When it comes to furthering your health care career, adding accredited nutrition programs is one way to build up on your existing experience and skill set. But, not all nutritional programs are created equally. When evaluating accredited programs with a focus on nutrition and diet, here are the things you’ll want to look for:

When deciding between accredited nutrition programs, you’ll want to look for more than just a few certifications and memberships. For example, you will want to look at if the program is accredited by health and governmental agencies, as well as organizations specializing in whole person education and health care including: the NCHEC (National Commission on Health Education Credentialing), the AHNA (American Holistic Nurses Association), and the Commission on Dietetic Registration for the American Dietetic Association. With NIWH’s over a dozen accreditations, you can feel confident that the NIWH’s accredited whole health programs are some of the best in the nation.

In addition, does the program provide you approved Continuing Education contact hours in your professional specialty and can you qualify for additional professional credentials by successfully completing the program you are considering? Does the program also provide health insurance billing opportunities and credentialing?

As a student in NIWH’s accredited nutrition programs, you’ll be learning from some of the most innovative and dynamic professionals in the holistic healthcare field today. These are names that are synonymous with healthy living, better nutrition, and whole person healthcare; Mark Hyman, MD, Bernie Siegel, MD, and Anne Louise Gittleman, PhD. With dozens of presenters on a variety of integrated healthcare topics, you’ll be assured of getting the best possible whole person health education from the brightest minds in the field.

PLEASE NOTE: NIWH nutrition courses are patient/client education focused, providing epidemiological and evidence-base science on the how and why of nutrition in disease prevention, health recovery, wellness maintenance and for patient/client whole health education. Our whole foods focused nutrition courses are designed to enhance the professional’s knowledge of the science of nutrition but ARE NOT intended to teach learners how to recommend or prescribe diets or supplements to their patients or clients.

Unless a professional has a licensed scope of practice and credentials, along with professional liability insurance to practice nutrition, there are both legal and ethical constraints related to advising an individual about nutrition. The whole picture of heath® approach invites the client into understanding the cause and effect of the physical, emotional, nutritional, environmental and spiritual components of health so they can make the informed, sustainable lifestyle choices they deem are appropriate with their values and needs.

If you’d like to learn more about The National Institute of Whole Health and our accredited nutrition programs, we invite you to call toll-free 1-888-354-HEAL (4325).