Nutrition and Holistic Health
Welcome to Nutrition Street Online. Because nutrition plays a critical role in our health and wellness1, we bring together educational resources and coaching to help integrate new ways and thinking about food and supplements for those who need it.
We believe the keys to a workable and sustainable approach to good nutrition and health are simplicity2 and balance. Although there is a lot of information out there about nutrition, we believe the basics are all we really need to keep ourselves healthy, energized and feeling good.
The holistic health approach to nutrition begins with listening to our bodies3. Our bodies know what food works for us and what doesn’t. And they give us vital feedback if we know how to hear and recognize it. Not everyone is aware of that fact, and it can be hard to read the signs sometimes. But it’s important. Why? Because the damage done by ignoring subtle signs our bodies give us can sometimes be devastating4.
Learning what to eat and figuring out how to take good care of ourselves through nutrition and holistic living can make all the difference when it comes to our health.
While we may achieve some interesting results with fad diet techniques or unbearable restrictions and deprivation, what will our results be long term? We believe you’re smart enough to draw your own conclusions there, especially if you’ve been down that road half a dozen times.
In fact, since you’re here visiting this website, it just may be that you have been down that road way too many times and have finally come to trust that old saying. You know the one. “If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got.”
Good for you, and congratulations! It takes a motivated person who wants to bring themselves to the next level of health to keep searching for the answers. Someone who has tried everything, has had enough with poor nutrition and wants to feel better for life will find loving, nurturing (and fun!) coaching here. Our goal is to help people develop good habits and make better choices, offering them a chance to find and maintain good health and balance in their lives through nutrition.
For example, you can learn what food cravings or digestive issues might be telling you and how you might be able to reduce or eliminate them naturally through self-healing with good nutrition5,6. Your body could just be telling you that you need to add some wholesome and nutrient-rich foods to your diet. However, you might make progress towards your goals by simply being a little more active and making better food and supplement choices7.
Good nutrition rarely happens by accident. We believe it happens best when we have the right knowledge and habits for making good choices with our food and health supplements. When we learn and master those simple habits, we will be making better choices naturally, and in the process, we’re creating for ourselves a solid foundation for a healthier lifestyle. And a healthier lifestyle means feeling great, having more energy and finding joy and happiness in our lives, which is the end goal of holistic health8.
What is Holistic Health?
When some people hear the word holistic, they might think we’re talking about some weird or little-known Eastern rituals or practices. That of course is not the case at all, although an integration of some Eastern methods with mainstream Western medicine might be included in therapies administered by some practitioners9.
Holistic health simply means caring for the whole, complete person. The term itself stems from the Greek root “holo”, which means “whole”. And by whole, it means looking beyond the physical to include a person’s mental, emotional, social and spiritual well-being10. These 5 components of holistic health are addressed together simultaneously rather than being isolated and looked at independently. The understanding here is that being unwell in one aspect affects you in the other four that together shape your overall state of health. They are interdependent factors that coalesce and work together11. A salient characteristic of the holistic approach to health lies in its focus on wellness and prevention rather than just pain or symptoms12. It looks at the person’s entire life, making it a comprehensive, integrated approach to wellness13.
Food and Nutrition Choices
As we mentioned at the onset, simplicity and balance are key in developing habits of good nutritional choices that give us our energy and vitality.
We have to come up with a framework that suits us individually. It has to be something we can live with. It has to be easily adaptable. Living it should not make us feel daunted, overwhelmed or deprived.
And the behavior we develop needs to stick.
Choosing good nutrition needs to make us happy and whole. We won’t experience real joy and happiness if we’re constantly feeling deprived and empty. So the food we eat and the supplements we take must satisfy our needs deeply, on an emotional and spiritual level as well as physical.
So, we seek a balance. This is a very individual thing. What works for you may be (and most likely is) an entirely different thing than it is for the next person. Our coaches educate and encourage you as you work to find your balance that gives you the good nutrition you need that’s also appealing, fulfilling and satisfying on all levels.
We believe your nutrition choices need to be simple, and that keeping everything simple makes for the best long-term sustainable habits14,15. And to be simple, that means your habits of choice work easily in every situation you find yourself in.
Most of us live full and busy lives, and things like our employment, friends and relationships, where we live and so on change and evolve all the time. A solid foundation for good nutrition habits must thrive within these dynamic social realities. Our coaches can help you discover simple methods of self-motivation that work to help you continue making good nutritional choices long-term. And that means learning and internalizing skills for success that work regardless of your situation or circumstance. For example, you might find motivation when you learn to love and respect yourself enough to give pause when necessary before you act in a way contrary to your best interests. And you might find all the empowering drive you need when you love and respect the people in your life, the ones who love and care about you, the ones who depend on you, when you care enough about them to present them with the most happy, healthy and well-adjusted version of yourself.
Dietary Supplements
Holistic nutrition when successful feeds our body, mind and soul to help make us whole. When the availability of fresh, natural whole foods is limited or unavailable for whatever reason, some may choose to consider high-quality dietary supplements to help fill the void. Our coaches can help you learn about the benefits of herbs, essential oils, and other dietary health supplements, and they can help you find new and effective ways to incorporate them and eat better when you face limitations on availability and access to fresh whole foods.
How to Begin
Get started now with a one-hour initial consultation to explore your health history, including any major health concerns*. We will discuss details on programs to help you create for yourself a personal path to a healthier relationship with food and nutrition.
REFERENCES
1. World Health Organization, Nutrition
https://www.who.int/health-topics/nutrition#tab=tab_1
2. UVM ScholarWorks, Nutritional Habits: Encouraging Simplicity and Consistency
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1725&context=fmclerk
3. UC Berkeley, How to Eat Mindfully by Listening to Your Body
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_eat_mindfully_by_listening_to_your_body
4. The Healthy, 15 Silent Signs Your Body Might Be in Big Trouble
https://www.thehealthy.com/healthcare/silent-signs-health-problems/
5. Harvard Chan, Cravings
6. 20 Ways To Heal The Gut: The Ultimate Gut-Healing Diet Plan
https://www.berkeleywellbeing.com/20-ways-to-heal-the-gut-the-ultimate-gut-healing-diet-plan.html
7. NIDDK, Keep Active & Eat Healthy to Improve Well-being & Feel Great
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/keep-active-eat-healthy-feel-great
8. MyPlaceCT, Holistic Health
9. Dignity Health, What Is Holistic Health Care, Anyway?
https://www.dignityhealth.org/articles/what-is-holistic-health-care-anyway
10. Roger Williams University, Dimensions of Wellness
https://www.rwu.edu/undergraduate/student-life/health-and-counseling/health-education-program/dimensions-wellness
11. WebMD, What Is Holistic Medicine?
https://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/what-is-holistic-medicine
12. WCSU Institute for Holistic Health Studies, What is Holistic Health?
13. NCCIH, Whole Person Health: What You Need To Know
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/whole-person-health-what-you-need-to-know
14. HBR, What Does It Really Take to Build a New Habit?
https://hbr.org/2021/02/what-does-it-really-take-to-build-a-new-habit
15. NYT, How to Build Healthy Habits
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/18/well/mind/how-to-build-healthy-habits.html
* We do not diagnose, treat, or cure disease. We do not prescribe medication or do any lab tests or invasive procedures.
We educate our clients about holistic nutrition and empower them to apply this knowledge to their everyday lives. We strive to encourage them as a loving, nurturing accountability partner.