About
Nutritional Therapy
BANT description of Nutritional Therapy
Nutritional Therapy The basis of nutritional therapy Nutritional therapy is the application of nutrition science in the promotion of health, peak performance and individual care. Nutritional therapy practitioners use a wide range of tools to assess and identify potential nutritional imbalances and understand how these may contribute to an individual’s symptoms and health concerns. This approach allows them to work with individuals to address nutritional balance and help support the body towards maintaining health. Nutritional therapy is recognised as a complementary medicine. It is relevant both for individuals looking to enhance their health and wellbeing and for those with chronic conditions wishing to work with or ‘consult’ a nutritional therapist in collaboration with other suitably qualified healthcare professionals. Practitioners consider each individual to be unique and recommend personalized nutrition and lifestyle programmes rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Practitioners never recommend nutritional therapy as a replacement for medical advice and always refer any client with ‘red flag’ signs or symptoms to their medical professional. They will also frequently work alongside a medical professional and will communicate with other healthcare professionals involved in the client’s care to explain any nutritional therapy programme that has been provided.
What a Nutritional Therapy session typically involves?
Before the first consultation, the practitioner usually provides a health and nutrition questionnaire for the client to complete. An initial consultation typically lasts 60 to 90 minutes, and in this time the practitioner asks detailed questions about current health concerns, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, medical history, family history, lifestyle, levels of physical activity, use of medication and supplements and diet. The practitioner then evaluates individual needs and uses the extensive evidence base for nutritional science to develop a personalised, safe and effective nutrition and lifestyle programme. Follow up consultations are generally after four weeks in order to monitor progress and make any necessary adjustments. Further follow-ups may be required depending on each individual situation.
Choosing a Practitioner
It is important to choose a Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner who has undertaken all the necessary training to understand the theory and practice of nutritional therapy. By choosing nutritional therapists registered with the CNHC you can be confident that they are properly trained, qualified and insured. CNHC holds a register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA), an independent body accountable to the UK Parliament. Search for a qualified and registered practitioner here.
Professional Association: By choosing a Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner who is a member of BANT you can be confident that they follow the strict CNHC Code of Conduct, Performance and Ethics and the BANT Professional Practice Handbook, have professional indemnity insurance for clinical practice and also meet the BANT membership entry criteria, which as of 1st of September 2020 for BANT Full Membership requires Bachelor’s (Hons) degree or higher from a recognised university in the field of nutrition science and NTEC accreditation for nutritional therapy clinical practice. Find out more at https://bant.org.uk/
Nutritional therapy is the application of nutrition and lifestyle medicine sciences in the promotion of health, peak performance and individual care.
Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioners assess and identify potential nutritional imbalances and understand how these may contribute to an individual’s symptoms and health concerns.
Practitioners consider each individual to be unique and recommend personalised nutrition and lifestyle programmes rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
Personalised nutrition is tailored specifically for you, taking into account your health journey, your health goals and dietary preferences. The practitioner may use functional tests to inform the recommendations that are based on your unique biological individuality.
Personalised nutrition consultations are relevant for individuals with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis; anyone with persistent digestive issues or those wishing to support an autoimmune condition, as well as those looking to enhance their health and wellbeing. Recommendations are not a replacement for medical advice; practitioners frequently work alongside medical professionals to support individuals’ wellbeing.
BANT practitioners do not diagnose or treat disease, and recommendations are not a replacement for medical advice; practitioners frequently work alongside medical professionals to support individual’s wellbeing.
The field of personalised nutrition is still evolving before truly becoming an integral part of the future healthcare paradigm, and including personalised nutrition guidance and therapeutics, as is discussed in below paper by ANA.
