Healthcare practitioners are increasingly seeing patients and clients presenting with lifestyle diseases that were rarely seen 40 years ago, with numbers rising despite pharmacological intervention.
As a result, there has been growing demand within the healthcare sector for training in nutrition and lifestyle medicine. Integrative functional nutrition, also widely termed 'personalised nutrition', is such an approach that enables practitioners to understand the impact of food, nutrition and lifestyle on individual health.
We offer all modules from our Graduate Diploma in Integrative Functional Nutrition and selected modules from our BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapy as short courses, as well as one- to three-day CPD courses.
All courses are delivered online.
Our Graduate Diploma in Integrative Functional Nutrition is validated by the University of Portsmouth. Modules taken as short courses offer qualified healthcare practitioners the opportunity to explore the impact of nutrition on health, to study specific areas of interest, or to qualify and practise as a registered nutritional therapy practitioner.
Each short course has a credit bearing (assessed) or non-credit bearing (unassessed) option, is taught at Level 6, and is tailored to practising healthcare professionals including doctors, allied health care and CAM practitioners.
All short courses contain case-based learning and collaborative work. All nutrition modules address diet, nutraceutical use, and test choice and interpretation.
Functional Nutrition*
Gain a solid grounding in understanding the impact of diet and nutrition on health and wellbeing, down to the level of the genome, biochemical and metabolic pathways. Nutraceutical and testing use in clinical practice are introduced in this module.
*We recommend that applicants considering taking the Graduate Diploma in Integrative Functional Nutrition, who have been out of education for a considerable time, take the Functional Nutrition short course as an entry point.
Modulation of Neuroendocrine Function
Learn how diet, lifestyle and environmental factors impacts neuroendocrine function. Explore how these impacts might be measured and modulated using personalised nutrition and lifestyle approaches to promote health.
Modulation of Detoxification and Gastrointestinal Function
Investigate how foods, diets, lifestyle and environmental factors impact the microbiome, gastrointestinal (GI) and detoxification functions, and whole-body health. Explore how impacts might be measured and modulated, and apply these skills to cases using personalised nutrition approaches such as foods, nutraceuticals and lifestyle advice.
Behaviour Change in Nutrition and Lifestyle Practice
Examine the principles and theories of behaviour change in a nutrition and lifestyle practice setting and develop interventions to support clients’ wellbeing outcomes. Develop knowledge and understanding of health causality, individual differences, and psychological models of behavioural change, therapeutic approaches, and ethics and communication skills in the therapeutic encounter.
Modulation of Cardiometabolic Function
Examine impacts of food, diet, lifestyle, and environmental factors on cardiometabolic function, including hypertension, insulin dysregulation, metabolic syndrome, obesity, muscular skeletal health and renal function, and how this impacts whole body health. Discuss anthropometric, nutrition screening, and personally collected digital health data. Using cases, explore how impacts might be measured and modulated using personalised nutrition and lifestyle approaches to promote health.
Modulation of Immune Function
Examine how food, diet, lifestyle and environmental factors impact the immune system at different stages of its development and throughout the life stages. Includes management of inflammation, autoimmune conditions, allergy and intolerance, and invaders – viruses, bacteria, moulds, and fungi. Using cases, explore how impacts might be measured and modulated using personalised nutrition and lifestyle approaches to promote health.
Clinical Practice
Observe, with peers, live supervised clinical practice and undertake real world clinical training in our highly respected Optimum Nutrition Training Clinic, under the supervision of supportive, qualified clinic supervisors. Aspects of practice management including governance and ethics are covered. However, for those who wish to develop their own business we suggest either the Business and Career Planning credit bearing short course, or the Models of Nutrition and Lifestyle Practice credit bearing short course.
The Clinical Practice short course is open to the following candidates:
Applicants should have a degree in their subject discipline with health sciences, with or without practice experience, or significant work-based experience at graduate or post-graduate level.
Credit bearing (assessed) short courses
Credit bearing (assessed) short courses are validated by the University of Portsmouth and can be accumulated, providing a flexible route towards the Graduate Diploma in Integrative Functional Nutrition. The addition of the Clinical Practice credit bearing short course provides a route to regulator registration (CNHC) and professional body membership (BANT).
For students undertaking credit bearing short courses, we offer opportunities to refresh study skills. Students enrolled onto credit bearing short courses also have access to the university’s physical and digital libraries.
Non-credit bearing (unassessed) short courses
Short courses taken without assessment receive an ION award.
Our BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapy is validated by the University of Portsmouth. Modules taken as short courses offer practitioners the opportunity to develop their practice management skills or undertake an area of research.
To enquire about dates, contact our admissions team
Throughout the year we also offer one- to three-day CPD courses.