Making Love in the Kitchen

The picture above would be me at school. No- I didn’t dress like that everyday. I was doing a Caribbean themed food demo in my Professional Skills Class. Mixing up a little Coconut Lemon Quench. Yes- the Caribbean is a theme of my life.

I get emails nearly daily at this point asking me about my my nutrition education, about the school I chose, about life working as a nutritionist, about how to find a school in your ‘hood and how to find a practitioner- and so rather than sending out the same email over and over, I figured this might be the best approach. Should you have further questions, I strongly encourage you to use the links provided.

I am breaking this post into three parts: Choosing Nutrition, Choosing A School, Working As A Nutritionist, and Choosing A Practitioner.

Choosing Nutrition
If you know my story, you know that nutrition couldn’t have been further from my undergrad in fashion or my building career in advertising. When it came time to make that decision I looked at naturopathic college, acupuncture and Chinese medicine, homeopathics etc. There was a lot to choose from. What made the decision for me was the realization that remedies, supplements, needles in key meridians- all of these things are fine and great but if we are still putting crap into our bodies- these other remedies are incredibly limited. I believe the foundation of our health is comprised by the quality of our sleep, the amount of fresh air and exercise we get, the nature of our thoughts and the food and water we drink. The first three I totally got. It was the food thing that has been so confused by media and science that I wanted to learn the basic principals of health supportive whole food, holistic living as the primary requirement for vitality and achieving optimal balance.

Choosing A School

I attended the Institute of Holistic Nutrition (IHN), located in Toronto (or just outside to be more accurate). I recommend this school a hundred times over. This was absolutely the right choice for me and I searched high and low to find schools that might enable me the experience of moving to another city for a little while- preferably one near a beach. I chose IHN for the following reasons

• I was able to complete the program in one year with full-time intensive study
• The most course hours
• Amazing diversity in courses including science (and I had no science education at all prior to IHN), Ayurveda, Nutrition and the Environment, Psychology of Disease, Cooking, Herbal Medicine, Sports Nutrition, Preventative Health Care, and Professional Skills
• Highly knowledgeable, passionate, and practicing (very important!) instructors.
• I liked the feeling the got when I went in for a visit (and this might be the most important factor of all)

IHN welcomes potential students to come by the school and sit in on the classes. I found this highly valuable as this is the best way to get a feel for the place, the students, and the staff. And the staff are amazingly warm, kind, helpful, and welcoming.

As I wrote in my valedictorian address to my graduating class:

Through the unparalleled education we have received and will continue to receive with this institution, we have earned the highest honour. There is no greater achievement than that of health and vitality. As a collective and as individuals, we have now earned the honour of educating, motivating, guiding, and ultimately bestowing upon those that seek our help, the potential to achieve great health.

We learned that the paradigm of disease that we, as a westernized society, trust as our means of aid should our health fail us, was not only upside down and backwards, but we learned over and over, that the generally accepted methods of aid, were in part to blame for the epidemic of ill-health and disease in our society….

Each one of us, graduating today, has accepted this responsibility with pride and passion- and as much as we are driven to share our knowledge, to question generally accepted methods of health care, and to motivate and inspire our clients, we are equally dedicated to each other and seeing each one of us achieve great success in our own personal pursuits.

The time we spent at IHN was its own special journey. Every day that we entered the school, we were greeted with warmth and genuine kindness… We had each other to swap recipes with, to share food, and to discuss everything going on outside of school. Within IHN, was this world where we were free to be as healthy and as organic and as open with each other as our hearts desired- in an environment free from judgement. Though it can be a challenge to find like-minded individuals who share our passions, and our core values, through IHN, we have found each other. This closeness we share, has enabled each of us to shine. Together we shed light on each other’s uniqueness and ultimately, on each other’s brilliance and greatness- without any trace of resentment, jealousy or competition.

The support among us is with the purest intention and the utmost integrity and I have never before experienced such a level of care and community.

IHN is only located in Toronto with a campus in North York and Mississauga. Another school that has more options in terms of locations is the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition.

