Antonella Palazio, a 2010 graduate who lives in Miami, Florida, focuses on educating people and getting them motivated to experiment and eat wholesome clean foods through her practice. But more than that, she believes food is simply one layer to pull back in discovering who we are. By sharing the basics of nutrition, she helps people link the “whys” and “hows” of changing food patterns. She chooses to use the word “how” over “what” one eats, because it favors the holistic mindset – that it is not just about food. “It entails the whole dimension of who we are, why we are here, and how to enrich our journey in our spiritual evolution,” said Antonella. “Food plays one of the many layers of our lives, and this became very clear in my own life through the Health Coach Training Program.”

What led you to explore Integrative Nutrition's program?

I had a desire to learn more about food than why we just eat to live. I had only heard of the dietician profession offered by universities that required a long, extended program. For me, discovering IIN represented a learning sabbatical. The scope of information became extensive and went beyond the traditional perspective to the holistic approach.

We’re on a mission to improve health and happiness throughout the entire world and we love to hear about students who are sharing what they’ve learned with international communities.

Nicole Fox, a 2011 graduate from Doral, Florida and a member of the South Florida Health Coaches, is a bilingual Health Coach who is using her ability to speak fluent Spanish to its full potential. She identified a need for health coaching within the Spanish-speaking community and is bringing all she learned in the Health Coach Training Program to people who otherwise may never have found guidance for their health struggles. From cooking classes to corporate lectures – and even a segment on a national TV show – here is someone who is truly spreading the ripple effect!

The IINsider’s Digest gathers all the hottest nutrition topics around the web in one place for your reading pleasure. This week, Integrative Nutrition teacher Dr. Mark Hyman published his new book, The Blood Sugar Solution, while Michael Jacobson of the CSPI, also an IIN nutrition expert, was featured in a CBS News article about a chemical found in cola that raises the risk for cancer. The Wall Street Journal featured a piece highlighting the efforts of Health Coaches to help others improve their wellness, and it was reported that the government bought seven million pounds of ammonia-treated meat for school lunches.

Ending Obesity and Diabetes: What’s the Secret? [VIDEO]
CBS News
Featuring IIN Teacher Mark Hyman

Dr. Mark Hyman, credited with helping former President Bill Clinton turn his health around, speaks to the CBS This Morning co-hosts about his new book The Blood Sugar Solution and gives tips on how to eat healthier.

Chemical Found in Cola Causes Cancer, Watchdog Warns: What Does FDA Say?
CBS News
Featuring IIN teacher Michael Jacobson

Before enrolling at Integrative Nutrition, 2010 graduate Odette Worrell juggled the demands of living in two different places and working for a family-owned business, all while serving on the board of two different schools. It was only a matter of time before she felt a need for change. When she actually started to pay attention to this need, she noticed an inner shift toward self-acceptance and acknowledged that her lifestyle just wasn’t working anymore. When she found the Health Coach Training Program in an online search, something clicked. She describes it as though “the school had taken everything I wanted to do and be, and placed it into a concise package.”

Since graduating, Odette has founded her practice, Find Your Organic Soul, and partnered with fellow Health Coach Michelle Kramer. The dynamic pair stays busy in Delray Beach, Florida, seeing clients (watch one client discuss their success in a video below!), groups and corporations throughout South Florida, while planning lectures and community events, such as a Vitamix demo booth at the 2012 Garlic Festival, and a Connected Warriors event which raises money to bring wellness to veterans. They also have plans to launch a line of gluten-free food and products by the end of the year. What an amazing start to her new career!

What’s better than one Health Coach working to help professionals and veterans find time to bring health back into their lives? Two! Michelle Kramer, a 2010 graduate of the Health Coach Training Program, teamed up with her business partner Odette Worrell to coach busy men and women in their mid 40’s. Together they run Find Your Organic Soul out of Delray Beach, Florida, and have found a successful balance by listening to and supporting each other.

A career in health coaching had been a long time in the making for Michelle, who first learned of Integrative Nutrition over ten years ago. Years later, she’s following the career path she always desired, and has acquired a fantastic business partner. This interview highlights Michelle’s successful journey, and the unforeseen joys of working with someone who shares her passion for health coaching.

How has your life changed since enrolling in Integrative Nutrition’s program?

Since I enrolled in Integrative Nutrition I have had my seat belt fastened, and boy it's been an AMAZING ride! I have a clear sense of who I am and allow something new to unfold each moment! I have opened my heart to seven incredible women, the South Florida Health Coaches, and I am no longer a lone ranger. I no longer struggle with binge eating or IBS, and I’ve given myself permission to play!

