Functional Nutrition is a personalized, whole-person approach that uncovers and addresses the root causes of your symptoms—not just masking them. Rather than focusing only on what you eat, it looks at how your body processes food, how your hormones and gut function, how stress impacts your health, and how all of your body systems work together to influence your overall well-being.
While conventional medicine often treats symptoms in isolation, Functional Nutrition sees your body as a connected system and looks at interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex, chronic disease. It aims to restore balance and promote long-term health by addressing the underlying imbalances affecting you. This approach empowers you to take control of your health and create lasting vitality.
Everyone! Functional Nutrition can benefit anyone looking to improve their health and well-being, especially if you’ve struggled with unresolved symptoms or have a chronic health condition. Whether you're dealing with symptoms like digestive issues, fatigue, hormonal imbalances, or autoimmunity, Functional Nutrition focuses on uncovering the root causes of your symptoms—rather than just masking them.
This approach to health care is also perfect if you're seeking to be proactive, looking to prevent future health problems, or wanting to optimize your energy, vitality, and overall wellness. Because Functional Nutrition is personalized, it’s suited for everyone—from those dealing with specific health challenges to those simply wanting to feel their best now and into the future.
Functional Nutrition and conventional medicine both play important roles in your healthcare team, but their approaches are quite different. Both approaches have their place. Conventional medicine excels at acute care, whereas Functional Nutrition excels at helping with chronic, long-term issues and fostering lasting health improvements.
Whole-body vs Isolated Parts: Conventional medicine often treats the body as 100+ separate parts, focusing on specific symptoms and conditions in isolation. In contrast, Functional Nutrition views the body as a connected system, aiming to identify and address the root causes of health issues.
Root Cause vs Symptom Management: Conventional doctors are great at diagnosing and treating acute conditions (like infections or injuries), but when it comes to chronic conditions, they tend to focus on managing symptoms rather than digging deeper to uncover underlying imbalances. In Functional Nutrition, we ask WHY something is happening and dig deeper to address the root causes, whether they’re related to gut health, hormones, or lifestyle factors.
Lab Results: In conventional medicine, lab results are typically interpreted based on broad reference ranges, looking for diseases or obvious issues. Functional Nutrition takes a more personalized approach, analyzing lab results in the context of your unique health history and symptoms to detect early imbalances before they become chronic problems.
Proactive vs Reactive Care: Conventional medicine is often reactive, focusing on treatment once symptoms arise. Functional Nutrition is proactive, helping you identify health imbalances early and implement strategies for long-term wellness.
While dietitians and nutritionists provide valuable guidance on diet and nutrition, Functional Nutrition takes a more personalized, whole-body approach to health. Dietitians and nutritionists focus on general nutrition and dietary recommendations to address health concerns, understanding the science of food outside the body—such as macronutrients or specific foods (e.g., broccoli, wine). Functional Nutrition goes further by exploring how food interacts with your individual physiology, considering factors like gut health, hormones, stress, and lifestyle habits.
It’s not just about what you eat—it’s about how your body processes and responds to that food. While dietitians and nutritionists offer helpful advice and general food recommendations, they may not address the root causes of your symptoms or provide a truly personalized, holistic view of your health.
While both functional medicine doctors and Certified Functional Nutrition Counselors take a holistic approach to health, their roles and scopes of practice differ significantly.
Functional Medicine Doctors focus on diagnosing medical conditions and prescribing treatments.
Certified Functional Nutrition Counselors complement the care of your doctors by addressing the modifiable lifestyle factors that contribute to your health challenges. They help you bridge the gap between doctor visits by creating a lifestyle for healing and wellbeing.
Absolutely! It combines scientific research with a personalized, holistic approach to health. By using the latest information on diet, gut health, hormones, and lifestyle factors, Functional Nutrition aims to address the root causes of chronic conditions. This approach is rooted in clinical research and aims to help you achieve long-term wellness by focusing on what works for your unique body and health needs.
Functional Nutrition isn’t about following a one-size-fits-all diet or treatment protocol. It’s not about trying the newest hyped trend on social media. It’s not about the latest and greatest supplement. It’s not about doing what worked for your sister, neighbor, or co-worker.
Every body is unique. And how your body responds to nutrients, lifestyle factors, and therapies is different than anyone else's—even if you have the same symptoms or diagnosis.
Functional Nutrition is a personalized approach to health that looks at your health history, nutrition, and lifestyle so you can make the adjustments the are right for you to address the root causes of your symptoms. Using the Functional Nutrition approach to your health care, you’ll identify how your body responds to inputs and create a sustainable plan that works for you—not just for now, but for long-term health and vibrant living. This goes beyond just food; it’s about supporting your whole body and empowering you to thrive.
No, you don’t have to completely overhaul your diet or lifestyle all at once. Functional Nutrition is about making realistic, sustainable changes that fit into your life. We’ll start with small, manageable steps that build over time so you can see results without feeling overwhelmed. It’s not about perfection—it’s about progress and finding what works for you.
Absolutely! Incorporating Functional Nutrition into your diet and lifestyle can enhance the results of your current medications and treatments giving you even better outcomes. By focusing on personalized nutrition and lifestyle changes, it supports your body naturally and complements your existing care. I always recommend keeping your healthcare provider in the loop so we can create the best plan for you.
Supplements can be a helpful tool, but they’re not one-size-fits-all. In Functional Nutrition, we focus on food first to nourish your body naturally and we assess your body’s unique physiology to ensure it’s using nutrients properly. If supplements are needed, we choose them based on your unique needs—no guessing, just personalized recommendations to fill gaps, support healing, and get you feeling your best.
