I need to confess that before I began my health journey I had never heard about health coaching. However, a few years back I did work with a nutritionist for a short period of time. When I suffered from digestive issues that no one was able to resolve, a nutritionist was one of the experts I consulted with. I now know that that was not the right specialisation for the problems I was dealing with and no surprise the few sessions I had did not help me. However, I am aware that Nutritionists have helped thousands of people. In this article I will explain the difference of a nutritionist and a health coach and why I opted to become a health coach.
Why the need for a Nutritionist or Health Coach?
There’s never been more information available at the click of a button than today. One Google search will get you tons of conflicting answers. Information overload gets people confused without knowing what to do next. Super frustrating, right? Have you been there; I definitely have.
That’s where health and nutrition experts come in. Nutritionists and Health Coaches can help you sort through and make sense of all health information out there and, most important, make it relevant to you, your needs and your health goals.
What do nutritionists and health coaches do?
The outcomes may be the same – weight loss, more energy, improved mood, clearer skin – but the ways in which a person achieves these desired outcomes look different depending on whether they work with a nutritionist, or a health coach.
What do nutritionists do?
Nutritionists focus on the dietary aspect of a client’s well-being, so desired health goals can be reached through food, such as weight loss, biomarker improvement, and chronic disease management. They create meal plans based on the client’s specific needs (e.g., a low-sodium, low-sugar, high-fibre diet for someone looking to reverse their high blood pressure), and look into whether their clients would benefit for nutritional supplements and exercise.
What do Health Coaches do? Health Coaches provide clients with a safe, supportive space to explore their health issues and goals. They encourage clients to focus not just on the dietary aspect of their health, but other areas of their life that can provide fulfilment and nourishment, such as the quality of their relationships, stress management, satisfaction with their job/career and how their home and environment make them feel to mention a few.
Coaches empower clients to learn what makes them feel vibrant and healthy, not just what they’ve been told is “healthy” or what they “should” or “shouldn’t” do as it relates to their health and wellness. They guide clients toward finding the foods and lifestyle practices that work for them because coaches understand for example that one type of food can be medicine for one person and poison for another.
Differences Between Nutritionists and Health Coaches
There’s a fair amount of overlap between these professions, but how exactly do Nutritionists and Health Coaches differ?
Nutritionist
Nutritionists create specific, nutrition-based guidelines for clients to address specific health issues. They can prescribe certain diets and supplement protocols based on client lab tests, as well as develop specific meal plans for clients to monitor symptoms, bloodwork, etc.
Health Coach
Health Coaches focus on a holistic approach to health, exploring all areas of a client’s life that affect well-being. They utilise goal setting and accountability-based strategies to help clients understand and address their health issues from a holistic perspective. Clients take the lead in developing their own plans e.g. coaches can provide different information like different types of diets and supplement options to explore, but do not prescribe these types of protocols to clients.
Why I opted to study health coaching?
As I began exploring Functional Medicine concepts, I was amazed with the idea that your body is your best doctor. I was also fascinated with concepts like mind body connection and that often a combination of toxins overload and nutrient deficiencies make your body out-of-balance (disease or 'out of ease'). Correct that and the body has everything it needs to heal.
Health coaching felt closer to this overall philosophy as it believes the client is an expert in their own life and their own needs. For a long time before reaching breaking point your body keeps giving you signs of what is going on (bio-feedback).
Health coaching tackles this fundamental key in the process of healing and regaining health, it helps clients to re-connect with the wisdom of their bodies and begin seeing the signs. That combined with the latest health research information provided by the coach, allows clients to move forward more independently, with ease and great results. The ultimate goal is to empower clients to master their health, with minimum input from health professionals.
If you have a health goal that you need help with, explore the option of working with a health coach. The first discovery session is free, book here.
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