Functional Nutrition 101

Among the many buzzwords in nutrition you’ve probably heard about is “functional nutrition.” You may have wondered, “What is it?” And, “How is it different from regular nutrition?”

Functional nutrition has been growing in popularity over the past few years. Understanding what it is and who can practice it can be confusing.

In traditional medicine, and often in nutrition, the body is broken apart based on the body’s systems. Treatment is based on the symptoms or disease of the individual system rather than looking at how the systems work together.

In traditional medicine, you see a specialist based on the system in the body that is not working right or experiencing a disease. The list below is of some of the body’s systems and the medical area that covers them:Skeletal and muscular: orthopedic doctorNervous: neurologistEndocrine: endocrinologistCardiovascular: cardiovascular doctorLymphatic: venus and lymphatic doctorRespiratory: pulmonologistDigestive: gastrointestinal doctorUrinary: urologist
Functional nutrition takes a different approach. It looks at the whole person, the body’s systems, and any symptoms or diseases being experienced. These are looked at as a whole before making recommendations about changes in what you’re eating.

A functional nutrition practitioner not only looks at your body, and health. They may also look at your:EnvironmentSleepExerciseToxin exposureAnything else that may affect your health
Functional nutrition also looks for the root causes of disease rather than treating the symptoms. Often, figuring out what is going on in your body is like playing whack-a-mole. This is where functional medicine and functional nutrition can really help. Due using a holistic approach, the practitioner may be able to identify the root cause(s) of the symptoms and diseases you’re experiencing.

A functional nutrition practitioner will work with you on ways to optimize your health based on your unique situation and needs. For example, if you have diabetes, a functional nutritionist won’t only look at your blood sugar and A1C levels, they’ll also talk with you about:How well you’re sleepingYour stress levelsWhat kind of exercise you’re doing
They’ll then take all of this information, and more, and work with you to develop a plan to improve your blood sugar and A1C levels. You should also experience improvements in your sleep, stress, and exercise you enjoy.

At its best, functional nutrition practitioners use science-informed approaches and testing to enhance their client’s health. However, some practitioners use approaches that are not backed by science. That’s why it’s important to find a dietitian who is trained in and has experience treating clients with functional nutrition.

If you are interested in learning more about integrating functional nutrition in your life, let’s talk!