What were some important things you took away from your time at Integrative Nutrition?

I learned at Integrative Nutrition that happiness lies in every choice that I make in my life. I learned that only I know what I need, and if I take a moment and slow down, the answers are within me.

February is all about one thing: Love. Or as we like to call it: Vitamin L. This month we will be exploring the various relationships that not only help define who we are, but bring us closer to our happiest, healthiest selves!

Let’s start the series with a relationship that has been proven essential to our health and well-being: Friendship.

What would life be without our friends? Slightly lonely? Probably. Much less fun? I think so.

But could being friendless also affect your health? Several studies say yes.

In 2006, a study, involving 3,000 women diagnosed with cancer, was conducted to see what effect friendship had on cancer patients. Researchers found that women, who had 10 or more close friends were four times more likely to recover from the disease.

Healthy diners, rejoice! A recent study released in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior proves that with a little education and a mindful approach, it is possible to maintain and even lose weight while eating out.

35 healthy women who ate out often were assigned to one of two groups: one that offered weekly sessions on education and mindful eating meditations, or one without any counseling. The first group learned about portion sizes, strategies to prevent weight gain in various types of restaurants, setting personal goals, and meditating to increase awareness of feeling hungry or full.

At the end of the six-week period, the women in the first group felt confident about achieving their goal to prevent weight gain, and many lost weight - an average of 3.7 pounds! The women even made some serious caloric cutbacks at home as well, proving that the education from the counseling sessions transformed their eating habits at every meal, not just the ones eaten out.

This study just further proves what we already know about the effectiveness of health coaching. Yet this issue remains a challenge for many, and we live in a culture where dining out is routine. We celebrate special occasions at fancy restaurants, the paper’s latest review urges us to try the pizza joint that just opened up, and business clients would prefer a nice dinner out rather than leftovers at your place.

With students and graduates in 88 countries, Integrative Nutrition is truly an international training program committed to making the opportunity to become a Health Coach accessible to people all over the world. One of the best parts of hearing from our alumni is learning about the state of health and wellness in different countries across the globe. Even better? Knowing that these Health Coaches are making a difference in places where it’s needed most.

2011 graduate Tamar Henry is an expatriate currently living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where she’s found a community in desperate need of attention to health. Obesity, diabetes and heart disease run rampant throughout the region, while a lack of knowledge threatens a younger generation. Tamar is tackling both of these issues by bringing her nutrition knowledge and business practices to schools, group wellness programs, cooking classes, and a community health ambassador role.

What led you to enroll in the Health Coach Training Program?

I had a Bachelor’s of Science degree with a focus in health and wellness, and I owned a small vegan muffins and cupcakes business. I had a personal interest in nutrition, and wanted to find a career that I could be passionate about, where I could help others. I wanted to learn more about the subjects that I was interested in and I wanted to connect with like-minded people.

Our graduates are doing amazing things. From developing food and wellness products to opening private practices, we love sharing stories from successful students and grads that are working to change the world for the better. 2009 graduate Susan Roberts, of New York City, is a special case. She’s making strides in an area where the importance of good nutrition is not explored or emphasized enough.

Susan applied what she learned in the Health Coach Training Program to her work as an occupational therapist. She already addressed other areas of wellness with her clients, such as the importance of primary food, but for this advanced scholar, author and lecturer, her nutrition education provided the final piece of the puzzle in her practice: eating well. This interview with Susan highlights her thoughts on where the “mealtime” process went wrong, and her essential work to restore a healthy, positive diet for even the pickiest kids out there.

What type of work have you done since completing in Integrative Nutrition's program, and what are you up to now?

I began touring the United States teaching other professionals (primarily occupational therapists, speech therapists and registered dietitians) the role of primary foods and real foods to helping children eat a wider variety of healthy foods and the importance of having "happy" mealtimes. My presentation is called "Mealtime Success for Kids on the Spectrum: Holistic Nutrition for Picky Eaters." I educate 200 to 300 professionals every month. I also wrote a book on the same subject for families, My Kid Eats Everything: a Journey from Picky to Adventurous Eating.

Welcome to 2012! As usual, there's been a lot of action in the health and wellness world. President Bill Clinton is recommending his favorite diet books since adopting a healthy lifestyle, and a controversial anti-obesity ad running in Georgia has people buzzing. Vegan bodybuilders tout the benefits of a plant based diet, and Integrative Nutrition Founder, Joshua Rosenthal is profiled for a leadership award. All that, plus the ADA has made a name change, but some of their corporate sponsorships unfortunately remain the same. Read the rest right here in the IINsider's digest.