What is a RNCP?Who to turn to when you need help achieving optimal health
Source: Canada's Healthy Living Guide, August 2004
What is a RNCP?
Who to turn to when you need help achieving optimal health
Source: Canada's Healthy
Living Guide, August 2004
Confused and frustrated from trying to figure out which diet is the healthiest for you? Overwhelmed by all the nutrition-related information in the public forum? Registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioners (RNCPs) can educate you about the benefits of a sound nutritional program and healthy lifestyle and help you achieve optimum health.
Understanding that every person is biochemically unique, RNCPs, who are professionals trained in holistic nutrition and complementary therapies, assess individual nutritional imbalances and weaknesses to enhance your immune system and recommend specific diets and nutritional support to help you build and maintain well-being.
Assisting you to make the best possible food choices, RNCPs stress the importance of eating a variety of foods to ensure all essential nutrients are included in the diet. In addition, these professionals will introduce new dietary habits and incorporate the latest nutritional breakthroughs. However, it may be difficult to achieve optimal health through food alone and RNCPs will design personalized dietary supplement programs to suit individual needs.
RNCPs can help you navigate confidently through the maze of nutritional claims and counterclaims, designing an individualized program that recognizes your unique biochemistry and enhances your health. In the past, it was the custom to follow the Canada Food Guide in the hopes of achieving sound dietary principles. However, we now know that the guide does not meet the nutritional requirements for superior health nor does it provide even basic requirements for everyone, as we are all different, and our dietary needs vary greatly.
For example, until food sensitivities are corrected, some people must avoid certain foods, such as most breads and pasta (if gluten intolerant) and dairy (if lactose intolerant or casein intolerant). For others, it may be necessary to eat alkaline foods while detoxifying; therefore, the suggested two or three servings of meat per day in the Canada Food Guide would be inappropriate for a time.
Environmental pollution, metal toxicity, micro-organism imbalance, and allergies are among the other factors that RNCPs consider in constructing a personalized nutritional program.
RNCPs
are certified by the International Organization of Nutritional Consultants (IONC).
A voluntary, nonprofit, incorporated organization, IONC was founded in 1983
to create public awareness about holistic nutritional consulting and to regulate
the standards of education for holistic nutritional consultants.
The professional members of IONC adhere to the organization¹s strict educational and ethical standards and are granted exclusive use of the title, Registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioner. (In Alberta, they receive the designation, Nutritional Consulting Practitioner [NCP].) Only those people who have thoroughly studied nutrition and have met the requirements of IONC are granted the RNCP or NCP designations.
Many RNCPs complement their nutritional counselling practice with other therapies such as herbal medicine, homeopathy, and dietary supplements. They network with other complementary health professionals and make referrals when necessary.
Within IONC are nutritional consultants who are also registered nurses, naturopathic doctors, dentists, dietitians, chiropractors, veterinarians, acupuncturists, herbalists, homeopaths, iridologists, and massage therapists.
A visit to an RNCP promises to be an educational experience where you will learn to make lifestyle changes that have a long-lasting effect on your quality of life. As a result of the benefits and vital work that RNCPs perform, many extended health care plans are now covering RNCP service fees for IONC members.