What Is Functional Nutrition?
Exercise Daily – Functional Nutrition is an overall approach to diet that reflects the lifestyle of an individual. This approach revolves around the fact how a number of factors are affecting the body like food, environment, daily activities, and the existence of long-term diseases.
The purpose of functional nutrition is to focus on the root cause of the problem instead of the occurring symptoms. It supports the fact that we all are biochemically different and what measures can be taken to prevent the issue.
Moreover, it is an interconnection between psychological factors, environmental infection, diet, and lifestyle, etc. However, nutrition is one of the necessary components of functional medicine.
It uses food as a natural treatment to the body that helps in restoring balance to fight nutrient deficiency.
Functional Nutrition VS Integrative Nutrition
Functional nutrition and integrative nutrition are almost similar. However, integrative nutrition refers to the connection between conventional nutrition with a non-conventional sensory system like herbs, acupuncture, and homeopathy, etc.
While functional nutrition is the holistic approach that revolves around the management, prevention, and causes of long-term diseases.
Moreover, they are more likely to focus on the chemical and biological courses, which are affected by several factors. It may include food sensitivities, diet, genetics, negative thoughts, gut bacteria, and environment, etc.
In addition to this, functional nutrition tends to create customized therapies to treat the cause of disease accordingly. And integrative nutrition tends to understand the individual completely to apply different forms of therapies for improvement.
The basic concept of both nutrition is to promote healing and preventing the chances of long-term diseases.
Functional Nutrition VS Standard Nutrition
The application or method of functional nutrition is similar to functional medicine. However, functional medicine is patient-oriented, while functional nutrition is disease-oriented.
It focuses on the body completely in order to determine the root cause of the disease and issues that occurred with the food we take. It can be a sign of nutritional deficiencies or food allergies.
Moreover, the application of functional nutrition reflects functional medicine as the food itself is natural medicine.
Food can either heal your body or harm it, depending upon the intake and diet. On the other hand, standard nutrition is referred to as following the nutritional guidelines in general.
In addition to this, functional nutrition is better in promoting health as compared to standard nutrition. Both of them work differently when it comes to internal growth. That is why it is necessary to consider the consequences of both thoroughly.
Below we have mentioned the positives and negative sides of functional nutrition and standard nutrition.
Advantages of Functional Nutrition
- Easy to apply because the practitioner will explain the benefits of nutrition according to your health history.
- Monitor the fact that the food you are taking is giving a positive response to your body.
- Customize according to your needs.
Disadvantages of Functional Nutrition
- Expensive than standard nutrition
Advantages of Standard Nutrition
- Affordable
Disadvantages of Standard Nutrition
- Difficult to practice as compared to functional nutrition.
- It is difficult for the practitioner to understand the root cause like a functional nutritionist.
Principles of Functional Nutrition
To understand functional nutrition in a better way following are the core aims of this advanced practice that will help you in,
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Acknowledging The Body’s Ability To Self Adjusting
Most of the practitioners have mentioned that our body can heal itself as it is clever enough. Each aspect of dynamic balance is meant to keep us energetic, which means it can positively change itself.
Functional nutritionists can only customize a pattern for you to follow, but the game-changer is your willpower and dedication.
A nutritionist can only address the unhealthy pattern in our lifestyle and what can be done to recover it, but the healing begins within you. In addition to this, healing does not come overnight, and you need to work with patience and dedication.
The practitioners are meant to show the right path to your body and how it is able to do wonders. They also have the ability to prevent the cause of chronic disease only if you are willing to be healthy.
They are more likely to work on your body on an individual level so that the body can heal itself effectively. The functional nutritionist aims to enhance the lifestyle of their patient in a healthy way.
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Combining the Best Medical Applications
The functional nutritionist tends to combine the best medical applications for their patients to give them a healthy lifestyle.
They use the latest laboratory testing, distinguishing techniques, botanical medicines, and stress management methods, etc., to prevent the cause of disease. It is also one of the best ways to change the long-term disease by identifying its root cause.
If you want to live a medicine-free life, then practicing functional nutrition is the best way to prevent it!
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Foundation Based on Science
The purpose of bringing this practice into action was to focus on the cause of the disease and how the body mechanism changes due to that. However, science is the best way to show the complicated network between the systems of the body.
Similarly, functional nutrition analyzes the health history of a patient and the psychological factors that lead towards the disease.
Functional nutrition considers both internal and external factors that are affecting the system of the body.
In addition to this, recent research shows that instead of examining pathology, we can use the different frames of the network. This includes the exploration of cyclic variations, hormone variations, tissue injuries, and nutrition, etc., to treat the patient effectively.
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Looks For the Root Cause of the Disease
Functional nutrition is different from other nutrition as it focuses on “Why.”
It identifies the root cause of the disease and how the mechanism is affecting the body. This is because they aim to eliminate the disease and to enhance the lifestyle of an individual with maximum health.
For instance, if there is a headache, the reason may vary depending upon the symptoms of the patient. It can be due to any deficiency caused by the painkiller, but the functional nutrition does not focus on a specific cause but all the possible causes.
By finding the root cause, it is easier to treat the patient and analyzing the method of the treatment required. It will help in recovering the body effectively and preventing long-term diseases.
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Functional Nutrition Is Disease-Centered
The most effective aspect of functional nutrition is that it understands the fact that every individual has a different genetic background with different psychological factors.
It understands the fact that every person has different toxic exposures, lifestyle, environment, etc, that affects them physically and mentally.
It supports the fact that a person has a different set of health circumstances to which he acts accordingly and what type of treatment is suitable. The main purpose of functional nutrition is to enhance the lifestyle of a person with optimal health.
Moreover, it uses the symptoms to identify the type of treatment required for that person. It is a reliable relation between the patient and a practitioner that are willing to get a healthy lifestyle mutually. They work as a team in this process of healing.
While the phenomena of functional nutrition work as a detective to identify the root cause of the disease and how to prevent it effectively. Conventional medicines can treat the issue but do not help in recovering as this advanced practice does.
Components of Functional Nutrition Plan
Here are the important components of the functional nutrition plan and how it helps your body as an individual,
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Encourage Quality Food
It is the most important element of functional nutrition that helps in identifying how the quality of the food is affecting your system. Consuming quality food means eating healthy that has a positive influence on your body instead of junk food.
This concept is similar to the quality of the gas in your vehicle that helps it function properly. Functional nutrition makes sure that your lifestyle is surrounded by healthy nutrients that promote better health growth.
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Focus on Your Microbial Level
It is said that healthy digestion is only possible with a high level of the microbiome as it helps the immune system to work properly.
However, functional nutrition is more likely to focus on a robust supply of useful microbes that influence your stomach and intestine effectively. It is also said that a human gut consists of more bacteria than the cells make, which affects several factors of your body.
Here the functional nutrition helps in keeping the microbial level high so that the immune system stays healthy and keeps on progressing as it should!
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Focus on the Gut Health
Research shows that 80% of the immune system is located in the gut, and if it does not work properly, it will cause severe problems. An unhealthy gut can lead to inflammation, increase the chance of infections, hormone imbalance, and so on.
However, functional nutrition helps in preventing the risk of uncertainty and keenly address keeping the gut healthy. It helps in addressing food that is not healthy for your immune system and preventing pathogens.
Check Out: How To Detox Your Body From Mold
Conclusion
Having said that, the guide to functional nutrition comes to an end. Keep this thing in mind that this is a dynamic process that keeps on experimenting with your lifestyle and bringing the possible outcomes to influence the healthy living.
All you need to do is work with patience and dedication, as healing does not come overnight. We would suggest you keep in touch with your functional nutritionist to get the best results.