It depends on your individual situation; however, there’s a lot we can discern without extra testing. If necessary, specific tests may be suggested to help guide our approach. Everything will be tailored to your unique needs, with your comfort and goals in mind.
The timeline for feeling better can vary greatly depending on your unique situation. Some people experience immediate improvements with small changes, while for others, it may take longer with more significant adjustments. The Functional Nutrition approach is about understanding your body and working in harmony with it, so consistency is key to creating lasting, sustainable changes. Your health journey is unique, and I’m here to guide you every step of the way to help you feel your best.
The financial cost of Functional Nutrition really depends on your individual needs. Some people see great results with just a few simple dietary and lifestyle tweaks, while others may need to invest in special foods, holistic therapies, or lab tests.
The long-term cost of not using Functional Nutrition can be far greater, as underlying root causes exacerbate, leading to increased illness, loss of physical abilities, lost wages, and rising healthcare expenses over time. Think of Functional Nutrition as an investment in your long-term health and wellness—empowering you to feel better now and in the years to come.
Anyone looking to resolve ongoing health issues, improve overall wellness, or build sustainable habits for long-term health can benefit from having a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor on their care team. If you’re feeling stuck with unexplained symptoms, struggling with diet and lifestyle changes, or seeking a more holistic, sustainable approach to your health, a Functional Nutrition Counselor can provide the guidance and support needed to achieve lasting results.
Functional Nutrition supports the resolution of all health conditions by addressing the underlying factors that contribute to chronic signs, symptoms, and diagnoses. Functional Nutrition seeks to restore balance to support overall well-being through personalized, whole-body care.
Examples of common symptoms and health concerns Functional Nutrition can help with:
Absolutely! Instead of treating individual symptoms or diagnoses, we view your body as a whole—understanding how all systems are interconnected—to identify and resolve the root causes of your health concerns. Often, root causes show up in multiple ways and seemingly unrelated symptoms stem from the same root. By understanding your unique health situation, the Functional Nutrition approach helps you create a personalized plan that supports your body’s healing, addresses underlying imbalances, and helps you feel better.
Absolutely! You don’t need a formal diagnosis to benefit from Functional Nutrition. If you're feeling off, dealing with unexplained symptoms, or just want to feel better overall, Functional Nutrition can help. By focusing on your body’s unique needs and addressing potential imbalances, we can create a plan to support your health, boost your energy, and enhance your overall well-being—even without a diagnosis.
As someone who has been in this situation, I understand how frustrating this can be. The truth is, we’re all unique—our health history, nutrition, lifestyle, and environment are specific to us, and they all impact how our body responds to changes. What works for someone else may not work for you, or may only work temporarily. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, Functional Nutrition helps you understand how your body’s systems are interconnected and how it responds to various inputs. This way, we can create a personalized, sustainable plan that works for you—not just for now, but for long-term health and vibrant living.
If you're already seeing a specialist, a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor can be a valuable addition to your care team to give you even better results. While specialists focus on diagnosing and treating specific conditions, Functional Nutrition takes a holistic approach—examining the terrain that allows your condition to develop, including how your diet, lifestyle, and overall well-being impact your health. By focusing on personalized nutrition and lifestyle changes, Functional Nutrition supports your body naturally and complements your existing care, often enhancing the results of your current treatments and delivering even better outcomes. I always recommend keeping your healthcare provider in the loop so we can work together to create the best plan for you.
I’m so glad you’re familiar with functional medicine! Including a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor on your care team can take your health journey even further by creating a truly comprehensive approach. While both Functional Medicine Doctors and Certified Functional Nutrition Counselors take a holistic view of health, their roles are distinct yet highly complementary.
Functional medicine doctors focus on diagnosing and treating underlying medical conditions. They may conduct lab tests and prescribe treatments such as medications, supplements, or specialized protocols to address root causes.
Certified Functional Nutrition Counselors, on the other hand, specialize in improving health through personalized, modifiable lifestyle factors. They go beyond diagnosis by providing practical guidance to help you resolve the root causes of your conditions and implement meaningful changes in your daily life, bridging the gap between doctor’s visits.
By working with both a Functional Medicine Doctor and a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor, you can create a well-rounded care team that supports your long-term health and empowers you to thrive.
It’s absolutely possible to make progress on your own! Many people start their health journey by researching, experimenting with dietary changes, or adopting healthier lifestyle habits. However, without guidance, it can be overwhelming and challenging to figure out what works best for your unique body and health situation.
As a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor, I bring expertise to the table, helping you cut through the noise of conflicting health advice so you can create a plan tailored specifically to you. Plus, I offer accountability, ongoing support, and community along the way to ensure you’re moving in the right direction.
If you feel stuck, frustrated, or unsure of your next steps, I can help you achieve your health goals more efficiently and sustainably than going it alone.
Functional Nutrition may not be the right fit for everyone, and that’s okay! It’s not for those looking for a quick fix or magic solution to their health issues. True healing takes time, effort, and a willingness to explore and address root causes.
Functional Nutrition may also not be ideal for individuals who aren’t ready to make meaningful changes to their diet and lifestyle or those unwilling to take an active role in their health journey. If someone prefers only symptom management without digging deeper into what’s driving their health challenges, this approach may not be for them.
Ultimately, Functional Nutrition is best suited for those who are ready to invest time and energy into improving their health for the long-term and are open to learning, growing, and taking actionable steps toward lasting wellness.