I know that keeping and maintaining a blog is such a presumptive venture: it assumes you both have something to say and someone who might actually find your content interesting enough to follow. I hope on some level, I meet those minimal requirements. Yet, the funny thing about blogging is that you kinda have to walk the fine line of walking the walk and talking the talk. When it comes to whole food preparation/childrearing/holistic living/organic gardening/homeschooling, etc. oftentimes there’s much walk to be walking and not as much time for talking– or at least blogging about it.
Sure there are lots of things to say…but so often there’s no time to say it…rather there’s almond bread to bake (from the fabulous new book by Elana), or apples to core and dehydrate, or veggies to chop and prep so that dinner and lunch can come off with out much of a hitch. There are lessons to to teach and puzzles to do and books to read and blocks to build, pictures to draw, math to discover, science to observe, prayers to pray, lots more heirloom tomatoes to havest then I ever thought possible— I guess what I’m saying is that I’m finding that the life of mothering is a more than full time job that doesn’t always leave a lot of extra time for musing.
That said, I’ve felt a call to add even another big exciting hunk of goodness to the plate of my life. I’m taking my immense passion for nutrition, health (especially children’s), and real food and have enrolled in the Nutritional Therapist Practitioner Training program! It’s an intensive, 1-year practical, hands-on paraprofessional program giving me clinical experience and training necessary to be able to perform functional evaluations and to create personalized nutrition plans to improve the health of my “clients”.
Now, I’m not really gonna get carried away with the whole business/client thing just yet. For now I am just satisfied with basking in the immense truth of learning about the amazing human body machine rather than figuring out how to monetize it. If I end up with some skills that can help others on the other end of this, then that would be awesome. If anyone pays me to do this, that would just be a bonus.
The truth is that nutrition is the foundation of health, and in so many ways needs to be addressed before dealing with other, more complicated physical and psychological issues a person may be dealing with. I’m not saying nutrition can fix everything, but certainly it’s high time the very science of how we as living organisms interact with our food was given some solid consideration by the health care field.
The truth is that no pill, herb, homeopathic remedy, theraputic massage/manipulation, or energetic technique will be effective if the body does not have the essential building blocks it needs to property function. Nutrition is about restoring the balance within the body’s system for optmum function, thereby allowing the body to heal itself. Not that drugs, herbs, homeopathics, and the like don’t have their theraputic place on the spectrum; they certainly do. But I suggest nutrition be the first thing on the “flowchart of health” to be addressed. When we can say “yes” to “Does patient have optimum nutrition?”, then we can move down the line of interventions to see how drastic we need to go in terms of remedies.
Needless to say, I’m so excited. I’ve been wanting to be in the health care field for a long time; but I opted for the education field because my love for mathematics and teaching is as strong as my love for nutriton and health care. The two fields aren’t as different as they seem, because as a teacher and private tutor I have become very intrigued by learning disabilities– perhaps the greatest challenge the teacher must overcome. As a parent of a neurologically compromised and “food-damaged” child (as in my child’s digestive system was compromised very early in her life due to processed baby formula, antibiotics, and grains), the nutrition-brain connection has been highlighted even more.
As I followed the white rabbit down the trail of neurological research, I came increasingly upon the connection between optimal nutrition, gut health, and the brain. It’s so incredible how the human body is made, and how it really is able to heal when given the proper nutrients and other stimuli (I say “other stimuli because neurological healing requires a good deal more than proper nutrition, yet could not be possible without it).
All this is to say that if you don’t see as many posts up as often, it’s probably because I’m feverishly squeezing my last bit of free “computer time” in order to be doing homework and reading. I might try to multi-task, wherever it makes sense, and post some insights that I’m learning from the classes and craft my essays in the form of blog posts. I will also probably do lots of “thinking out loud”.
And oh my gosh, it’s 1:21 AM. I’ve finished The Omnivore’s Dilemma (isn’t it about time I’ve read that one?) so I’ll probably be sharing my review of that book later this week. I’ve got three more hours of DVD lectures to view before Wednesday (and I vow not to do that kind of thingwhile the kids are awake) and several, several pages of Anatomy and Physiology and Nutrition textbooks to read. Life is good.
Carrie, could you please tell me where you are taking the course for the Nutritional Therapist? This sounds very interesting….Thank you!
Alicia
I just want to chime in here, as an occasional reader, but I haven’t posted before! Hi! And I’m so excited for you! I really enjoy your blog, and I’m very excited to hear about your journey with Nutritional Therapy because just this summer I’ve been seriously considering doing something like that myself. Please keep us posted as you go. Where are you doing your program? Good luck with this new adventure in your life!
Wow, Carrie… congratulations!!! I can “feel” your excitement in your writing about your new status as a student.
I’ll keep checking back, even if the postings are less frequent. I’ve often thought about blogging (I have a lot to say
However, I am a SAHM to a 20-month old son, and feeding my family a NT diet. I can’t imagine fitting anything else in right now.
Best of luck, and I can’t wait to hear about your adventures.
@Alicia,
You can find tons of info onthe program at http://www.nutritionaltherapy.com, the official website for the Nutritional Therapy Association. They do programs all over the country, but are based in Olympia, WA. There are on-site classes (of which I am a part) and distance learning programs. Lots of intensive work, regardless!
How exciting! Good luck!
I love to learn and can totally relate to your excitement. I even come from a math/technical background as well. Congratulations and good luck!
