Not all nutrition programs are created equal. Some only focus on food types and diet variations. Others promote only a single diet as the most balanced and natural way to eat. At the National Institute of Whole Health, one of the most well respected accredited nutrition and whole health programs in the U.S., we go above and beyond traditional diet and nutritional science and provide our learners with The Big Picture of Health®.

Without an evidence-based foundation or scientific understanding of how the Whole Person, Whole Health and Whole Body functions as an interrelated system, nutritional guidance or information can be ineffective in the recovery of health and prevention of disease.With this in mind, are some considerations to look for when deciding among accredited nutrition schools in the U.S.

How Exactly Is a School Accredited?

Accreditation can mean different things. The point of a federal oversight accreditation is to insure the learner that their program has been peer-reviewed and approved/accredited by a national association tasked with establishing standards for medical and healthcare training. Some schools are not accredited, but rather licensed by a Vocational School state licensing board. This means the school is an entry level training program and provides vocational school training.

Others may have an approval from a non-recognized “board” that is not nationally accredited by an oversight body. This is an IMPORTANT distinction to make when shopping on-line for a program. Be sure to look at WHICH PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS peer review and accredit their program. If you are a nurse, please note that nutrition practice is outside the scope of almost all state nursing licenses and scope of practice.

A nursing license does not confer the legal or ethical right to practice nutrition, which is a licensed or regulated professional, and this has created numerous financial and legal problems for nurses practicing nutrition. You can check with your state Board of Nursing to clarify this issue and protect yourself and your practice from potential sanctions. Our 3-in-1 Whole Health Education programs provide Whole Health training and confer additional credentials for healthcare and medical professionals, which allow you to provide patient health education, including nutrition education.

Learn from the Comfort of Home

If you’ve always wanted to add an additional scope of practice to educate your patients about nutrition but simply haven’t had the time, taking courses from the National Institute of Whole Health can be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. Because all of our holistic programs, including our integrative, whole health nutrition courses are conducted online, you’ll enjoy all the benefits of learning at your own pace and on your own schedule.

All you need to get started as a computer with an Internet connection. What’s more, many participants in our accredited nutrition courses find that they can complete the entire course program in a year or less. There’s no better time to get started. Call toll-free at 1-888-354-HEAL (4325) and speak with one of our program representatives about how our whole health nutrition courses and program can help advance your career.

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.