CONNECT 2023 - Nutrition for Naturopathic Gastroenterology | Christine Bowen, ND, FABNG, CGP

Diet culture has done plenty of harm to people’s physical and mental health throughout the years. This is NOT a diet culture talk. During this talk, we will be discussing specific nutritional approaches that can be used in helping your clients to improve digestive function, when needed. Therapeutic nutritional changes - that are not meant to be long term strategies - will be discussed today. We will review the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, Autoimmune Protocol, and strategies surrounding bowel rest. We will discuss when and how to use these clinical tools and I will share some clinical pearls in the use of nutrition for holistic GI care.

I do not believe in “restrictive” diets and my goal in practice is to use nutritional therapy, when appropriate, short term, with the longer term goal of expanding nutrition as much as possible for health and microbiome goals. I hope to give you actionable strategies and resources to help your clients navigate these changes, when appropriate. I was early in my practice during the recession of 2008 and I watched as my clients' disposable incomes disappeared overnight. My clients couldn’t afford supplements and pushed me to tell them how to recover their health on a budget and through nutrition. This and my long term interest in holistic digestive balance have combined to inform the way that I practice and use nutrition in my Naturopathic GI-focused practice.