Courses

Nutrition and Health: The Fundamentals changes the lens for how the world of health and healing is viewed. It sets the stage for the examination of nature’s power within the holistic paradigm. It is IHN’s foundational course, providing students with an understanding of “food as information” and orthomolecular concepts in the prevention of disease and the acquisition of optimal health. Fundamentals offers students a framework for the study of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), energy-yielding nutrients (carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins), metabolism, digestion, absorption, and energy balance. The syllabus provides an in-depth analysis of their functions, classification and dietary requirements within an evidence-based model. This course teaches the mechanics and principles of essential nutrients for restoring the body’s ability to heal.

Ayurveda: Mind/Body Healing Unique to IHN, Ayurveda is the science by which life in its totality is understood – the traditional natural medicine of India, dating back over five thousand years as it describes the diet, medicines, and behaviors that are beneficial or harmful for life and consciousness. It classifies all the factors of our lives in an organic energetic language that reflects the entire living biosphere around us. According to this philosophy, there are three primary life forces, called doshas, in the body – Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, which are the manifestations of the Great Elements of air, fire, and water. When out of balance, they are the causative factors in the diseased process. If we eat and behave in ways that support both our constitution and our environment, we are likely to stay clean, clear, and healthy. Students will be taught and evaluated on constitutional balance through an in-depth assessment of body systems and dietary recommendations according to dosha (physical) and gunas (spiritual).

Learning Outcomes:

• Develop customized protocols using Ayurvedic assessment tools such as tongue analysis, tonification, purification, and detoxification
• Explain the classifications of disease (innate, exogenous, and psychic) that arise when the body is not in balance
• Describe how each of the six tastes of sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent are manifestations of 2 of the 5 elements – earth, air, water, fire, and ether – and have a symbiotic relationship with the foods we eat
• Learn to properties of healing Ayurvedic herbs such as Triphala, Aloe Gel, and Trikatu
• Assess how the accumulation of Ama when there is a disruption in the metabolic force of Agni

Ayurveda teaches students how to embody the Ayurvedic lifestyle through the daily incorporation of meditation, yoga, and breathwork. Practitioners recommend general dietary plans to rebalance constitution based on dosha type and specific detoxification diets such as Palliation Therapy and Pancha Karma which stabilize digestion through deep tissue cleansings.

Nutrition & the Environment The teachings in IHN’s Nutrition and the Environment is based on the underlying philosophy that promoting the health of ecosystems benefits human health. This course establishes the importance of recognizing the interdependency between all living organisms and the need to pursue sustainability, and seek environmental justice. Students will examine the soil food web, food insecurity, pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, sustainable food production, and how to advocate for local and global food security. Students will gain an understanding of climate change, air pollution, and toxic materials in everyday consumer items and gain practical knowledge for limiting exposure.

This course includes a hands-on component by visiting an organic farm to gain direct experience of local and sustainable food production.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the impacts of large-scale agriculture and processing methods on human health and the environment, including biodiversity impacts, carbon footprints, and soil depletion.
• Understand the broad mechanisms and health impacts of climate change and the impacts of food production on climate change.
• Knowledge of the prevalence and health impacts of heavy metals contaminants found in foods, harmful food additives, and leaching from food packaging.
• Understanding of the health impacts of ambient and household air pollution and how to reduce exposure and improve household air quality.
• Explain common toxic materials found in consumer items, clothing, cleaning products, and cosmetics, and how to choose better alternatives
• Explain how the seven channels of elimination (colon, lungs, liver, kidneys, blood, lymphatic system, and skin) eliminate wastes, both nutritional and environmental, from the body.
• Practical knowledge and resources for selecting safer and more sustainable foods, consumer items, and household products

Nutrition and The Environment offers students knowledge of sustainable methods of food production including organic and biodynamic food production/certification as well as understanding of issues surrounding food insecurity, including how to reduce food waste and support local and national initiatives to promote food justice. This course is a deep dive in describing how the impact of environmental pollution, societal inequities, poor nutrition, electromagnetic fields, and stress that contributes to the Barrel Effect. This course focuses on how human health and the health of our food and environment are inextricably linked.

Learning Outcomes:

• Describe the forces that hold atoms and molecules together
• Write formulas and structures for inorganic and organic compounds
• Identify functional groups and associated compounds
• Explain the levels of protein structure and the biological roles of protein
• Describe the chromosome structure, numbers, and inheritance patterns

Biological Chemistry is the foundation of nutritional sciences as it explains the symbiotic connection between micro and macronutrients and how they ultimately affect each person’s individual needs for optimal health.

