What is a Holistic Health Approach?
The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts. - Aristotle
In my practice as a nutritionist, I like to focus on ‘holistic’ nutrition. In fact, my business is called The Holistic Health Approach. It may sound like I’m just trying to give myself a fancy title. But in truth, I firmly believe in the word holistic and what it means in my practice.
The dictionary defines “holistic” as characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole. Aristotle put it much more succinctly – the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. So as a holistic practitioner I do not look at parts as if they function independently, I look at how the parts function as a complete, whole system. Additionally, I even expand the meaning of “whole” and what it means to me.
Holistic means whole body. Holistic practitioners do not compartmentalize body systems or treat symptoms. For example, if you see a cardiologist for high blood pressure he may give you beta blockers to lower your blood pressure. But he may not ask questions to understand why you have high blood pressure in the first place. Is there dysfunction in another body system that is creating the high blood pressure? Is your lifestyle, food choices and stress level contributing to your symptom? This is where holistic practitioners differ from traditional western medicine. Instead of asking “what is the problem”, they are asking “why is this a problem.”
Holistic means the whole person. As a Certified Nutrition Therapy Practitioner, Eating Psychology Coach and Personal Trainer I am trained to think about food choices, activity level and stress level. But there is much more to your picture of optimal health. Considering the whole person – activity level, food choices, stressors and level of stress, quality of sleep, social support, toxins hiding in your environment, digestive complaints, aches and pains, motivations, goals, and much more – will give me a more complete picture to understand how to help you make changes that may get you to a healthier you.
Holistic means whole foods. Our current food supply is rife with prepackaged foods that are artificially colored, flavored and sweetened as well as full of sugars, trans fats, refined flours and highly processed forms of something that used to look like a whole food. It can sometimes be a daunting and confusing task to navigate the grocery aisles. So as a holistic nutritionist I want to help people decipher what is truly in their grocery cart and how they can make better choices. Optimal health won’t come from a box, but it may come from a freshly picked vegetable. This is why I help clients work towards a more whole foods diet and provide recipes to show that eating healthier doesn’t have to be bland.
Considering your whole body, your whole life and your whole food choices is my passion and I hope it becomes your passion too!