What Is Functional Nutrition?
Functional nutrition is an approach to health that focuses on determining root causes of dysfunction. A functional nutritionist looks at your diet and evaluates your stress levels, environmental exposures, signs, and symptoms to determine contributors to poor health. At Living Well Nutrition, The Center for Epigenetic Counseling, we go beyond functional nutrition by studying your epigenetics to include the most foundational level of health that science provides. The certified nutrition coach helps you create a strategic plan to meet your unique needs and optimize your health.
How Are We Different from a Dietitian?
Many illnesses can be helped through proper nutrition and dietetic guidance. If you suffer from heart disease or diabetes, for example, your doctor may refer you to a registered dietitian. The dietitian will then prescribe a diet based on your specific diagnosis. At Living Well Nutrition, we go beyond a diagnosis-based diet. Our specialty is referred to as Functional Nutrition, which is a part of the field of Functional Medicine. We look at how food and nutrients affect your body on a cellular level. That means you won’t just be handed a standardized diet and sent home!
Rather than managing your disease condition (your symptoms), we aim to provide true healthcare. Looking for a cause involves layering various bits of information. First, your lab results are taken into consideration. Second, your health history, lifestyle, and family history are considered. Third, the impact of your current diet, nutrient status, and food sensitivities are considered. Finally, your epigenetics are tested and researched.
Epigenetics + Nutrition: Using Science to Restore Vibrant Health
What is epigenetics? Epigenetics is the expression of your genes that you got from your parents. This is different from just looking at the genes (or the DNA) that you inherited — the things that make our eyes blue or green or brown, for example.
The expression of your genes directly reflects your nutrient status (what you eat) and your environment (this includes exposure to chemicals, stresses, and many other factors). Our genes are very responsive to these inputs.
Like an artist will apply layers of paint to achieve the final painting, we layer the information to get a complete picture of your health.
This approach to your health is not for everyone. Some people want to be given a diet and a medication regimen to follow to the letter. That is their choice.
Others are not willing to live with poor health. They believe they can control and regain a vibrant and healthy life. These people realize that they will have to make some changes in their lives and that what they have been doing is not working. They are willing to do the work to regain their health. They are ready to change their diet and lifestyle. And they are ready to invest in finding the root causes of their problems. Those are the people who come to Living Well Nutrition, The Center for Epigenetic Counseling.
At the Center, we partner with you to optimize your health. Does this mean you’ll have more energy and fewer symptoms? Yes! We have seen and experienced firsthand how amazing the human body is. We know that when we support the body’s natural healing, then wonderful things do happen.
Nutritional Psychiatry for Improved Mental Health
The nutritional psychiatry approach to improving mental health focuses on identifying and addressing the root causes of mental health disorders, such as chronic inflammation, biochemical imbalances, HPA Axis dysfunction, Thyroid function, and the nutritional deficiencies often linked to conditions like anxiety, depression, PTSD, and ADD/ADHD. Chronic inflammation is a key contributor to these issues, as it can disrupt brain function, emotional regulation, and focus. By incorporating anti-inflammatory foods, functional lab tests, and professional-grade supplements, we work to reduce inflammation and support optimal brain health. It’s important to understand that there is not one diet appropriate for all people—each person’s unique biochemical individuality requires a different approach based on factors like genetic makeup, lifestyle, and environment. This is where personalized care is essential. Through customized dietary plans and targeted supplement protocols tailored specifically to your needs, we address the root causes of mental health challenges, including the difficulties associated with ADD/ADHD. This holistic, personalized approach helps improve focus, mood, cognitive function, sleep, and balance hormones and promotes long-term mental wellness.
At Living Well Nutrition, we assess several critical areas of your health to create the most effective plan for you. We evaluate what is going well with your current diet, identify potential dietary components contributing to chronic inflammation, and determine whether you would benefit more from food sensitivity testing or an elimination diet. Additionally, we assess the state of your gut health, which plays a pivotal role in both mental and physical well-being. Understanding and improving gut health is often crucial to supporting better brain function and emotional regulation. Through this comprehensive assessment, we create a personalized roadmap to better mental and physical health that is designed to address the root causes of your symptoms, ensuring a tailored, holistic solution for your well-being.
Additional Resources:
Interested in learning more about Functional Nutrition and Medicine and how this new approach works? Check out these resources:
Introduction to Functional Medicine, by David S. Jones, M.D., and Sheila Quinn
The Disease Delusion, by Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D. (called “the godfather of functional medicine” by Dr. Mehmet Oz)
Living Well Nutrition
Phone: 970-685-8531
Email: Kristy@LivingWellNutrition.com
Address: 1435 29th Street, Suite 100 | Loveland, CO 80538
