Holistic Nutrition is just as much a way of life as it is a way to eat.

Holistic Nutrition encompasses mindful eating, making your kitchen a sacred and peaceful space, taking time to prepare foods, purchasing foods from good sources and becoming aware of your body’s response (or reaction) to certain foods. We utilize all five senses with holistic nutrition and expand our knowledge about the foods we eat to make educated choices for the rest of our lives. Holistic nutrition is sustainable nutrition, and your foods should change throughout your lifetime, just like you are changing throughout your lifetime.

Fad Diets versus Holistic Nutrition

It’s not uncommon for people to get a little overwhelmed by the micro-view of foods (like calorie content, fats, micro-nutrients, RDA’s and even food fads). In traditional dietetics, a tremendous amount of emphasis is placed on calorie consumption, and nutrient deficiencies are often viewed as singular issues remedied by taking individual supplements to balance the deficiency. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of foods that you will find on every nutrition label is based on disease prevention for the average adult, not necessarily on a holistic, well rounded and nourishing diet. Yes, all of these have a place in our health and can be used therapeutically in acute situations. And when we want to make a lasting change by making food our medicine for our lifetime, it might be a great time to look into holistic nutrition.

Holistic nutrition focuses on the wider (macro) view of foods as a whole. How to purchase, prepare and consume whole foods rather than just extracting certain minerals or vitamins from “superfoods” or supplements. How to build a balanced meal with whole foods to not only get optimal nutrition but to tailor the individual’s needs for proteins, carbohydrates, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, etc. to meet the needs of their daily life. We all have different daily demands on our bodies, and our nutrition and daily food choices should reflect that.

Holistic nutrition takes into account modern research, while also putting emphasis on traditional use of foods and cultures. Staying on top of research and continue providing education to people is a foundational piece of nutrition, and this also means that we understand how the human body digests foods and also how food is changing over generations. How we digest foods and how quickly the body adapts to new food sources is a big deal this day in age as our food system is changing dramatically.

Finding a Balance is Key

As always, nutrition is a balance: A balance of nutrients to whole foods, a balance of micro and macro views on whole foods, and a balance of modern-day research and traditional use of foods. Food does not have to be overly complicated. The most important aspect of holistic nutrition is to have a grounded understanding of your own body and to take responsibility for your own health. Food can be a powerful medicine, and the daily practice of preparing and enjoying our foods is a big part of that medicine. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the information out there on foods or even how to begin making a change in your diet, come talk with a nutritionist to point you in a new direction.

If you are interested in learning more about holistic nutrition, please contact our office at (804) 977-2634 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Viktoriya Beliy or one of our practitioners.

RNM’s Nutrition Expert

Viktoriya Beliy is a licensed naturopathic physician who completed her education and a year-long residency at the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR. During her time at NUNM she also earned her Master’s in Nutrition concurrently with her doctorate in naturopathic medicine. She has additional training in classical homeopathy through the New England School of Homeopathy with Dr. Paul Herscu and Dr. Amy Rothenberg. She enjoys treating all conditions, especially focusing on dermatology, women’s and men’s health, endocrinology, and autoimmune conditions.