Our mission is to enrich the journey of holistic and functional health professionals by advocating for and empowering a diverse community dedicated to the principles of whole-food and evidence-informed nutrition. We achieve this through curated educational opportunities, advanced certifications, essential resources, and peer-to-peer support, elevating and cultivating passion-driven careers within the industry.
Our Vision
To serve as the leading and trusted resource for holistic and functional health professionals dedicated to optimizing the nutrition and well-being of their communities.
Code of Ethics & Scope of Practice
All NANP members are required to acknowledge, by signature, our strict Code of Ethics upon joining, and are strongly encouraged to practice within their applicable Scope of Practice/Service.
Scope Of Practice
The History of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals
Timeline
1985
Our organization was initially founded in 1985 as the Society of Certified Nutritionists (SCN), which emerged from the National Institute for Nutrition Education (NINE), a program of American Health Sciences University (AHSU) established by James Johnston, Ph.D. The leadership of the SCN was Bevly Fisk, CN (President), and Jenifer Cloherty (Membership Director), along with the SCN Board of Directors. They were graduates of NINE/AHSU and the Australasian School of Health Sciences.
The Association for Certified Nutrition Consultants (ACNC) was founded by Ed Bauman, Ph.D., as the Institute for Educational Therapy, which later evolved into Bauman College. The leadership of ACNC was Ed Bauman, Ph.D. (President), and Michele Champeau, CNC Vice President (now Michele Chartier).
ACNC’s leadership saw the need to align nationally with other like-minded organizations, create consistency, and improve credibility among the many different titles for holistically trained nutrition professionals. The American Dietetic Association (now the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) was and continues to work state-by-state to limit who can legally practice nutrition in the United States. At that time, a handful of 8-40-hour “certificate” programs granted the Certified Nutrition Consultant (CNC) designation. SCN leadership saw the same need, voted to approve IET/Bauman College graduates as full members of the SCN, and granted two positions on the Board of Directors to represent CNCs.
2001
In the fall of 2001, the California Chapter of the Society of Certified Nutritionists (SCN) was founded with Anasuya Batliner (now Anasuya Basil) as President, Kim Roberson as the Vice President, Fern Leaf as the Treasurer, and Nori Hudson and Laura Knoff sharing the duties of Secretary. Dr. Bauman was an advisor to the chapter.
2002
The first one-day conference was held in Berkeley, California, at the Unitarian Church in the fall of 2002. The theme was Business Practices for Holistic Nutrition Professionals, and over 100 nutrition students and professionals attended. Frank Cuny spoke on legislative issues; Liz Lipski presented on how to start a successful nutrition business, and a panel of speakers, which included Robert Shames, rounded out the day.
2005
Seeking a name that better reflected the various titles of our members, we became the National Association of Nutrition Professionals (NANP) in January 2005. The NANP reached out to other nutrition programs across the country, established educational standards for membership, and sought to further ground our profession with a national board exam.
NANP Founders
- Edward Bauman, Ph.D. – President
Michele Chartier, BS, NC – Executive Director
Llynn Newman, MS, CN – Vice President
Lisa Roy, CN – Treasurer
Beth Gillespie, NC – Secretary
Denia Mette’, M.Ed, CN – Director
Nancy Peregrine, NC, AHG – Director
Kimberly Roberson, NE – Director
Nori Hudson, NC – Director
Rachelle Roach, MA, CNT – Director
2007
The Board Exam
The Board Exam in Holistic Nutrition (beta version) was offered in March 2007. Since then, over 850 nutrition and allied health professionals have passed the exam and become Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition®.
2020
To better reflect the objectives and promises of the NANP annual conference, a rebranding effort resulted in what has become HEALCon: Holistic, Engage, Advocate, Learn.
TODAY
Today, the NANP boasts approximately 1,200 members from around the world and over 16,000 members in our broader holistic nutrition community.
HEALCon, NANP’s Annual Conference & Expo, draws over 300 attendees. This one-of-a-kind conference features world-class speakers, an Expo filled with cutting-edge products, services, and technologies. It has become a highly anticipated annual event for those in the holistic health and wellness space.
Serving the Holistic & Wellness Communities
40 Years of Serving Our Community
The National Association of Nutrition Professionals has been serving the Holistic Nutrition and Wellness Communities for 40 years.
World-Wide Professional Network
Our professional network comprises like-minded schools, partner companies, members, and students from around the world.
Over 16,000 Strong
Our greater community is more than 16,000 strong, comprising individuals in the holistic wellness space who believe that food is medicine, as well as others with a genuine stake and interest in our industry.
Education & Support
Each year, the NANP provides members with hundreds of hours of educational opportunities, thousands of resources, and limitless individualized support.
Our Standards
The NANP is the only professional business league wholly dedicated to furthering the cause, education, and standards of the holistic nutrition industry. We have developed Educational Standards for holistic nutrition, natural chef training, and dietary supplement educational programs. Each school approved by the NANP has applied for and participated in our thorough review process. Only those schools/programs that pass our review make the cut.
Prospective students seeking credible programs in holistic nutrition, natural cooking, and dietary supplements can be confident in choosing any of the schools listed on our site, as we’ve done the work to ensure these programs offer a comprehensive and well-rounded curriculum based on industry standards.
Schools interested in undergoing a review can learn more here.
NANP Board
Meet our board of directors.
We take great care in vetting our member-elected Board of Directors. Each board member is a dedicated professional from the nutrition and wellness communities, working diligently to support our mission and vision.
Special Advisors
Meet our NANP advisors.
The NANP values our industry icons and the experience and expertise they bring to our field. We are proud to enlist an astute panel of special advisors to help guide us.
NANP Team
Meet our staff and executives.
At the heart of NANP is a dynamic team of individuals dedicated to advancing our mission and vision. We are deeply committed to supporting our members on their individual journeys.
