How can a nutritionist help me?

What comes to mind when you hear the words “holistic” and “nutritionist”? Well, let me tell you what the dictionary says: a nutritionist is a person who studies or is an expert in nutrition. Holistic refers to the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the physical symptoms of a disease. But what does that really mean? How can you work with a holistic nutritionist and why would you even go see one?

For many people, the first thought that comes to mind, is that a nutritionist probably looks at your diet and tells you to not eat all that junk food, tries to convince you that coffee is not good for you and ice cream after dinner is definitely a no-no. Right? See, I don’t disagree with that (completely), however, there is so much more, I promise. It gets so much better!

Tell me if you know anybody (yourself perhaps?) who can relate to any of the following situations:

“Now that I think about it, I experience symptoms like gas, bloating, indigestion a lot, maybe every other day even, and I feel constipated. It’s probably normal, I hear that from a lot of my friends. Usually I lay down for a few minutes and it gets better. My doctor even said that it’s probably IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and I just have to learn to live with it…”

“I want to lose some weight but I’m always so tired. I just don’t have the energy to go to the gym after a crazy day of meetings after meetings (75% of which could have been delivered in an easy email but that’s a whole other story). My kids and my family life usually take priority, and I don’t even know if it’s the food I eat or my hormones. Could it be?”

“I feel like I’m already tired after dropping off the kids at school and having my first cup of coffee. I don’t know how I would make it through the afternoon without my Triple Venti Half Sweet Non-Fat Caramel Macchiato and Reduced-Fat Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake. I’m exhausted by the time the kids are in bed (or pretend to be) and as soon as my head hits the pillow, I am wide awake. I just can’t fall asleep. How is this even possible?”

“My anxiety comes out of nowhere and often then when I just don’t need it. It debilitates me. I’m going from normal to crazy mood swings within minutes and I hate how it affects my loved ones and life in general. I don’t want to be like that. I want to feel more relaxed and emotionally lighter.”

“I think I eat pretty healthy, the problem is that it’s so hard to keep up with making healthy meals for my family and myself that don’t take too much of my time during the week. I hate coming home after a busy day at work and then having to think about what to make. I need ideas for balanced lunch and snack ideas and don’t even get me started on dinner…”

Does any of this ring a bell? If you’d ask me, that was totally me. All of the above at some point in my life. The problem is that we often don’t acknowledge these feelings  and symptoms until it’s too late, until they manifest as various conditions and diseases in the body. It’s important to understand that these symptoms are NOT normal and you do NOT need to learn to live with it and… no, it’s NOT all just in your head.  

Holistic means that we use a systemic approach when looking at your concerns. Usually, symptoms you feel and signs your medical professional (doctor, naturopath, dietician etc.) sees, do not just appear from one day to the other. They accumulate over time. Sometimes over years and years. By looking not just at the outcome – the rash that you see, the headache you feel, or the constant gas you’d rather not talk about – we are trying to address the root cause, not just the symptom. What happened from the time you were conceived (yes, things in the womb can come back and haunt you) to the time you are sitting in front of us (sometimes virtually)?

The language of the body

How did we get here? By expressing symptoms, your body is trying to tell you something, symptoms are the language of the body. It’s like when a baby is crying. Yes, it’s loud, yes, it’s stressful, yes, it’s hard to listen to but what’s really going on here, is that it’s the baby’s way of telling you that something is wrong. It’s the only way a baby can communicate with you. Is it a full diaper? Is little Tucker hungry? Is baby just tired? We don’t know but you try one thing after the other, until you figure out where this discomfort is coming from. It’s a different story once they start talking back to you… but that’s another discussion for another time.

It starts with food

So, absolutely, our first line of defense is to look at food. However, it not only comes down to nutrition and us telling you what to eat or what not to eat. If your goal is optimal health, you want to look at all areas in your life. Eating loads of organic whole foods and popping all your vitamins doesn’t mean that you are healthy, if you sleep 3-4 hours a night, are overly stressed at work and consider walking to the corner store to pick up a bucket of ice cream your exercise for the day. Holistic nutritionists often discuss changes or adjustments to different areas in your life – sleep, nutrition, exercise, stress but also relationships, toxicity, mental health and more – in addition to the immediate solution. Healing from the inside out will make your health journey more whole and successful in the long run. The goal here is to get you better by incorporating healthy habits into your daily life – one step at a time – so that you can get back to your life, back to doing the things you enjoy the most.

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What kind of nutritionist do I want to be?

I don’t believe in one size fits all. I want to meet you where you are at and work with what you have available to you and what works for you at this time. If you cannot live without coffee, let’s not cut it out, if you cannot get through the day without your afternoon sugar fix, let’s find you one that you can actually enjoy without the nasty ingredients and toxic fillers.

Let’s get you there. One step at a time…

If you are interested in holistic nutrition but don’t know where to start, drop me a line at hello@cabbageandbeets.com!

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Tell me in the comments, what would the #1 symptom be that you would discuss with a nutritionist if you could?