Functional nutrition is the holistic approach to diet, taking into consideration one’s lifestyle factors that could affect their food choices, such as activity levels, environment, or the presence of chronic disease. You may be wondering how this is different from standard nutrition practice, but the key is in the holistic approach.[1]
Standard nutrition focuses on the nutritional facts, such as a food or food group’s ability to promote or damage health (whether it’s “good” or “bad” for you). Functional nutrition looks at these facts, too, but in the context of an individual’s physiological makeup and how they live, such as how often they move, the quality of their relationships, and their stress level. Essentially, just because a food or food group has been demonstrated as being “good for you,” it doesn’t mean it’s good for you — functional nutrition means one size doesn’t fit all [2]
Supporting a healthy life beyond the plate means other aspects of your life. The quality of your relationships, your stress levels from whatever source stress comes from and your sleep routine. They all impact the way your body processes and assimilate the food you eat.
[1] Nina Zorfass, “What Is Functional Nutrition?,” (2026).
[2] Nina Zorfass, “What Is Functional Nutrition?.”
A lack of quality sleep combined with stress can lead to the consumption of sugar-laden foods that provide a temporary sense of well-being but quickly result in a decline in mood and energy. Aa a Certified Functional Nutrition Coach I review your life experiences, from birth to your current age to discover your health history. My goal is to suggest ways nutrition can support you in making better health choices, choices that align you with your needs, goals and address your Major Cause of Concern.
In this book, I present an example of a Life History Health Review and provide comments and information on the health issues disclosed. We all encounter health issues that progressively worsen over time. The example Life History Health Review highlights how the Major Cause for Concern that prompted the young lady to complete this review had life and health concerns that dated back years and, in some cases, she had endured early and repeated warning signs. This is true of Type 2 Diabetes. In my book, Early Mistakes Cause Diabetes, I provided a less detailed review of my life over the previous 25–30 years and identified where and why I made nutritional, stress, and lifestyle mistakes that ultimately led to my Type 2 Diabetes.
This book will help you understand how nutrition changes and how consumption of whole foods can help you develop a better sense of self and, in the future, encounter fewer health challenges. We examine a Life History Review and a Major Cause for Concern.
