Becoming a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner

Big announcement – I went back to school! The itch to study struck again, and I enrolled in a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (FNTP) program with the Nutritional Therapy Association. This is something that had been on my heart and mind for months. Sure, I already have a fantastic job that I love and find fulfilling. But I spend a good deal of time researching health and wellness and am ready to take that interest to the next level.

Why Nutrition?

As a kid, I LOVED my grandmother’s ravioli, eggplant parmesan, lasagna, mashed potatoes, and garlic bread. We had great cooks in the family, and I am grateful that we always ate well. The love for gluten and cheese continued into my early 20s, but flash forward 10 or 15 years, and you’ll see an entirely different story – one devoid of all dairy, gluten, and many nightshades.

So, what happened? I got sick – really, really sick – and nobody had answers. Upon returning from a year in Bolivia, I could barely perform that job I’d just been hired for – teaching. I was so weak that I almost couldn’t bear to stand in front of my class and project loudly enough for students to hear. Some meals made my heart race and made me feel faint, but I couldn’t pinpoint what was going on. I had painful heartburn and stomach discomfort most of the time. Sugary foods made me feel drunk and then hungover the next day. And the joint pain and inflammation – that was the worst and seemed to come out of nowhere.  Now, I’m not blaming the food I ate while growing up, because I actually think it was nutritious in many ways.  It was more the environmental toxins and lifestyle choices that overwhelmed my body’s ability to do its job.  We are talking years of antibiotics meant to clear my skin, a round of Accutane, a disgustingly moldy apartment, multiple extra vaccinations (for Bolivia), and a diet in my 20’s that was full of processed foods.  Throw that on top of the genes that I inherited, and it’s an immune firestorm waiting to happen.

Doctors had no answers for why I felt so awful. So, in the absence of formal medical direction, I took to books, forums, blogs, and online groups to help guide me. I found a local naturopath to help. I bought a juicer to start drinking cabbage juice to heal my esophagus and cut out gluten, dairy, soy, and more.  I figured that drinking cabbage juice was better than taking Nexium for the rest of my life.  At the young age of 24, I was, in fact, told that I would be on Nexium forever.  I can’t even believe that.  Ultimately, food, therapy, a couple gut healing protocols, and trusting my body is what healed me to the point that I can eat most foods and still feel great.

The crazy health journey has brought me to the most vibrant and energetic time of my life. My brain feels the clearest it has ever been, my body is the strongest I’ve seen it, and my skin has cleared.  I intuitively know that keeping my blood sugar balanced will prevent further breakouts. Whenever I go back to visit doctors and they ask what I’ve been doing to feel so good, they are usually incredulous. Most Western doctors are not trained in the power of nutrition, and I can’t help but shout from the rooftop about it.

Because of my experience, I have become passionate about nutrient density and sharing that information with others who are also suffering. If I had known that quitting gluten and dairy would have lifted the veil of fog that I had lived with for years, I’m sure I’d have given them up long ago.   Dairy had been addictive for me, I had to have it every day.  Also, if I’d known that nightshades were causing my joint discomfort, I undoubtedly would have stopped eating them much earlier. If I’d known all of that before, I could have avoided taking anti-inflammatories, which ultimately eroded my stomach lining and caused so many more problems.

Why the Nutritional Therapy Association?

After researching a variety of similar programs and sifting through numerous reviews, I felt like the NTA resonated with my values. I currently live a veggie-filled/partly paleo life.  Many of the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol cookbook authors that I follow went through their programs, and I respect how well-educated these women are. Other programs seem to focus on the business end of wellness or cover all possible nutritional theories. But the NTA goes deep into the body’s systems and provides a comprehensive understanding of how nutrition can lead to health and vibrancy.

 

The foundation of the NTA’s approach to health

” The NTA’s philosophy is that the myriad health problems plaguing modern society result from weaknesses in the body’s physiological foundations brought on by poor nutrition. As an educational organization, NTA is dedicated to helping healthcare professionals understand and reverse the tragic and unsuspected effects of the modern diet on their patients and clients.”

NTA’s Mission from their website

What is a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, exactly?

An FNTP is someone trained to identify and correct nutritional imbalances while appreciating and respecting bioindividuality. The training involves an analysis of chemistry, digestion, anatomy, and physiology. As part of the program, I traveled to three workshop weekends in New York where I gained hands-on experience of assessing nutritional imbalances.  The goals of an FNTP involve empowering individuals to make the best choices for their health using nutrition and lifestyle strategies alongside supplementation to help individuals thrive.

Graduates of the NTA

The following list of women is what ultimately pushed me toward the FNTP program. I have been leaning on these fantastic women for the last several years and was pleasantly surprised to find that they’d all studied with the NTA. You can also find an excellent list of books published by graduates here. If you’re interested in health and wellness, each of these inspiring women shares an abundance of knowledge.