What is a NTC?

​As a new practitioner in the Custom Wellness office, I am sure to receive the question, “What is a Nutritional Therapy Consultant (NTC) and why may I need the support of one?” These are important questions, as we live in a time of information overload. Everyday we are bombarded with the next best diet or supplement to help us reach our health goals, often with empty promises of quick results. As an NTC, I help individuals who are confused, overwhelmed, or discouraged with their health learn how to connect the power of food with how their body functions and feels. 

The Nutritional Therapy Association from which I received my nutrition training focuses on a bio-individual approach to wellness. This means I focus on each of us as unique individuals. There’s not a “one-size-fits-all” approach or one best diet for everyone. We all come from unique backgrounds that include lifestyle factors, ancestry, environment, and more. As an NTC, I aim to reinforce your body's own wisdom and use food to support and heal, thus allowing the body to function as it was designed to.

I will guide you through understanding our foundations as the basis for good health. This begins with a whole food, nutrient dense, properly prepared diet. From that foundation we continue to focus on digestion, blood sugar balance, mineral balance, fatty acid balance, and hydration. When these foundations are out of balance, we see the consequences in other systems of the body, like our immune, hormonal, thyroid, and adrenal systems, for example.

Addressing these foundations can be described as taking a root cause approach, but WHY take a root cause approach? If we choose to treat just the symptoms we are experiencing, we are using a “band-aid” approach and will continue chasing symptom after symptom. 

Think of it in terms of this analogy: if you step on a tack and it gets stuck in your foot, you begin to experience swelling and pain. You then decide to use ibuprofen, for example, to manage your symptoms. Although you experience relief from those symptoms, if the tack is left in your foot, the pain and swelling continues and may actually cause more harm over time. In this scenario, the root cause of the symptoms was never addressed and we understand there will be long term consequences over time affecting the body. The same is true with our nutrition. If we continue to leave in place the same poor diet and only treat the symptoms, we may be running in circles. Conversely, if we remove the poor diet and replace it with a nutrient dense diet that fuels our body well, then the supportive therapies we choose will have greater benefit and bring us closer to the life we desire!

So, what can Nutritional Therapy address? A LOT!  Nutritional Therapy is extremely powerful in getting to the root cause and supporting the foundations of digestion, blood sugar regulation, mineral and fatty acid balance, and hydration. This can go a long way in supporting the body’s natural balance and results in many symptoms beginning to fade. 

We’ll use nutrition and the foundations to address symptoms of digestive discomfort, bloating, constipation, acid reflux, acne, eczema and psoriasis, other skin conditions, joint pain, mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, hormonal imbalances, period regulation, fertility, athletic performance, autoimmune conditions, chronic health conditions, energy levels, stress, weight loss or weight gain, and much more. The list is expansive in that nutrition affects every aspect of our body’s function. As an NTC, I do not diagnose or “cure”, but instead help support your body and its ability to heal on its own. 

What can you expect when you choose to work with me as your Nutritional Therapy Consultant? We begin by having you complete a full nutritional assessment questionnaire, a 3-4 day food and mood journal, and initial in-depth interview with me. From there, we take an individualized look at where your body is experiencing imbalance, the symptoms you are experiencing, and your lifestyle factors. We then develop an individualized approach to optimize your nutrition and make the necessary changes. This approach does require commitment. With nutrition changes, we may see some immediate positive effects, but it is over the long term that the body regains its health.

Every nutrition counseling package includes weekly check-ins that allow us to work together through the necessary changes, adjust as we go, educate and support, and address roadblocks and mindset. Using this approach for nutrition puts in place a long term sustainable way to support your body’s health! Through this process, I am your coach, encourager, and accountability partner, providing support and resources to help you succeed!  Let’s work together to get back to the basics of nutrition and explore how food was meant to nourish our body and bring healing, enjoyment, and connection with others.

Want to get started with nutritional therapy? Contact me, Cheryl Overweg, NTC, at cheryl@customwellnesholland.com for a free 20 minute phone consultation to explore the different programs offered! I look forward to meeting you and supporting you in your journey to better health!


Written by: Cheryl Overweg, NTC