You hear a variety of terms and titles tossed around when it comes to nutrition and coaching. Nutrition coach, health coach, life coach, relationship coach, wellness coach, the list goes on and on.

Have you ever wondered what the difference is? If there’s an education component involved, a level of training necessary to achieve a certain title, or if coaches are simply naming themselves based on who they want to help?

Today, we’ll explain the differences between health coaches and nutrition coaches and other nutrition professionals. Plus, we’ll share how Certified Transformational Nutrition Coaches (CTNCs) are educated and trained so you never have to wonder if you’re choosing the right coach for you again.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HEALTH COACH, A NUTRITION COACH, AND OTHER NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS?

Let’s first start by defining them.

HEALTH COACH

Health coaches are trained in coaching skills that allow them to support and enhance how their clients respond and react to their recommendations and suggestions.

A coach is trained to prompt, urge, and initiate improvement and growth. It’s an important skill for any health or nutrition coach to have. But health coaching is just that – an important acquired skill, not the education.

DIETITIAN

A dietitian is an educated expert in human nutrition and diet, but their nutrition training is purely science-based. Dietitians have no coaching training and are solely focused on how food affects the physical body.

Here at ITN, we believe that nutrition is anything that feeds you – physically, mentally, and spiritually.

NUTRITION COACH

Nutrition coaches and nutrition professionals have an advanced holistic nutrition education that allows them to make proven, evidence-based health and wellness recommendations.

Their health coaching skills that they’ve learned as a part of their coach training allow them to share their knowledge with their clients in a way that supports and enhances how their clients react and respond.

Nutrition professionals have a science-based education, focusing on a foundation of anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, nutrition, nutrient composition, and the science behind food, plus much more. They are well researched, think critically, and address their clients’ concerns on a deeper, knowledgeable level.

Certified Transformational Nutrition Coaches (CTNCs) are in fact nutrition coaches as you can see from the title.

But Certified Transformational Nutrition Coaches take things one step further.

TRANSFORMATIONAL NUTRITION

Certified Transformational Nutrition Coaches (CTNCs) are the only nutrition professionals trained in Transformational Nutrition®, the scientific study of health and human wellness in multiple areas, including physical nutrition, mental nutrition, and spiritual nutrition.

Transformational Nutrition is the only coaching method that focuses on all three areas of healthy living which allow you to transform your health and your life at the same time.

Gone are the days of ‘wellness’ everything. The Institute of Transformational Nutrition (ITN) is, in fact, a nutrition school, but ITN takes it one step further.

Have you ever wondered what the word nutrition actually means?

At ITN, we’re redefining nutrition to mean anything that feeds you – physically, mentally, and spiritually.

So not only are CTNCs nutrition coaches, trained in all the deeper, science-based components nutrition coaches truly need, but they are trained in a groundbreaking, holistic nutrition approach.

TRANSFORMATIONAL NUTRITION COACHING METHOD

We already talked about the fact that health coaching is a coaching skill and tool that nutrition coaches and professionals are trained in to help them successfully share their clinical knowledge with their clients in order to promote compliance, understanding, and success.

Certified Transformational Nutrition Coaches again take it one step further. They’re trained in the Transformational Nutrition Coaching Method®.

Their clients complete a Transformational Nutrition Health Assessment form where they then use a Symptom Tracker to analyze 22 areas of their clients’ health, life, and success.

They can then automatically create personalized protocols that include physical nutrition, mental nutrition, and spiritual nutrition for their clients.

So their coaching skills are again holistic in the three pillars of health, not only focused on the food their clients are putting into their bodies.

ALL COACHES ARE NOT CREATED EQUALLY

As you can see, not all coaches are created equally. And nutrition as we know it has to change. Actually, it has changed at ITN. If you’re searching for a coach to help you heal on a deeper, more comprehensive level, you must choose a nutrition coach.

If you’re looking to take that one step further and heal mentally and spiritually for lasting results, you must choose a Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach.

And if you’re looking to become a coach and are on the fence about which program to choose, you can see from this information that it’s incredibly important you’re not only learning the skills needed to coach, but that you’re learning all the science-based evidence, reasoning, and nutrition education necessary to lead your clients to total transformations.

TAKEAWAY

To summarize, nutrition coaches are trained and educated in the science behind nutrition, modern-day nutrition coaches such as Certified Transformational Nutrition Coaches are trained in physical nutrition, spiritual nutrition, and mental nutrition. Health coaching is a skillset and tool that allows these nutrition coaches to transform their knowledge into lasting results for their clients.

Ultimately, nutrition is a moving target. Health is a moving target. Cookie-cutter coaching plans and low-fat diets don’t work for everyone.

That’s why you need the knowledge and skills that modern-day, forward-thinking coaches have to not only personalize plans for your clients, but to help coach them to successful outcomes.