What is Functional Nutritional Therapy?

Functional Nutritional Therapy has a core focus on eating wholefoods in a properly prepared way. Looking at the evolution of the modern diet, there is a significant change in how food is now produced, grown and sourced. Our ancestors ate locally and seasonally, while in modern life, supermarkets provide the bulk of our food. These foods have travelled long distances, are available all year round and are chemically treated or filled with preservatives to create longer shelf life. Subsequently, this change in food production has impacted health, changed the nutrients available in foods and created a disconnection from where food comes from. In today’s fast paced world, we have not only become disconnected from our food sources, but we are also living busy, overscheduled lifestyles, have high stress levels and are disconnected from our body’s natural wisdom. Unfortunately, this has led us to an epidemic of disease and poor health.

Tonic Fields Strategies:

• Source local farmers markets &/or delivery services in your area.

• Eat seasonally for optimal health

• Choose organic if you can

• Get to know the dirty dozen & clean fifteen

• Grow your own garden or herbs

Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioners (FNTP’s) develop bio-individual approaches to support and guide clients on their healing journey. They use a variety of methods to reveal imbalances and/or deficiencies and develop recommendations to restore functionality and balance within body systems, promoting optimal wellness and a deeper connection to self. Within the scope of Functional Nutritional Therapy, tuning in to our innate wisdom will guide the journey to optimum health and wellbeing. As todays’ society becomes busier, food consumed is often processed, rushed or eaten on the go. By creating rituals around mealtimes, we can slow down and encourage our bodies to go into a parasympathetic state, our rest and digest state. This parasympathetic state encourages effective digestion and awareness. Therefore, it promotes a healthy body and mind. FNTP’s may recommend simplistic mindfulness rituals such as, sitting down to eat, eating slowly, intentionally setting the table, having no technology distractions during meals or engaging in meals with friends. As you slow down to eat and introduce these rituals, you can tap into your body’s innate wisdom, this is your power to instinctively be guided by your body to achieve optimal health and wellbeing. Body reconnection is essential to healing, getting to deeply know yourself is a critical part of the journey of Functional Nutritional Therapy.

Tonic Fields Rituals Around Mealtimes:

• Sitting down to eat

• Eating socially

• No distractions/Phones

• Eating intentionally with gratitude

These rituals can support your parasympathetic state, and thus digestion.

FNTP’s may also recommend a balance of fats/proteins/carbs, suggest lifestyle changes, encourage you to honour the earth by eating seasonally, organically or make simple adjustments to meals to increase the vitamin and mineral components in meals to nourish your body. Minerals aid in transferring nutrients into our bodies, while vitamins help support tissue growth and immune systems. Both are essential for our bodies to function effectively, and many people are deficient. The balance within our body is essential to maintaining homeostasis, a focus for a FNTP’s. Get in touch today if you are interested in working with Tonic Fields to restore your health & wellbeing.