Human Anatomy & Physiology begins with the structure and function of the cell and continues with the organization of the human body from the submicroscopic to the macroscopic. It begins with the incredible arrangement of chemicals and cells to form tissues, organs, and organ systems. To address chronic diseases and conditions, credible practitioners are required to be knowledgeable in the identification and processes of body systems. Specific topics covered will be transport methods, the lymphatic system, the gastrointestinal tract, the endocrine system, and the reproductive system. The symbiosis of physiology will be explored with a focus on integrative and homeostatic control mechanisms. Concepts are foundational in becoming scientifically literate when reading and assessing health information. Students are taught and evaluated on anatomical systems such as: skeletal, muscular, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive.

Learning Outcomes:

• Ability to detail the composition and function of the cell and its organelles
• Confidence to identify and explain the four types of body tissues
• Explain the components of body systems and their structure, control, and characteristics
• Describe the significance of homeostasis in application to nutrition sciences through the management of the nervous and endocrine systems.
• Understand blood composition and hemostasis

Human Anatomy & Physiology elucidates the organizational composition of body systems through an in-depth analysis of the mechanisms of biological pathways. Thorough knowledge of anatomy and physiology establishes the authority of practitioners to prepare protocols that specifically address organic equilibrium.

Body Metabolism is intimately linked to the nutritional sciences. The goal of this course is to give students an understanding of what the body does with the food we consume. This course begins with a detailed study of enzymes including the centrality of vitamins and minerals. This course examines the metabolic reactions used to obtain energy from carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids and reactions used to excrete wastes such as urea and uric acid. Cellular respiration including the citric acid cycle is thoroughly taught. This course provides detailed knowledge of factors regulating blood sugar including the key metabolic hormones insulin and glucagon and the metabolic pathway of gluconeogenesis. Other topics include digestive hormones, production of lactic acid, lipid carriers, and the effects of low carbohydrate diets on ketosis, and more. Students are taught and evaluated on biological and metabolic pathways.

Learning Outcomes

• Describe the significance of vitamins and minerals for enzyme function and the factors inhibiting enzyme activity
• Discuss the stages of cellular respiration and explain how the electron transport chain works
• Explain digestion, absorption and metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids
• Detail the structure of the liver and its significance in Phase I and Phase II of detoxification

Body Metabolism equips students with a key insight into the biological mechanics of metabolism with special attention to describing how the liver is the detoxification centre of the body. This course provides key insight into the biological processes of digesting and metabolizing proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids.

Comparative Diets provides a critical assessment of the many therapeutic benefits and limitations of several alternative diet approaches, including low-carb diets, high-protein diets (Paleo Diet, Dr. Atkins, Keto, Carnivore), Plant-based approaches (Vegetarian, Vegan, Fruitarian, Raw Food, Rainbow), Longevity and Cultural diets (Okinawa, Mediterranean, Macrobiotic, Fasting), Condition-based diets (Glycemic Index, Intermittent Fasting, Food Combining, Low-FODMAP-Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols, GAPS-Gut and Psychology Syndrome, AIP-Autoimmune Protocol). This course will also address, in detail, the main detoxification diets from caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine. Students are taught and evaluated on succinctly identifying dietary imbalances as well as analyzing micronutrient propositions to design custom health-promoting diets and lifestyle programs.

Learning Outcomes:

• Explore kinetics of living systems, the law of opposites and the effects on the body and feelings of certain foods, the meaning of cravings
• Distinguish the models of food dynamics including expansive/contracting and acid/alkaline food products
• Describe how holistic individuality, metabolic typing, and the blood type diet are rooted in personalized biochemistry
• Explain the benefits of cold-pressed juice to address both acute and chronic health conditions and increase vitality
• Develop insights into the fundamental knowledge of mechanistic principles and complementary effects of several alternative diet regimens on health

Comparative Diets informs future practitioners to recommend specific dietary protocols that are determined by biochemical individuality. To promote optimal health, this course instructs practitioners to safely and effectively recommend nourishing and cleansing diets.

Nutrition Through the Lifespan addresses macro and micronutrient needs based on the lifespan model. A healthy nutritional status is vital throughout every stage, supporting pregnancy outcomes, growth, and aging. This comprehensive course begins with the foundations of essential nutrients for fertility and pregnancy; pediatrics including lactation with particular attention to infant feeding in the first year; navigating childhood nutritional demands; to adolescence including allergies and disorders as they relate to the repercussions of nutritional deficiencies. Early adulthood, midlife and mature adulthood for women’s and men’s health is explored, adding lifestyle and environmental factors that contribute to optimal health at each life stage. Support for nutritional challenges faced in geriatric nutrition round out the program. This course introduces students to the etiology and symptoms of common health conditions that are a key determinant of nutritional status. Evaluations through tests and case studies examine individualized dietary requirements, giving students the insight and ability to design optimal nutrition, supplement and lifestyle guidance for clients throughout their stages of life.

