional and physical health, a more structured approach might be suitable. A holistic nutritionist will help you by developing a personalized nutrition plan to help you achieve your health and wellbeing goals.

Rob Green is a contract acupuncture, massage therapy and nutrition article writer.

categories: nutrition,health,holistic nutrition,diet