What makes one nutrition professional more clinically successful than another?
Specifically, why do some practitioner’s clients get radically better (despite years of struggle) when others cannot figure out how to resolve their troublesome symptoms?
I have learned some of the reasons why, and in this article I share 5 common errors that inhibit results.
…then I give you insight to avoid them and help improve your overall success.
I’ve helped hundreds of clients with disorders resulting from complex neurological and physiological needs, and I discovered some interesting and important information that can help you…
I tend to see the “tough cases,” the “non-responders,” in my nutrition practice.
By the time they’ve come to me, clients have already seen 3 or more practitioners that have provided nutrition advice, yet they still have not gotten better.
I’ve always investigated why their prior practitioners were unsuccessful. And as I explored each of their case history files, I uncovered what they had overlooked.
Here are 5 Errors to Avoid…
#1 Being Too Dogmatic
There will always be a latest trend in diet. A diet becomes popular because it works well for a subset of people, or for a finite period of time. Some practitioners jump on board and start recommending that ONE popular diet for MOST their clients. They become blinded by their love and loyalty to that diet and cannot see that a different approach might be necessary.
Practitioners who are dogmatic about one dietary approach, are not able to see that it’s the wrong diet for their client because they don’t know how to cater to the biodindividual nutrition needs of the unique person.
Nutritional needs change over time and combining several different diet principles can allow consistently better clinical success. For example, while following a grain-free diet such as SCD or GAPS, a low FODMAPs or low oxalate diet may ALSO be necessary. Dogmatic thinking prevents that small dietary tweak from happening, even though it could make the difference between success and failure! Knowing how to be flexible, yet targeted, is key.
There is no dogmatic thinking in the BioIndividual Nutrition training, we teach you how to think not what to think.
#2 Being Too Rigid
When a practitioner insists that a certain diet must be done a certain way, and becomes inflexible – even if its not working. For example, a client on a special diet that emphasizes certain foods like bone broth or sauerkraut multiple times per day, but the individual has a food reaction to the amines or glutamates in those foods.
The client does not feel well, but the practitioner insists that it cannot be the “sacred foods” on the special diet, and instead assumes the client must be making a mistake or needs to be more strict. But then the client gets worse, not better.
Even within a special diet, food choices and rules may need to be modified, i.e. removing allowed foods (or adding non-compliant foods) in order to see success on that diet. In the BioIndividual Nutrition training, you’ll learn the specific strategies you need to make these kinds of complex customized recommendations.
#3 Being Too Simplistic
Some practitioners focus solely on “health food” diet. The challenge is that one man’s medicine is another man’s poison. Even certain “health foods” can be a problem for some people to the point of causing serious reactions including pain, inflammation, or digestive challenges.
A common example is practitioners who recommend almond flour as a grain-free alternative, without realizing that many people who need special diets have sensitivities to salicylates or oxalates, the compounds found in high levels in this health food. As a result, the individual’s health may be negatively impacted and the practitioner will see negligible improvements in their client’s symptoms.
Understanding the complexity of naturally occurring food chemicals and compounds can be the difference between being a world-renowned nutrition expert, or not.
#4 Being Too Overwhelming
You can make the best diet recommendations, but if your patient is confused on how to implement the diet, feels overwhelmed, doesn’t have the resources to make the diet work, isn’t certain of what to eat, or doesn’t know how to fit it into their lifestyle, then they will not make the necessary changes.
Without strategies, resources, lists, charts, and guides for helping your clients implement the complexities of a new diet, implementation will be unlikely, and their health does not improve…that’s why my BioIndividual Nutrition training provides practitioners with client handouts and resources to improve the process of transitioning/sustaining a new diet and addresses their leading questions.
#5 Being Too Limited/Restrictive
Some practitioners understand the value of all the different therapeutic diets, but they are not able to determine which diet to implement, prioritize, stagger, alter, or combine. Therefore the practitioner recommends implementing three or four diets simultaneously, causing the client to have too few foods to choose from. The variety in the diet suffers, and the client may develop nutrient deficiencies or food sensitivities to the few foods they are able to eat.
To prevent this problem, practitioners need to learn about common symptoms, underlying biochemical imbalances, and how to prioritize the right diets at the proper time. Doing so will ensure success with even the most complex and sensitive patients.
This is an advanced strategy of combining special diets and preventing over-restriction, something I cover in detail in my practitioner course.
There IS more you can do to help your clients truly feel better!
To start integrating these advanced strategies in your practice and become the MOST successful practitioner in your field, enroll in the BioIndividual Nutrition training.
