What is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner?
There are many trained practitioners and well-being professionals who are working according to their skills and jobs. We cannot understand their specialization without any information. It is a bit complex for some people to know which would be the best choice if they need it.
It is understandable that you may wonder what the term Nutritional Therapy Practitioner means. Hence, we are ready to write it down and help you understand how working with one can make a big difference in reaching your health goals. In this guide, we will explore the article about the NTP.
Do you know about the NTP?
A Nutritional Therapy Practitioner is a professional who mainly uses food and nutrition to support your overall health system. Its treatment is based on nutrients. NTP is primarily trained to evaluate individuals' nutritional needs and make customized plans according to their preferences and choices. Moreover, if you are working with NTP, they’ll focus on their work in the following foundational areas in order to help you achieve a healthy and good digestive system.
- Consuming a nutritious whole foods diet
- Supporting digestive health
- Balancing blood sugar
- Paying attention to hydration levels
- Supporting you in optimizing your fatty acid intake and mineral status
- Addressing your overall stress management skills
These are the foundations that impact your overall health and are connected to the nagging symptoms (or, as we NTPs like to say, “the consequences”) that likely brought you to seek professional nutrition support in the first place. Once we identify the foundations or body systems that need support, we then recommend tools like dietary changes, lifestyle choices, and targeted supplement options as a way to empower your body to do its own healing. Your body is innately intelligent, and our role is to support it as best we can in its healing process.
Now that we’ve covered what an NTP does, it is important to also understand what we don't do. NTPs do not treat or diagnose any disease.
Food Comes First
The food and nutrients you consume are the foundation of all foundations—the most useful tool in our tool kit. A properly prepared, nutrient-dense diet is essential for feeling your best and achieving optimal health, and NTPs believe that finding the healthiest diet for your individual body is the first step in your journey with us. This is the step many individuals skip before working with a professional, often in hopes that they can out-supplement or out-exercise a poor diet and stressful lifestyle. Still, unfortunately, they fail to realize that without addressing it, they’ll make minimal progress toward achieving any goals. This is why we always discuss food first and work together to make sustainable nutrition choices that will have a lasting impact.
There are many people who come to an NTP and ask them exactly what to eat and what they should not. Surprisingly, we avoid the strict diet rules and recommend highly restrictive diets. They are not sustainable and can actually impact you in the long run. The goal of an NTP is not to cut out all of the “junk” foods you might enjoy, but instead, they assist you in preferring the vitamin you like the most. In this way, you fulfill your cravings and digest your food, which is also good for your health. They provide you with a long list of food items to choose from according to your preferences and needs. Everyone loves having a good meal, and we need you to consume healthy food.
Each Body is Individual?
Yes, each body is different and unique. If something particular is suitable for your body, then it does not mean that prescription is for everyone experiencing the same. The healthcare environment is way faster than before and rarely fulfills individual nutrition needs. We know that each body is unique and individual, so there is no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition. It is very clear that what works for someone else might not work for you, and that is totally normal.
A Nutritional Therapy Practitioner is a well-being professional who can easily understand how your body functions, diet system, and lifestyle choices, all of which impact the challenges you're experiencing. A practitioner can consequently make recommendations according to your individual needs. Our initial consultation includes looking at your health history, dietary preferences, and family health history, as well as analyzing any symptoms or challenges you've been experiencing for a long time and how they all affect your mood and energy levels. This in-depth process means that when you meet with an NTP, you can be assured that the recommendations you receive are based on you and only you.
Prioritize on Root Cause Rather than Symptom Management
Being professionals, our priority is to listen carefully, hear you keenly, and then help you accordingly with what you are experiencing and what your body is going through because of your unhealthy lifestyle. Instead, we avoid chasing symptoms and look for the "why" behind them. Instead, we use the mentioned foundations to help our bodies reach a healthy balance. We try to limit the “band-aid approach,” which typically provides you relief at the moment (think ibuprofen when a headache strikes or melatonin to help you sleep) but does not provide any long-term relief.
You may find that using these approaches leads to more long-term reliance and a built-up resistance to these band-aid fixes down the road. When you focus more on symptoms, you don’t address the root cause of why you are experiencing symptoms, which means you remain unhealthy for too long. This chronic imbalance of your body systems directly affects the whole body, and it will most probably lead to more health problems in the future. By addressing the root cause, we support your body in restoring proper function and overall health.
Targeted Supplement Recommendations when Indicated
If you are going through the process of an unhealthy journey, then you should only prefer supplements first with recommendations. NTP is doing great work because they individually focus on you and give instructions accordingly. You should use supplements if you are getting old, but first, you must maintain your diet. NTPs are trained to understand body chemistry and how supplements impact the body systems. We make supplement recommendations after considering how it will impact your health. We only make recommendations when they will move you closer to reaching your goals. There are circumstances when we might choose not to recommend supplements at all. We mainly focus on food and lifestyle choices, which are always the priority in our work, and we use supplementation only in addition to these recommendations.
Empowering Clients to Take Ownership of Their Health
Particularly in NTPs, we empower our clients to take ownership of their health. One who is experiencing knows their body better, and we try our best to approach our work collaboratively. Although we might be experts in health and nutrition, you are the best expert on your body. We work with you to create a plan that includes achievable and realistic goals that move you closer to becoming your healthy lifestyle.
It is also fundamental that you don’t feel helpless as you put your health first. Our job is to guide and empower you through your health journey and take accountability when you need more support along the way. This is another way we stand out from other professionals and a strength of our client-practitioner relationship.
Is Working with an NTP Right for You?
It really depends on the NTP you are working with. NTP is a great choice for those who are looking for the best dietary and healthy lifestyle choices. In this way, when you understand your body system as an individual, you must take care of it. NTPs provide you with a deep understanding of how the body works and give you enough information to address a number of common symptoms you might experience, including heartburn, bloating, fatigue, constipation and diarrhea, general digestive distress, detoxification, PMS symptoms, lack of energy, food cravings, joint pain, aging-related issues. Although we cannot diagnose or treat these conditions, we are trained to help support your body in doing what it needs to do—make you feel good! If you are ready to start your health with the support of a qualified professional, our Curated practitioners are ready to support you.
While we don’t treat sickness or disease, we assist you with a well-rounded approach to your health at Curated Wellness. Our trained nutrition can accompany you on your healthy journey through food and supplement choices, movement, and mindfulness.
Our practitioners are ready for you if you are willing to care for your health with a knowledgeable guide and accountability trainer. Click to schedule a one-on-one!