• Address the imperative nature of optimal digestive health, at all stages

Nutritional Symptomatology Part 1 introduces students to the foundations of clinical nutrition by interpreting physiological symptoms and their relationships to nutritional deficiencies, excesses and toxicities. This course introduces the interrelationships of nutrients and the critical role they play in determining optimal health. Students will develop foundational, as well as condition specific, protocols to restore the body’s balance. This course trains students to understand how physiological symptoms reflect and determine an individual’s nutritional status. Concepts taught include the essential principles of biochemical individuality through i.e. genetics, environment, microbiome, to see each client, and themselves, as truly unique. Students are taught to produce, and are evaluated on, the completion of clinical case study sets.

Learning Outcomes:

• Gain insight into physiological symptoms associated with nutrient deficiency
• Develop professional food, supplement, lifestyle and detox protocols as they relate to specific clinical symptoms
• Learn detailed explanations of underlying causes of disease and their relationship to food from a cellular to systems perspective
• Understand how to develop comprehensive strategies with a focus on natural remedies for resolving common and complex issues

Nutritional Symptomatology Part 1 explores the process of holding consultations using a variety of practitioner-level assessment tools to move clients towards favourable outcomes. Students learn the critical role that biochemical individuality plays in determining results-based personalized nutrition.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the holistic viewpoint on the etiology of degenerative disease
• Develop protocols for specific health conditions through the use of nutrition, lifestyle changes, therapeutic modalities, and nutraceuticals
• Gain insight into the importance of why managing stress is critical for lowering the risk of disease and creating resilience
• Exposure to evidence-based nutrition research to demonstrate preventive strategies in acute and chronic health conditions

Preventive Health Care instructs future practitioners to recommend highly customized client protocols for a broad range of health conditions through the use of natural nutrition, lifestyle, holistic therapies, and supplementation. This course highlights the centrality of digestive health in the management of stress.

Advanced Nutrition Research introduces students to develop critical thinking skills to enhance their research into health and wellness trends through evidence-based scientific data. Students first learn the fundamentals of research in the context of nutrition and health, encompassing common terms and concepts, types of studies, ethical considerations, methodology, reliability, and validity of research designs. Students explore published research and its applications in depth, bridging the gap between nutrition and treatments correlated with prevention and wellness. Students will be encouraged to critically analyze research literature in this field.

All cooking classes are vegetarian.

Learning Outcomes 

• Define disease and disease-related terms including the chief causes of disease
• Define and discuss manifestations of disease of the discussed organ systems
• Demonstrate understanding of the nutritional connection in maintaining homeostasis
• Incorporate information provided by various testing/evaluation methods to plan nutritional supplementation and dietary therapies.

Nutritional Pathology provides evidence-based and scientific approaches to clinical nutrition. To develop strong protocols, practitioners will take into account acute and chronic diseases including nutritional, dietary, environmental, psychosomatic factors, and specific causes such as infections.

Learning Outcomes:
• Understanding the holistic approach to promoting wellness with nature’s medicines, both the healing plants which grow around us and effective imported herbs
• Exploration of the therapeutic actions of herbal medicines in the human body
• Awareness of proper harvesting, wildcrafting, drying and storage techniques for herbs and the many methods and uses including infusions, decoctions, inhalations, capsules, tinctures, salves, ointments and teas
• Ability to create herbal formulas with specific dosage recommendations for common conditions both internal and topical
• Evaluation of formulas and effectiveness of herbal remedies that are available commercially
• Understanding the application and the associated protocols of herbal treatment for both chronic and acute conditions

Herbal Medicine instructs future practitioners in the proper use of herbal nutraceuticals as valuable complements to nutritional and lifestyle protocols. This course strikes the difference between isolated, active ingredient medicine to the complex, synergistic effect of whole plant medicine as part of a holistic approach to health and healing.

