What Is Functional Nutrition?

What Is Functional Nutrition?
Functional nutrition was developed based on the ideas of functional medicine. Functional medicine is a unique way of treating and preventing illness. This method addresses the whole self, not just the apparent symptoms.

For example, say you went to visit your doctor because you were experiencing flu-like symptoms. They might send you home with a prescription and check in with you after a few days. But with functional medicine, the doctor would try to address why you developed these symptoms in the first place. Was it stress, lack of sleep, poor nutrition, or some combination of those things? The doctor would then try to address those underlying issues from all body systems. The goal of functional medicine is not only to cure any existing issues but to prevent future ones.

These same principles can be applied to nutrition. Functional nutrition is a highly personalized plan of eating for health. Functional nutrition is all about using food as medicine, mainly to help a person increase their health and wellness.

How Does It Work?
Now you know the basics—functional nutrition is based on functional medicine, aiming to treat all body systems. It does this by addressing the root cause of the symptoms rather than the symptoms themselves. So now, let’s review how functional nutrition works in practice.

A person visits their doctor complaining of abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, and bloating. While a standard diet or nutrition expert may suggest a particular meal plan, a functional medicine dietician would likely run more tests.

They may try food sensitivity testing or other labs to learn more about your individual system. Then they can use the tests to see how your body responds to certain foods. These types of tests can narrow down which foods or additives are causing the body to react negatively. Additionally, a practitioner of functional medicine practitioner may test for specific vitamin and mineral deficiencies that could contribute to your symptoms.

The practitioner may recommend an elimination diet. An elimination diet is when you cut out certain foods to determine whether they may be the culprit of your health issues. Then, the functional medicine practitioner might suggest certain supplements or foods that will replenish levels of vitamins or minerals that may have been missing from your diet. the practitioner has established the right diet for you, they may want to dive deeper into other lifestyle conditions.

Sleep, stress, activity level, and other factors can make have an effect on how and when you experience certain symptoms. Therefore, functional nutrition aims to address these factors, as well. Increasing sleep and activity level while reducing stress may have just as big of an impact on symptoms as the foods you consume.

How Is This Approach To Nutrition Unique?
Maybe you have already sought help from a professional for your gastrointestinal or other gut health issues. How would a functional nutrition approach be any different from that?

Treating the Whole Person
A functional nutrition practitioner’s ultimate goal is to help you alleviate your symptoms. But more than that, they want to make sure you are holistically well. They believe that each of the body systems is interconnected. So, in order to promote optimal wellness, functional nutrition advises on diet and lifestyle conditions.

A Personalized Approach
Functional nutrition is all about personalized care. No two people are exactly alike—even if their symptoms are the same. Functional nutrition diet plans take into consideration everything that makes you unique. This approach increases the likelihood that you can find a sustainable, long-term solution to your health issues.

Different Models For Care
Practitioners exercising functional nutrition use unique systems and models in practice -for example, the functional medicine matrix. The matrix is made up of various sections, each of which addresses factors that contribute to your health. The 5-R protocol is another common tool used by functional nutritional practitioners. This protocol is defined by the following steps: remove, replace, repopulate, repair, and rebalance. It describes the way in which a functional nutrition practitioner would study and treat a person with gastrointestinal issues.

For Further Reading:
• The ins and outs of functional nutrition are outlines in the article at AFPAnutrition.com: https://www.afpafitness.com/blog/what-is-functional-nutrition
• A complete guide to functional nutrition is presented in the article by MindBodyGreen.com, https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/functional-nutrition
• "The Power of Functional Nutrition" describes the principles of this modality. The article by The Institute for Functional Medicine is at: https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/power-functional-nutrition-2/