A holistic approach to health will always involve nutritional interventions.
In this course, we'll address foundational, universal principles of nutrition which can apply to any diet type, while identifying particular diet adjustments that can help with common troubles.
We'll also look at herbs as nutritive in their own right - as providers of mineral, vitamin, and phytonutrient compounds that can bolster a diet that's otherwise lacking.
You'll learn:
And especially:
This course includes 18+ hours of video instruction, as well as PDF handouts, quizzes and homework assignments, and more - plus weekly Q&A discussions where you can talk directly with Ryn and Katja.
Welcome to Holistic Nutrition!
Live Q&A sessions twice a week!
Mountain Rose Herbs + Foster Farms discount codes
How to use this platform
How to use Closed-Captioning
The "What's New" button on your dashboard
How to use the Discussions feature
Meet our Friends!
Chatting in the Community Space
Use of Course Material (Intellectual Property)
Every Body is Different
Introduction
Introduction [audio]
Course Outline
Action Prompt: What are you eating?
Thought exercise: Moving forward in compassion
Why Food Matters
Why Food Matters [audio]
What is Real Food?
What Is Real Food? [audio]
Quick Guide: Real Food
Cravings
Cravings [audio]
The Bitter Taste
The Bitter Taste [audio]
Blessed Bitters, by jim mcdonald
Action Prompt: Bitters Before Your Meals
Quick Guide: Cravings Are A Language
Cravings Quiz
How far back is "traditional"?
How far back is "traditional"? [audio]
The Archaeological Study on Herder/Gardners vs. Agriculturalists
The Middle Ages to the Green Revolution
The Middle Ages to the Green Revolution [audio]
Nutritional Anthropology
Nutritional Anthropology [audio]
The Murky Science of What is "Good" for You
More on "Traditional"
Quick Guide: Traditional Nutrition
Traditional Nutrition Quiz
Avoiding Food Dogma
First, be easy on yourself.
Intro & Fats, part 1
Intro & Fats, part 1 [audio]
Fats, part 2
Fats, part 2 [audio]
Meats & Protein
Meats & Protein [audio]
What about the studies that say meat is bad for you?
Full Study Text: Meat & All-Cause Mortality
Meat & Calcium
Studies on Meat & Calcium
Are plant sources of iron enough?
Understanding Iron Absorption from Plant Sources vs. Meat Sources
Can meat be sustainable?
Cows & Climate Change
Fish & Other Animal Proteins
Fish & Other Animal Proteins [audio]
What about engineered meat?
How much protein do i need daily?
Offal: It's Not Awful!
Bone Broth Demystified
Humans are Omnivores
How We Digest Food (The UC Davis article)
Mushrooms
Mushrooms [audio]
Plant Foods
Plant Foods [audio]
The Critical Role of (Plant) Fiber in Digestive (& All-Around) Health
The Fiber PDF
Nutritive Herbs Materia Medica
🌿💊 Herb-Drug Interaction Notes for Holistic Nutrition
Mineral Content of Selected Nutritive Herbs
Grain-Free Granola!
Seaweed as Food & Medicine
An Open Letter on the Topic of Invasive Seaweeds
An Update on Invasive Seaweeds
Fermented Foods
Fermented Foods [audio]
Grains & Beans
Grains & Beans [audio]
The Archaeological Study on Herder/Gardners vs. Agriculturalists
Processed Foods
Processed Foods [audio]
Ultra-Processed Foods Increase Cancer Risk
Refined Sugar
Refined Sugar [audio]
WHO Sugar Intake Guidelines
Muffin Madness!
Paleo Pumpkin Muffins!
Organic, Conventional, & GMO
Organic, Conventional, & GMO [audio]
Refined Salt
Refined Salt [audio]
Salt Resources
Vitamin-Enriched Products
Vitamin-Enriched Products [audio]
Super-Local Eating
Small Farms can Feed the World
Quick Guide: What should I eat?
What To Eat Quiz
Veg on a Budget
Veg on a Budget [audio]
Meat on a Budget
Meat on a Budget [audio]
More Ideas for Food on a Budget
How to Freeze Vegetables
Info Sheet: Low-Cost, High-Quality Food
Our program is taught with pre-recorded videos you can watch on your own schedule, as many times as you want. In addition to the videos, we provide features to accommodate all the different ways people like to learn, so you can internalize the information easily!
Lifetime access - so you can review the content as many times as you like, forever!
Weekly live Q&A sessions with Katja and Ryn - to ask your questions directly, live and in person! (They're even archived, in case you miss one!) This course has 1 year live Q&A support.
Ask questions anytime - we're always just a click away: you can ask any questions in the integrated discussion forum, and we're committed to personally answering your questions, usually within 24 hours
Printable PDF materials - if you like to follow the videos along on paper, or keep them handy for a quick reference
Downloadable MP3 files - so you can review the content while you commute, workout, garden, ... anytime!
This represents the actual time of video instruction and live Q&A, as well as the time allocated for your capstone assignment, quizzes, and other assignments & activities required for completion of the course.
It is reasonable to plan about twice that much time to complete the work: this is because most students like to watch the videos more than once, review their notes, and many students complete more than the required activities. You might also enjoy joining a study group in our Student Community, and you might choose to work on extra activities together as a group to help you internalize all that you've learned.
Regardless of how long it takes you, there is never any pressure! You have access to this material for life, and in fact, when we add updates and new materials, you receive it all for free, automatically!
If new material is added after you have received your certificate, we are happy to send you a new updated certificate to document the additional time when you complete the new material.
I thought this course would be mostly review, but there was so much new information and so many different ways of looking at things. Katja and Ryn's down-to-...
Read MoreI thought this course would be mostly review, but there was so much new information and so many different ways of looking at things. Katja and Ryn's down-to-earth, empowerment-focused approach was a breath of fresh air. Thank you both for creating this awesome, very informative course! I can't wait to take other courses from Commonwealth!
Read LessTwo heads are better than one!
Katja & Ryn almost always teach together. They each have particular talents and areas of interest, and their perspectives on certain issues are quite different! Together, they convey a fuller picture of the realities of herbal theory & practice than either one could do alone.
Katja is an herbalist and teacher working to help people rebuild their relationships with their bodies and their own ability to heal. She’s been in practice for nearly 25 years, but it all began with a desire to make her own “fancy tea” at home instead of paying high prices for imported blends at specialty stores. She’s kept that do-it-yourself ethic close to her heart.
Ryn has been a practicing herbalist since 2010. He came to herbalism by way of martial arts, where his first experiences with herbs were focused on getting back into the game and becoming more flexible, adaptable, and resilient. Passing that experience on to others is what keeps him motivated every day.
Together, Katja and Ryn teach everyone from children to elders, as well as pharmacy students from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Northeastern University School of Pharmacy, where they both serve as associate faculty. Ryn and Katja are the authors of Herbal Medicine for Beginners, and the creators of the weekly Holistic Herbalism Podcast.
Teaching isn't just about conveying information - there's also an aspect of being someone's "cup of tea".
So we want you to take the first 14 days to really decide if you love it or not. If for any reason you feel like this program isn’t right for you - if we're just not your cup of tea - we’ll give you a full refund. You don't even need a reason - just please let us know within 14 days of purchase.
