{"id":18214,"date":"2018-01-05T16:10:05","date_gmt":"2018-01-05T10:40:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/functionalnutritionlab.com\/blog\/?p=213"},"modified":"2025-08-28T15:05:40","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T15:05:40","slug":"field-guide-to-functional-nutrition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fxnutrition.com\/blog\/field-guide-to-functional-nutrition","title":{"rendered":"Andrea Nakayama\u2019s Field Guide: An Excerpt From Our Functional Nutrition Certification Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

Practitioners striving for clinical and business success often ask me if there\u2019s a protocol that I follow for each of my clients, or a diet that I recommend for everyone. I\u2019m here to share my secrets for success with you, and I\u2019ll be doing just that in the Field Guide to Functional Nutrition ebook.<\/span><\/p>\n

Click here to download the free Field Guide to Functional Nutrition ebook now!<\/a><\/p>\n

The foundation of Functional Nutrition<\/span><\/h2>\n

Practicing Functional Nutrition has several key facets that I\u2019ll reveal throughout the Guide. One feature I want you to consider right from the start is that it\u2019s all about <\/span>bioindividuality<\/span><\/a> and finding unique solutions for each client. This is what Dr. Jeffrey Bland, the father of Functional Medicine, calls the N-of-1 experiment\u2014where each patient is their own \u201ccontrol\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bioindividuality rules<\/span><\/h3>\n

In Functional Nutrition, as in thinking of each patient as an N-of-1 experiment, there\u2019s <\/span>no<\/span><\/i> one-size-fits all approach. That means, \u2018no\u2019, there is not one protocol I follow for each and every client that walks in the doors of our clinic. Yet we <\/span>do<\/span><\/i> need some place to start, right?<\/span><\/p>\n

It can be so difficult to know where to begin when bioindividuality rules<\/span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

How to navigate complex cases<\/span><\/h3>\n

Working with difficult cases is simultaneously intriguing, frightening and frustrating. And while you know you\u2019ll be able to help more people if you can work with complex health issues, it can be anxiety-provoking as well. It\u2019s easy to feel lost when you don\u2019t have a <\/span>system<\/span><\/i> that works for all your clients and to find yourself continually on the hunt for that protocol that will work for everyone (or everyone who has X, Y, or Z condition). I call this the Quick-Fix Trap!<\/span><\/p>\n

So, are there things you should be doing with <\/span>all<\/span><\/i> of your clients even if they are each unique and bioindividuality rules? Many of the coaches and clinicians who join the Functional Nutrition Alliance community ponder questions like these:<\/span><\/p>\n