Who needs a Functional nutritionist?
Spoiler Alert (haha) ……Everyone! Including me.
Read on why.
Everyone needs a functional nutritionist just like everyone should have a doctor(including doctors, right?), and here are a few reasons why.
We all have blind spots - Including me!! - Sometimes the answer is right there, but we are so in IT, we can’t see the forest through the trees. I would never ask my clients to do something I am not willing to do. I meet with a nutritionist who resonates with my goals and keeps me on track IN THE BEST WAY FOR ME - because let’s face it: We all need accountability and…..
We know there is ALWAYS something we could be working on. With all the information out there, it can feel overwhelming; how do we know which actions or behaviors are going to have the greatest impact for the least amount of work? Do you have a system or framework in place to understand which of these millions of studies apply to you? Also, if there is always something we can do, but our biggest problem is staying motivated then, how can we have control of our long-term health? A functional nutritionist can help you understand your needs and create a targeted plan to reach your goals. (Hint: there are always ROOT CAUSES - including for symptoms like lack of motivation - more about exploring ROOT CAUSES later).
We know NUTRITION and LIFESTYLE are critical factors when it comes to INDIVIDUAL HEALTH and QUALITY of Life. Often, we fail at health “programs” because we try things that “work” for others (insert success story here haha), without accessing if they will work for us. Why don’t we take a step back to PLAN, instead of sprinting forward? This is life or death we are talking about, right?
If you want to have success, you need to: get clarity on your goals, dig into the real reason why you want to achieve them, anticipate and plan for any known hurdles, create a strategy that has specific desired outcomes, track its performance, and adjust as necessary. A functional nutritionist can help you create this wellness plan. Sure you can try to do this on your own, but…
You don’t know, what you don’t know. How many times have you held on to something you really believed to be true, only to find out later that it was just FLAT OUT WRONG. I have; this happens all the time. Even if we grew up with nutrition being a cornerstone of our childhood, there is probably A LOT we need to unlearn because of new information and approaches. As a holistic health practitioner, I am constantly seeking new data and concepts that inform my practice. I make it a point to continually learn. Take advantage of the experience and knowledge of someone who does this for a living!
OK, I NEED A NUTRITIONIST, BUT WHY FUNCTIONAL?
Functional Nutrition focuses on assessing and addressing the ROOT CAUSE of symptoms, including lack of motivation (yes, this is a clue something is going on inside your body, not just your mind). Many of our clients were stuck mopping up the floor of their issues - we call this symptom chasing: finding short-term solutions for long-term problems - think advil, prilosec, immodium, even “health” changes like fad-diets or workout challenges (side note: workout challenges can be great, but aren’t the WHOLE story). Functional Approach is different: it helps you find and TURN OFF THE FAUCET, so you aren’t stuck mopping forever.
HEALTH IS PHYSICAL, MENTAL and SOCIAL. These CANNOT and SHOULD NOT be separated when it comes to health and wellness. They affect each other. At Emerge, we explore 5 specific areas of lifestyles to ensure our bodies and minds have everything they need: nutrition/hydration, sleep/relaxation, exercise/movement, stress/resilience, and relationships/networks (learn more about our approach and how these factors influence health here). When we work on each area simultaneously, we increase our chances of finding and solving ROOT CAUSES, while still addressing short-term symptoms, like headaches, anxiety, and lack of motivation.
The functional approach respects bio-individuality. We all have the same basic anatomy, but we all have different experiences, exposures, and traits that make us completely unique in body and mind. Anatomy is only ONE PIECE of the PHYSICAL aspects of ourselves. There is so much more to the picture: like what we feel about our situation, how our culture affects what we do, our individual goals and reasons behind them, OUR STORY - these should all be explored to guide the process. Respecting the WHOLE person is KEY to long-term health.
Health isn’t a point that we reach, then are done. We are different from the person we were 3 years or even 3 months ago, right? Our priorities change, situations change, the unknown occurs. We need dynamic support and systems that create RESILIENCY in our health - functional nutrition prioritizes building a foundation for that long-term health - while addressing short-term issues, using the present to inform the future.
So you want that. You want to feel better. You want to stop chasing symptoms. You want to find the root cause… how does it work? First, we need to see what we are working with.
I’m inviting you to take advantage of our new client special right now.
Our clients are glad to have a better understanding of their body and their goals. The other day, one of my new clients said that she was so surprised at everything we discussed. She was feeling unmotivated, wasn’t sure how to move forward, and SUPER skeptical. After our first session, she felt, for the first time, that she could actually understand why her body and mind were acting the way they were - and what she could do about it. She said she felt safe because we talked about how we didn’t have to take it all on right now. Like breaking a bone, we can’t expect to heal right away. She knows that she’ll get there because she has someone to guide her through and troubleshoot any hurdles. (If you are reading this, thank you for being vulnerable and letting me share.)
After your first three sessions (included in the package), we will have a better understanding of what is going on and what you need. We explore the clues your body, behavior and story give us. We will map out why you are craving carbs or how stress/anxiety is affecting your digestion; or for my menstrators: what your period symptoms can tell you about your hormones. We will make a plan together to change the terrain of your body to a healing state - where disease cannot thrive.
Not sure you can commit to three sessions? Aren’t sure about the investment? Schedule a free 25 min session where we can talk about what is going on. Worst case: you lost 25 min you would have spent doing something else. Be honest, we do that on our phones regularly anyway, haha. Best case, this completely changes the trajectory of your health. (Plus we’ll discuss the top 5 things you can work on RIGHT NOW to impact your health). Click this button to schedule.
Talk soon!
-Margot
Margot Najkolli is a Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner and Functional Nutrition Counselor in Southeast Michigan. She helps clients and the community by providing real-life, down-to-earth, judgement-free nutrition resources, workshops, and counseling.
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