The 5 Best Holistic Nutrition Certifications With Prices & Reviews
Connecting your attitude and spirituality with your food gives you a healthier outlook on life. This sentiment is the focus of holistic nutrition. A career as a Holistic Nutritionist can be rewarding, as you help others with their mental and physical health. This article will help aspiring and current fitness professionals alike. We’ll provide information on how to get a holistic nutrition certificate and what programs are best to go through. The number of holistic nutrition certification programs is consistently increasing. Finding the right one for you can be a daunting task. That’s why we’re here to guide you through it with our in-depth breakdown!
1. Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN)
The IIN is a staple in not just holistic nutrition but the health coaching industry in general. The institute is well-proven, with over two decades of practicing holistic nutrition. It emphasizes the nutrition business as a whole, so you can further understand what makes a successful holistic nutritionist.
The first focus of IIN’s nutrition program is on the mental improvement that you can make by eating organic food. Holistic nutritionists believe that food you ingest should be from a local source. Eating organic foods has a direct correlation with the choices you make in life. The trainers at IIN will stress to you that there is no universal diet. Everyone has different dietary needs that work best for them. Thus, the program focuses on individuality rather than one specific diet.
At the institute, you will learn how to influence a person’s lifestyle choices without using food. Nutritionists are just as much lifestyle coaches as they are food experts. Throughout the program, you’ll study and complete tests on whole foods, group coaching, individual coaching, business techniques, and much more.
To achieve a certification, you need to pass at least two of the four tests at the institute. A passing score is 70% or above.
The duration of the holistic nutrition course is nearly one calendar year. You can expect to pay close to $6,000. However, you can break payments up with a payment plan. The cost covers your exams and gives you access to over a hundred diet plans you can incorporate into your daily life.
2. Nutritional Therapy Organization (NTA)
If you lean more toward the therapeutic benefits of holistic nutrition, consider the course at the Nutritional Therapy Organization. The NTA seeks to teach healthcare practitioners methods to help patients battle certain diseases with lifestyle and dietary changes.
Throughout the course, you’ll gain knowledge on the various bodily systems, how to source food, and improve your skills in the kitchen. Plus, you’ll learn how to cater a meal plan to a specific person.
The study will also focus on how things that happen in our lives impact the way we eat and our food choices. It’s no secret that unhealthy food affects the way we think, feel, and act. You’ll learn all the reasons why in this intensive program.
The course goes deep into the science of nutrition and how food impacts our physical and mental health. The skilled trainers at NTA will teach you motivational techniques to help you break through to patients once you get out in the real world.
A unique aspect of the NTA holistic certification program is they have an online portal that you can take advantage of. Every bit of information you need to succeed in the course is on the portal.
Think of the NTA program as a long college course. There is a midterm and final exam that you will have to pass with a score of 80% or more. The NTA holistic nutrition course lasts a total of ten months.
You will spend just under $6,000. The organization does accept monthly payments for the program.
3. American Fitness Professionals Association (AFPA)
If you’re looking to earn your holistic nutrition certificate from the comfort of your home, take a look at the program put forth by the American Fitness Professionals Organization. The AFPA offers all its courses online. If you would prefer a textbook, the company can ship one to your house.
You will learn a lot in this course. Namely, you will understand how to thoroughly examine a client’s diet and make changes that will benefit their mental and physical health and lead them to make better life decisions.
Also, you’ll be able to transfer that knowledge to your future clients by informing them of how to prepare their meals and select healthy food. A focus of the nutritional health program is learning about how different foods affect the immune system. You’ll study how different systems in the body interact with each other. Plus, teachers will stress that different spices can reverse and stave off various diseases.
One of the most practical things about AFPA’s holistic nutrition program is you will look over several real-life case studies, simulating how to treat real-life clients. The program allows you to take self-assessments throughout the course to ensure you’re on track and making progress.
There is one final exam that will determine whether you get a certificate or not. On this test, you must pass with a grade of 85% or higher. Retaking the test will cost you $75.
Different from other holistic nutrition programs, this course lasts only six months. You can expect to pay between $900 and $1,000.
4. Nutrition Therapy Institute (NTI)
The Nutrition Therapy Institute has been offering certificates in holistic nutrition for over two decades. You will have the flexibility to take classes in-person or online. Similarly, you have the option to be a full-time or part-time student.
The program has two focuses—academic and business development. The academic course takes ten weeks to complete, while the business development study and life coaching practice make up the remaining portion of the program.
With the academic module, you’ll learn the fundamentals of anatomy and how the different systems in the body interact with each other. You’ll also see how holistic nutrition can fight disease and improve a person’s quality of life.
On the business development side of things, your instructors will let you know the secrets of running a holistic nutrition practice. You’ll pick up new coaching techniques and how to interact with people of all backgrounds.
What’s compelling about this training program is that you can select an area of nutritional studies that speaks to you and focus on it. It’s the equivalent of picking a major in college. With this focus, you’ll receive more one-on-one coaching with your instructor and go in-depth about the topic of your choosing.
Part-time students can complete this certification program in three years. Full-time takes half the amount of time at eighteen months. This study is among the most intensive courses in the holistic nutrition industry and will cost you up to $10,000 with additional book expenses. However, alumni from this program are among the most successful holistic nutritionists in the world. The institute allows you to create a payment plan that works for you.
5. Bauman College
Bauman College is a top program in nutritional studies offering three certifications that you can earn. You can complete the programs online or at the campus in Berkeley, California.
The course focuses on two main areas; foundations of nutrition and therapeutic nutrition.
The foundations of nutrition study teaches you about the building blocks of holistic nutrition and how food affects mental and psychological health. You’ll learn about digestive physiology, biochemistry, counseling methods, and much more. There are a total of eleven models during this stage of the program.
On the therapeutic nutrition side of the course, instructors will teach you about nutritional consulting, cardiovascular health, neurology, dealing with pain, and many other subjects. This part of the program aims to teach you how to build and maintain a holistic nutrition business. Before moving from the foundations course to the therapeutic study, you’ll need to pass a thorough exam with a score of 80% or higher.
Several materials are put online for your reference throughout the course. You’ll have the ability to test yourself to track your progress by digesting the information taught to you. Bauman will challenge you with a final research study, expecting you to show deep knowledge of whatever aspect of nutrition you want to specialize in.
You can expect the course to cost you around $8,000. There will be additional book expenses totaling $1,000.
Bauman does let you set up a payment plan that works for your financial situation. The Bauman College holistic nutrition program takes a little over a year to complete.
Good Luck on Your Journey
We hope that we made this choice a little easier for you. Wherever your holistic nutrition journey takes you, we are confident it will be rewarding. Helping others with their struggles is one of the most humbling things we can do as humans. Holistic nutritionists can assist in improving the lives of thousands of suffering people.
Start your journey today with a holistic nutrition training program!