What is the definition of holistic health?

Holistic health/wellness is an approach that addresses the body, mind and emotional and spiritual aspects of an individual. By spiritual, I am not making a reference to anything religious. We're talking about the essence of who you are. A holistic health approach doesn't view the body, mind and spirit as separate entities but as a whole, the whole self. It looks for and naturally addresses the underlying causes of symptoms, illness and food issues rather than just covering them up the symptoms with a drugs, food and self destructive behavior.

Diet and nutrition have a profound impact on mental and physical health. The wrong food and lack of balanced nutrients can lead to many debilitating psychological and physical symptoms and degenerative health conditions. Holistic Nutrition uses various combinations of food and nutrients to help individuals achieve optimal mental, physical and spiritual health. It can be used as a preventative health approach for the average person without any ailments or as a modality for healing or symptom management for people living with chronic illness or other medical conditions.

There is also not a "one size fits all diet." Some people thrive on a macrobiotic diet, while others may not be able to function at all with that many carbohydrates. A vegetarian diet is perfect for some body types and yet it can leave other body types in a heap on the floor. Some people function most optimally on a high meat diet while others do better with mostly vegetables.
Holistic nutrition is very individualized, personal and specific to your needs. It takes into account a person's overall medical and physical health, as well as the issues that he or she is trying to improve or heal. It also considers the underlying issues that are going on with your health as well as how ill a person is or how aggressive they want to be with obtaining the results that they want to achieve. Different illnesses, conditions or diseases have different nutritional requirements and each responds to diet and nutrition uniquely.

Holistic approach encourages the individual to engage in self care and educate themselves about their health. Holistic Health urges us to be an active participant in our treatment and health care. Being healthy does not necessarily mean the absence of disease or illness, it's also about living as healthy, completely and optimally as possible. What steps are you taking to live a healthy, happy and complete life?