Much like functional medicine, functional nutrition seeks to create optimal health by identifying and resolving the underlying causes of dysfunction in the body. Practitioners understand that the systems of the body are profoundly interrelated, and that symptoms are often the result of systemic imbalances. In this model, practitioners and clients work together to resolve root causes and alleviate symptoms with an evidence-based, integrative, systems-oriented approach, using personalized nutritional therapy and lifestyle strategies to support overall health.
Nutrition is classically defined as “the processes by which the living organism receives and utilizes the materials necessary for the maintenance of life and health.”[1] However, as research has expanded to include studies validating the role that genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors play in our ability to digest, assimilate, and utilize the food we eat, it’s becoming clear that we need to examine more than what we put on our plates at mealtime to optimize our nutrition. We’re also realizing that the “materials necessary for the maintenance of life and health” extend far beyond food. It’s not just what we eat, but when we eat, where we eat, how we eat, even how we source what we eat… and really, in the bigger picture of life and health beyond eating, it’s about our state of mind and how we conduct ourselves in our world that build the foundations for a long, healthy life. Once we understand how we evolved as a species to interact with our environment and how we may be inadvertently sabotaging those adaptations with our modern lifestyle, it gets a lot simpler.
So, how does functional nutrition work? In my practice, it starts with a thorough investigation of your current health context and the factors that contribute to it, which are discovered through a range of tools, including a comprehensive interview, health history, nutritional assessment questionnaire, lab results, food/symptom journal and functional evaluation. Once the information gathering phase is complete, I work collaboratively with clients to create a personalized protocol of nutritional therapy and lifestyle practices that support their goals. Often, I’ll request a Meyers-Briggs, Four Tendencies, or other personality assessment as part of my intake to better understand what kind of protocol would work best for each client.
For example, if a highly motivated INTJ obliger/abstainer client presents with anxiety, resistant eczema and severe IBS, a functional nutrition protocol could include a low glycemic, autoimmune paleo diet that emphasizes the inclusion of anti-inflammatory healthy fats and specific nutrients to support gut healing and immune function, as well as a consistent hydration plan and personalized supplement regimen. It would also include complementary practices to manage stress, incorporate movement, and support detoxification.
However, a moderator client presenting with the same symptoms, who feels overwhelmed at the thought of implementing so many dramatic changes at once, could start by being mindfully relaxed at mealtimes and chewing food well, including a digestive enzyme, increasing hydration, and practicing a 5 minute morning breathing or expressive writing exercise. We would build a structured plan, and over the course of a few months, eliminate the most inflammatory foods from their diet, introduce targeted therapeutic nutrition, and implement realistic lifestyle changes. This second client will still see immediate improvements, and although it may take more time to reach all of their health goals, results might not have been possible without this kind of gradual approach.
With functional nutrition, the possibilities are endless and the trajectory for transformation changes with each client’s unique goals, mindset, and life context. It’s a dynamic framework for healing and learning to thrive that ultimately empowers each person with tools to manage their own health and teaches them to recognize optimal balance points wherever they are on their path, so they can build their best life now.
1. McLester JS (1927) Nutrition and diet in health and disease. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company.