Karim Premji, BComm (Hons), CNP (Hons), Cir Ir.

Karim Premji is a graduate of the Institute of Holistic Nutrition as a Valedictorian with First Class Honours and has also completed his Certification in Clinical Iridology. Before starting his wellness career, Karim studied Information Technology Management at Ryerson University where he also graduated with First Class Honours. During his studies, he built a supplement business that now has over 70,000 customers through a direct sales model. This shifted his passion towards being a wellness entrepreneur and he decided to become a Nutritionist.

After graduating from IHN, he became a nutritionist at Healthy Planet, a leading health food store.  Three years later, he is now the manager of one of the busiest locations in Toronto on the Danforth. He is also on the Field Advisory Council for a supplement company called TriVita. Karim has also been in private practice where he has helped many people with Clinical Iridology and optimizing their diets for wellness. He is also a writer and has been featured in a Documentary film, The Wellness Story,along with a few segments on Rogers TV, Health Matters. As a graduate of the Landmark Worldwide Curriculum for Living, he loves to share the possibility of wellness and transformation as a state that can be achieved through living a balanced lifestyle and being ‘at cause’ of one’s own health and wellbeing. Karim teaches Fundamentals of Nutrition, Preventive Healthcare and Comparative Diets at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition’s Online Campus.

FN 001 Nutrition And Health: The Fundamentals

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.

Learning Outcomes

• Assess the relationship between soil, cell, environment and human health
• Identify the structure and function of the GI tract, common digestive disorders, and links to major fatal diseases that are restored through the gut
• Explain functions of macronutrients and micronutrients, their requirements, sources, reasons for deficiencies, and use in disease prevention
• Understand the importance of water, antioxidants and detoxification
• The knowledge of how isolated nutrient interventions work against acute and chronic health condition

Nutrition and Health: The Fundamentals is a foundational axis course that lays the groundwork of knowing how to determine root cause—a key tenant of functional nutrition. This course stresses the importance of knowing “by which mechanism” essential nutrients orchestrate ideal physiological functions and optimal health.

PHC 005 Preventive Health Care

Preventive Health Care emphasizes the significant factor of nutrition in the prevention of disease states. This course explores how proper nutrition can protect against or reverse many ailments including stress, inflammation, immune deficiencies, compromised brain health, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, asthma, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, arthritis, and cancer. Students will be exposed to current research developments and trends on phytochemicals, antioxidants, and nutraceuticals. Special attention in this course is given to the management of diseases of the cardiovascular system. This course instructs students to become familiar in detail with natural health strategies, dietary modifications, and supplement protocols to treat, prevent and reverse degenerative conditions. Students are taught and evaluated on specific dietary and lifestyle protocols in the prevention of disease.

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.

CD 011 Comparative Diets

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.