Though not always viable, I highly recommend a school that has class time. Whether it be on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Checking in, sharing ideas, resources, and experiences is imperative to this type of education and to fully understand and to gain the benefit from the infortmation your are learning.

You want to ensure that the program you choose is certifiable by one or all of the following Professional Association:

Canadian Association of Natural Nutritional Practitioners (Canada)
International Organization of Nutritional Practitioners (Canada)
National Association of Nutritional Practirioners (United States)
American Association of Nutritional Consultants (United States)

I am unable to recommend any schools in the United States as I have never practiced there nor am I closely connected to any practitioners. I would recommend reviewing the two US sites listed above and contacting practitioners listed in their directories.

The Institute of Holistic Nutrition

Toronto Campus 18 Wynford Drive Suite 514 North York, Ontario M3C 3S2 Tel: (416) 386-0940	Mississauga Campus 201 City Center Drive Suite 409 Mississauga, Ontario L5B 2T4 Tel: (905) 615-9090

E-mail Sanchia Fenster at
sanchia@instituteofholisticnutrition.com

• For general inquiries
• To make an appointment to be a student for a day
• To meet with a program advisor at the Toronto Campus

Canadian School of Natural Nutrition

Working As A Nutritionist
This is the hardest job I have ever had. I have never worked harder, made less money and been this hapy in my whole life. This is not a role for everyone. It is amazingly rewarding but can also be hugely  challenging. It is challenging having people drop their miseries off on my door step and together we try and pick up the pieces, work our way through their lives and determine how best to put their health back together. It is a challenge to get clients, to fill classes, to write and promote the way that I do. I can honestly say that I love every minute of it but it is not for everyone. A private practice is certainly not for everyone. If you are leaving an established career, I think it’s safe to say that you must be prepared for a pay cut. There are a variety of things you can do with this education though- anything from being an amazing momma to teaching, consulting, training and writing. Check out some other options here.

And please please please don’t send me an email asking me if I think you would like it, or like it more than what you are doing now. That is a hugely personal decision.  If you are looking help and need a little life direction, please drop by my good friend and colleague Jennifer Schramm’s Real Wellness world. She is a superior coach.

Choosing A Practitioner

The practitioner you choose has to feel right to you. My personal recommendation would be to watch out for the natural, alternative or holistic practitioners that want to run tons of tests- hair analysis, allergy testing, pH testing, bioimpedence, electrodermal screening etc etc. Though these can be guides, (though I would argue the accuracy of hair analysis), the best diagnostic tools are the intake. A thorough intake that covers your personal and family health history and an extensive symptom analysis. I  do believe in the practice of Iridology (reading the eyes), as well as tongue, pulse, nail and other physical observations as a means to help determine weaknesses in the tissue of the body. This is my own opinion and other practitioners are free to have theirs. Do your research and decide what you believe to be right and founded.

Have a phone conversation before you set up a meeting or are required to pay anything. Make sure you and the practitioner are the right fit for each other. Ask how they work, what you should expect from them and be clear about what you are looking for and needing,

Make sure they are certified. Nutrition is an ungoverned body of health care. This means someone can take a weekend course or simply have an interest in nutrition and call themsleves a nutritionist, lifestyle coach, nutritional coach, holistic practitioner etc. Find out where they received their education, and if they belong to any of the above mentioned governing boards. You must meet certain requirements in order to receive certification from these boards.

Call their clients. Ask for a couple of names/references to call their clients, perhaps people who have similar goals or health challenges and ask them about their experience and their success. Do you want to be with a practitioner who has you come once a week? Once a month? Every two months? Just three or four times total? These are all things you need to consider.

——————————————————-

I hope that this information will be helpful to you and I want to wish you the very best as you contemplate and potentially move ahead along this path. Should you have additional questions beyond what has been addressed here and what can not be answered by the schools or organizations listed, please post your questions on this page, anonymous or otherwise, for the benefit of others who may share your questions.

Thank you kindly and in great health,

Meghan