Some of you may be wondering, what even is a health coach? It’s a great question and an important distinction to make. There are so many people out there now in the health and wellness space, and it can be a little confusing to figure out who does what and who might be the best fit for you to work with. There are dietitians, nutritionists, life coaches, therapists, health coaches, and more. The way I like to think about health coaching is it being somewhere in the middle of it all. A little bit nutritionist, a little bit therapist, a little bit life coach. But let’s get into the specifics.
Dietician: a dietician needs to have the registered dietician (RD) credential and is an expert in food and nutrition. They are medical professionals who take a clinical approach to nutrition. There are many requirements, both academic and professional, that an RD must meet before being able to practice.
Nutritionist: A nutritionist does not need a specific requirement or certification to practice, but some states require nutritionists to be licensed. Titles vary state and state and country to country. A nutritionist generally coaches their clients around health and the impact of dietary change.
Therapist: A therapist helps individuals on a deep, emotional level. People struggling with self-doubt, anxiety, depression, and a variety of other emotional concerns will benefit from working with a therapist, because emotional challenges can get in the way of any other change or opportunity to grow and heal.
Life Coach: A life coach will help you gain clarity about what you’re striving for, help you make a plan, and take action. An individual who is not struggling with deep emotional challenges but wants to create change in his/her life might benefit from seeing a life coach.
My health coaching certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition
HEALTH COACH: A health coach is a combination of each of the above and therefore can take a holistic approach, looking at your diet and lifestyle and help you understand how both are directly related to your overall health. They do not diagnose, but they can help create action-based plans to help you find greater balance (physically and mentally) and to improve your overall health.
How can health coaching benefit you?
If you are not having serious medical issues, but you want to address health concerns and want to lead an overall healthier life, a health coach is a great person to reach out to.
If you are seeing a doctor and have been diagnosed with a condition where you need to cut certain foods out of your diet (ex. Gluten or sugar or caffeine), a health coach can help you develop strategies to find success.
Rather than telling you exactly what to do to heal and live a healthier life, a health coach works together with the client to create goals and to set small, achievable action steps.
A health coach can be a helpful accountability coach when you are struggling with health and happiness.
A health coach provides space for you to reflect and inquire, so that you can get to the root cause of symptoms, rather than treating them with pills and medications, as is the western way of medicine. (While seeing a health coach, you should not stop seeing your practitioner).
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