The Psychology of Disease offers an introduction to the field of Energy Medicine. This well investigated branch of integrative and alternative medicine studies how biological, social and psychological factors influence health and illness. This course introduces students to the fundamental premise that our physical body demonstrably corresponds to our psychology. The energy of our thoughts, emotions and beliefs can express themselves as matter in the form of a condition or disease.
Students explore the energy centres of the body; the chakra system to understand how the body speaks through its own vocabulary. Its language is physical signs and symptoms that are tied to memories, environment or experiences, energetically creating an imbalance. The course looks at how chakras conduct the ten major systems of the body, particularly the endocrine system, and how increasing awareness of one’s thought patterns can inhibit or assist our health and our ability to achieve balance.
The Psychology of Disease is a unique course of personal self-development from self-knowledge and self-awareness that will inform future practitioners how to guide their clients to look for clues surrounding their health and work to unpack energetic blockages for deep healing.
Students will be taught and evaluated on introductory principles of energy medicine such as the biology of belief, therapeutic applications of subtle energies, the chakra system, as well as assignments to learn strategies that manifest wellness including the profound impact of food.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the physical, mental, and spiritual connections to health and illness
• How to identify thought patterns and belief systems that contribute to disease/health imbalances
• Be able to confidently provide recommendations for reframing stressors to shift perspectives, that can positively shift health outcomes
• Awareness of traditional and contemporary energy medicine modalities and techniques to build into one’s practice
• Getting out of the way of, and trusting your intuition
• Discernment around how and when to discuss the purpose of disease and the language of illness with clients

The Psychology of Disease is a personal development course that combines well-established mainstream science in chemistry and biology with quantum physics evidence that shows us there is no difference between energy and matter. Whether students look at chakras as literal places in the body, or metaphoric ones, this course will increase self-awareness to activate mind/body connections that optimize healing. Energy Medicine is at the forefront of driving curiosity to acknowledge and provide practitioners with the opportunity to learn how nature organizes itself, at all levels, for the greatest impact to healing.

Learning Outcomes

• Acquire a range of skills to apply to public or clinic-based lectures, educational workshops, webinars, programs
• How to create eye-catching promotional material using accessible graphic design platforms
• Increase confidence to deliver a well-structured message to an audience and how to respond to impromptu questions
• Foundations of effective communication (i.e. confidence, enthusiasm, eye contact, body language, logic, clarity, flow, pace, reading the room and using humour)
• To transform any fear of public speaking into a powerful act of being heard, understood and valued
• How to research, write, remember presentations and prepare accompanying PowerPoint visuals
• Critical view of developing networks, niches, and how to grow visibility to a targeted audience on social media platforms
• Learn how to prepare and deliver a professional food demonstration in front of a live audience

Professional Skills Development contributes to a concrete understanding of the communication process and the relevance of interpersonal connection. This course initiates, and fosters, a commitment to finding your authentic voice to speak and engage with passion, power, and connection. The class is taught in a warm and supportive environment where students can comfortably express themselves. This class is a wonderful opportunity to step out of a preconceived comfort zone in a safe environment. Whether in writing word, in-person or online communication, this course focuses on empowering students to meet their goals of personal and professional expression.

Fitness and Sports Nutrition is the practical application of Body Metabolism. This course focuses on methods where nutrition maximizes muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility through building muscle and reducing fat. Techniques for guiding athletes in proper nutrition, and healthy eating patterns, are taught as well as effective methods to decrease fatigue, prevent dehydration and sports-related injuries due to insufficient nutrient levels. Students are taught leading and diverse methods and techniques in optimizing sports performance based on specific macronutrient and micronutrient needs for high intensity and long duration exercise. Students are evaluated through a research-based case study and learn how to implement nutritional timing methods to maximize the client’s ability to condition for, perform and recover, for continued self-improvement to live an active lifestyle.

Learning Outcomes:

• Calculate energy requirements as it pertains to exercise and body composition
• To recognize and critically analyze the safety and efficacy of the physiological effects of sports supplements
• To understand how anabolic steroids work and their detrimental effects on health
• Gain insight into macronutrient, micronutrient, antioxidant and energy metabolism during exercise
• Understand how stress levels, sleep, mental and emotional wellness contribute to maximizing performance

Fitness and Sports Nutrition provides practitioners key insights into nutrient metabolism and absorption to elevate training and sports performance. This course teaches students to develop nutrition protocols as fuel for vigorous activity levels with thorough integration of physiology, biochemistry, anatomy, energy balance, and caloric calculations.

Professional Practice explores the foundational practices and concepts to succeed in a professional work environment. This course aims to equip students with tools, skills and best practices to excel in the field of holistic nutrition with a strong focus on practicing in private clinical practice settings. Emphasis is placed on legal framework, language, marketing techniques, social media applications, defining goals, consulting skills, time management, client relationships, building rapport, and professionalism. Professional Practice builds on the communication skills taught in Professional Skills Development. Initiatives for working locally and internationally; in-person and virtually; on individual and group programs; in print and public broadcast medias; independently or in clinic with regulated professionals are discussed. Essential topics like launching, operating, and scaling business ventures are reviewed. Defining professional fees for protocols and programs is a significant learning outcome in this course.