By considering all of the parts that make up each individual and by acknowledging that no two people or bodies are the same, I know it takes more than a healthy grocery list to eat healthier. It takes customized care and education to succeed in implementing changes and routines that stick, for a vibrant, nutritious diet and lifestyle. What is your mind, body, and spirit craving? I’m Sam, and I’m a Holistic Health & Wellness practitioner, offering nutrition coaching out of Burlington, VT. I offer in-person or online coaching. I have a passion for self-care and eating for the whole self. I love to focus on eating happy, colorful foods for happy heads and hearts.
Whole Hart Holistic Nutrition & Wellness offers nutrition and lifestyle coaching for a wealth of creative food knowledge and supported lifestyle modifications. My program supports you in implementing the changes you desire while in pursuit of your nutrition and wellness goals. I’m genuinely curious, eager to learn, and I listen to understand. I will meet you where you’re at in order to offer my support, knowledge, and creativity to implement a new wealth of food and nutrition knowledge for a lifestyle make-over that sticks because it works for you, and the whole of you. I want to help you feel as great as you can feel. I value kindness, patience, adventure, excitement for life, and that “zingy” feeling from eating a whole foods diet. And, I love to eat.
What does Holistic mean?
The holistic approach to nutrition involves taking into consideration all of the parts that make up a whole person. Ideally, we’d like all the pieces of a person’s life to feel balanced, and as result, the individual to feel at peace. By giving thought to our mind, body, and spirit, we paint a more clear picture of ourselves in order to see where we may need to give the self a bit more love. For some, if the physical body isn’t getting adequate exercise, their mental health may falter. For others, in the absence of feeling a connection to a community, their spirit may feel down, which may result in physical symptoms of fatigue or depression. If the body is not feeling healthy, our emotional wellbeing may suffer the consequences. When we don’t eat a healthy diet, we may not have the energy to do the things that make us happy.
A Holistic Nutrition Coach helps an individual take a look at their diet, mindset, exercise, relationships, stress, and happiness to see where the work needs to be done. If we spend too much time partaking in activities that do not serve us, we may not feel like we have the time to meal prep and cook nutritious meals for ourselves. Nutritionally, we work with the understanding that all of the parts of an individual are connected in some way. I believe food to be foundational in how we nourish ourselves. By prioritizing the consumption of whole foods that are nutrient-dense, we are taking preventative measures against illness. With a coaching relationship, we’ll together examine nutrition with lifestyle to improve overall health. Holistic Nutrition Practitioners, also called coaches, assist folks in seeking health for the entire person rather than remedying a symptom.
What are Whole Foods?
A beautiful and fundamental way of learning to identify a diet that serves you rather than slows you down is to focus on “SOUL” foods, which therefore limits the intake of “SAD” foods. I believe that there are no “bad” foods and that we should always recognize the cues from our bodies on what it is craving, by being intentional eaters. However, for optimal health, we really want most of what we consume to be Seasonal, Organic, Unprocessed, and Local foods. These are the whole foods that are in their most natural and unchanged form, which means they will have the highest concentration of nutrients, and they are free of modification or additives. Look for foods that have no label or ingredients. Simply put, they are their own ingredient. SAD foods are the foods that make up the Standard American Diet. These are the processed, refined foods that are stripped of their nutrients in an effort to be more affordable or shelf-stable. SAD foods are packed full of hidden salt, sugar, and fat; these are the convenience foods that we reach for in a pinch or to satisfy a quick craving. These are foods that are not fresh and oftentimes come with a long list of ingredients that we may not know how to pronounce. Every time we reach for SAD foods, we miss an opportunity to really nourish ourselves with an act of self-love. SAD foods slow us down. With the healthiest foods, we nourish not only our bodies; we nourish our minds and spirits, too. Each time we chose colorful whole foods is an opportunity to take a step towards happiness. Eating well helps the whole self to thrive.
Mindfulness & Intuitive Eating
My favorite way to tap into our innate knowledge of how to eat intuitively is to practice mindfulness. By carefully considering, without judgment, how each food choice will affect our mind, body, and spirit, we are more carefully choosing what we put into our bodies and for what reason. We slow down and think about how we feel after we eat a chosen food. A bucket of fries made from potatoes that were picked, packed, frozen, and shipped from the other side of the country just doesn’t hit the same way as a fresh, locally sourced apple that we took the time to pick off of the tree ourselves. How do you feel moments, hours, days after a big fresh salad vs a fast-food meal?
Holistic Nutrition Coaching
A client/coach relationship is a safe, judgment-free space for offering education, support, and guidance. Your coach is your cheerleader as you embark on your journey from learning, to knowing, to acting. Your Holistic Nutrition Coach will work together with you to take a look at your whole self and your lifestyle and offer modifications that can help you get to where you want to be. A coach offers personalized, education-based support, using your own intuition as the driving force. Through your work together, your coach will help you to see which food choices feel best for you. You’ll learn how to find the time to stock your kitchen full of whole foods that you enjoy, and how to set yourself up for success, resulting in a long-lasting upgrade in your diet and your health.
How is a Coach different from other Nutrition Professionals?
A Holistic Nutrition Coach plays a different part in the nutrition journey than some other nutrition-related roles that you may have heard about. Different than a one-on-one Holistic Nutrition Coach, nutritionists often work in clinical settings, care facilities, nursing homes, government positions, or school districts. A nutritionist is trained in assessing your health needs based on your diagnosis from a doctor and educates you about general health, food behavior, and nutrition. Registered Dietitians work in similar settings as nutritionists, but they can help diagnose and treat illness alongside others, such as mental health professionals or other professionals in these settings. You can oftentimes find RD’s in in-patient or out-patient care facilities. RD’s oftentimes work with those with eating disorders, substance abuse issues, or those with symptoms that can be managed with a specific diet. They take into consideration recurrent medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. A Holistic Nutrition Coach will look at every person and everybody as an individual for customized care.
What are you seeking?
If you’re looking to use nutrition as the foundation for nourishment and growth in pursuit of holistic health, a coaching relationship could be it. You may come to your Nutrition Coach with a diagnosis, and they will then offer guidance and education, and offer the tools you need to succeed. They may help you find ways to sneak more veggies into your meals, cut out your food intolerances, find the motivation to exercise, learn how to kick the sugar cravings, or stop stress-eating. A coach cannot diagnose, however they can work with your doctor to help implement your doctor-ordered meal plan or lifestyle change. You will be offered education based on whole-self health, supported in connecting to your values, while honoring the process, and building collaborative and creative care plans for lasting results. In learning to let go of what is not serving us, and leaning into what is serving us, we oftentimes gain happiness, as well as release unwanted emotional and physical weight. A Nutrition Coach will help you to move beyond the resistance and guide you in finding the motivation to implement the desired change.
We all know we should eat well; a Nutrition Coach will help you to make it happen.
Want to get in touch with Samantha Hart?
Instagram: @wholehart.nutrition
Website: http://wholehartwellness.com/
Email: wholehartwellness@gmail.com
