Functional Nutritional Therapy and Stephanie’s Approach
Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioners (FNTPs) address nutrition and overall lifestyle from a holistic view. This means that when you see FNTPs for coaching they will often start by addressing The Foundations. The Foundations for overall healthy living are:
DIGESTION • BLOOD SUGAR CONTROL • HYDRATION • MINERAL BALANCE • FATTY ACID BALANCE
These are all built upon the main foundation of eating foods that are properly prepared and nutrient dense. A way of eating that emphasizes whole foods in their most natural form. There is not one style of eating that is right for all people, but the way in which most Americans (and Americanized countries) are eating is the main reason why we are all so sick. The goal of the FNTP is to help guide you on your journey to achieving and maintain optimal health. Without first addressing The Foundations one cannot truly reach their goals of healthy weight, better energy, and absence of “dis-ease” states.
As your practitioner I take a personalized approach to achieving wellness. This starts by thoroughly reviewing personalized questionnaires, tapping into your body’s own intelligence through the hands on Functional Evaluation, and empathetically listening to you. I am able to help clients understand the predisposing factors (genetics/environmental), pen point triggering events and contributors to current status, as well as assist in creating personalized lifestyle guidance to overcome challenges.
Beyond the nutritional factors that contribute to optimal health I will also work with my clients to address other lifestyle factors that promote or hinder wellness. Addressing nutritional factors alone is typically not enough, it is also important to work on the following lifestyle factors:
SLEEP & RELAXATION • EXERCISE & MOVEMENT • STRESS & RESILIENCE • RELATIONSHIPS & NETWORKS
The journey to finding true health and wellness is a long one, much like the roads we drive, there are peaks and valleys, twists and turns, and sometimes really large roadblocks. Seldom do we stumble upon shortcuts that are actually beneficial and sustainable. During this whole process we find ourselves growing more STRESSED and less WELL.
The Unstressed Wellness model is to approach the body wholly. Nutritional Therapy is two parts, 1) nutrition and 2) mind-body connection. While I am not a licensed therapist, I do think it is important to discuss the emotions behind how you’re feeling and what you’re experiencing as well as the nutrition and lifestyle factors that play a role.
Unstressed Wellness helps take the STRESS out of being WELL. In my experience there is a sliding scale of sick and well, often the contributing factors that tip this scale towards sickness and “dis-ease” is an abundance of stress. Stress doesn’t have one form, it has many. It can be nutritional, emotional, physical, mental, environmental, and/or hormonal. How our body perceives stress typically has nothing to do with how stressful the event actually is. Our body is still 99.9% the same as our Paleolithic ancestors, that means we can’t really tell the difference between a dip in our blood sugar due to a skipped meal and a true scarcity of food.
The physical impacts of too much stress can show up in a variety of ways:
- Thyroid, Sex Hormone, and Adrenal Imbalance
- Sleep Disruption
- Digestive Issues
- Rapid Aging
- Poor Detoxification
- Low Mood, Brain Fog, Inability to Concentrate
- Poor Athletic Performance
- Low Libido
- Irritability
- Hair Loss
- Unable to Follow Through on Commitments
By approaching your overall wellbeing using the Unstressed Wellness model you will finally be able to achieve long lasting health, but remember it’s a journey! It will take time, acceptance, patience, positive thinking and sustainable lifestyle changes. I’ll be here to guide you the entire way! I look forward to partnering with you!
UNSTRESSED WELLNESS 