Nutritional Coaching & the Wisdom of the Whole Coaching Model 

by Paula Szloboda, RN, MA, MBA, NC-BC

What is nutritional coaching?

It is a whole-person approach to helping clients make the dietary changes they desire to support their health and wellness goals. It is a blended model of coaching and consulting in which the coach and client collaborate to find a dietary approach that will work for the client. This approach is designed to both heal the body with food and also heal the relationship one has to food while honoring one’s culture and traditions and tapping into the joy of eating and sharing delicious and nutritious food.

So, how does Nutritional Coaching fit in with the WOW Integral Coaching Model, which incorporates the Mental, Mythical, Intuitive (Magical), and Archaic while working with the whole person?

Mental – In a traditional sense, nutrition practice is very mental – recording, measuring, and analyzing. However, every Structure of Consciousness is present in the work of nutritional coaching.

Archaic – Food ties into our deepest roots, including family, culture, homeland and ancestral traditions. When we work with our clients, they bring their ancestral traditions, culture and family food history, which we honor in the nutritional coaching model.

Mythical – Every individual and family has stories about their food traditions that keep culture alive – favorite foods, holiday traditions, foods that are not part of the family’s food landscape, and treasured recipes.

Intuitive – Our bodies give us feedback allowing us to tap into the wisdom and knowledge residing within our bodies. Working with clients to identify and develop their ability to tune into their somatic knowing is a powerful piece of the nutritional coaching model.

Nutritional coaching is an integral process that incorporates each structure of consciousness. The client steers the process, choosing the goals, and giving permission to the coach to wear a consultant’s hat when desired by the client. The coach looks for leverage points or places where small changes can be make big differences for the client. Nutritional coaching is not just about nutrition; it is about whole-person nourishment.

Now that you know what Nutritional Coaching is, join me for my Nutritional Coaching course!  Click here to learn more about the benefits of this course and to register.

Paula Szloboda, RN, MA, MBA, BC-NC, is a therapeutic chef. Her unique approach blends health coaching and health education to help clients develop sustainable nutritional approaches centered on healing foods to address multiple health challenges. She earned her MA in Health Education with a specialization in Holistic Nutrition and MBA from John F. Kennedy University where she teaches nutrition courses. Paula resides in Taos, New Mexico where she works with the Red Willow people of the Taos Pueblo