Based on the required books, which I’ve read a number of, it sounds like a great program. I also like the fact that they dig into anatomy, physiology, and chemistry. I too have been wanting to advance my education in these areas. In fact, I’d really like to pursue a degree in physiology at some point.
Keep us posted on your progress!
Thanks Vin and everyone!!!
I am learning SOOO much. My brain is spinning! I hope to post a few gems every few days……it’s an incredible program and yes, the reading is amazing!!!!
Vin, physiology would be so intriguing! It’s weird, I wonder now why I got a BS in math when I could have done any of the sciences….but I am glad I did. Just not enough time to study all the things we want to learn, I guess!
Carrie
Carrie,
I’m so glad you have decided to become a Nutritional Therapist…It seems like a very natural choice and the conclusion of all these years of reading, learning, healing and blogging.
I am myself considering a home class in nutritional consulting but don’t quite feel ready for this yet!
I’ve been gluten free (not officially diagnosed with anything but your body knows best, I think I have a form of IBS) for 3 years and pretty much grain free/SCD/paleo for a few months (except for some raw milk, cultured foods and sometimes a little bit of GF grains ~ though they really don’t do me much good).
I’ve seen my health improve so much, health problems I’ve had since childhood (I had to connect the dots myself) vanish and of course my weight has dropped consequently.
By learning and being my own “guinea pig” I am now in position to teach my family and relatives who were first dubious but now experience the results for themselves (if they are willing to reconnect to their body in the first place).
I believe in the body’s ability to heal (I am myself sort of a self taught herbalist ~ I’ve been using herbs for 15 years and they’ve helped me a lot for health but also for nutrition) and am convinced that with our 10 000 years old genetic makeup, we weren’t “designed” to be sick and were perfectly adapted to survive and thrive in our natural environment. Of course, quite a few things have changed in 10 000 years, which have created an imbalance on many levels…
Anyway, isn’t food supposed to be the first medicine?
Congrats, Carrie!!!
I am going to do this as well after I am done taking my current certifications. And when I have the money! lol
maria.
Hi Carrie! Tiffany told me about you starting this program and I got so excited to hear about it! As she told you I have been looking into it for the past several months and I’m pretty sure I’m going to do it when I feel the time is right for me and my family. It will probably be a couple of years. But I have to say I’m jealous that you get to do it first! I’ll have to glean from your experience as much as I can. I’ll read your website when I can (I don’t get the time as much as I’d like)and if there’s anything exceptionally intriguing maybe you could email me? I’m planning on starting the reading now, however, since the booklist is very long! They all look interesting though. Right now I’m reading “Digestive Wellness for Children” and it is very good. I haven’t read the first one but will get to it. I think that your experience with the program will help confirm my decision to take the course. Good luck with the balancing act of school and family! I know I will have to plan well with my husband before embarking on this myself, especially since I’m not one to work at 1:00am!
-Celeste
Celeste,
Thank you for your note! I think that’s a great idea you have; slowly work through the reading list– I wish I had thought of that! It’s really fascinating, though. I surely will keep you posted and pass on many gems (I hope to do so on my blog regularly, and truthfully I would be blogging 24/7 because the gems are so abundant!)
I hope you are continuing to feel stronger every day! Someday I want you to share your journey on my blog. Let’s chat about that!
Carrie
Carrie,
Yes, I am continuing to feel stronger all the time. My problem is that my energy gets used up almost as soon as it comes, with the life of a mom! I am trying to balance myself as much as possible to have some extra energy left over. And, yes, I would be interested in sharing my journey. I think it would be part of the healing process for me. I never thought I would do anything like that before you asked but now that I’ve thought about it, I think it would be good (good and scary!). Anyway, you can email me to chat about it when you’re ready. Hope your studies are going well.
Celeste
Hi Carrie! I know this post is old news, but I came across it today and realized shortly after I began reading it that you came to the same conclusion I did – I have been wanting and wanting to enroll in a nutritional therapy program since I started going to see a nutritional therapist for my health issues almost four years ago.
The biggest obstacles for me is that there is no nutritional therapy program here in Boise, Idaho where I live. And one of the best ones is in Olympia, WA – about a 10 hour drive from here. Also, my husband and I just started a solar business so we are really tight on our budget and that doesn’t leave any money for school, and I am once again full-time home schooling my son. My plate is just too full.
My path of learning about my own digestive health due to health problems led me to wanting to learn more and more about how to heal people through one of the most critical channels in the human body. I am really excited for you and hope everything works out the way you want it to.
Since I started becoming interested in nutritional therapy, I’ve had various people give their two cents about it. Just curious what your thoughts are – some people say go for the nutritional therapy because it’s right up my alley, and some say that most people wouldn’t take that type of certification seriously and that to command the respect I want I would need to go for the RD/LD so that I have the credentials everyone thinks I need to be a nutritional expert, and THEN I can disagree to my heart’s content with the tenets of the RD/LD world (we all know it’s just a crock) and educate people and get them to listen.
I’m actually stuck at this point – for when I do decide to make it official and go back to school – I already have an undergraduate degree, so getting the RD/LD might not be too much more work, and then I could go up against the conventional health wisdom with educational backing. But my heart is with nutritional therapy which follows WAP so closely, and the traditional foundations of diet and health. Have you had this same dilemma, or is it just me?