Holistic Nutrition Professional Educational Curriculum Requirements

To qualify as an NANP-approved holistic nutrition program, the following minimum requirements must be met. An initial review fee of $1,500.00 USD is required for each program review. Below are the Educational Curriculum Requirements only. Click here for more information about program reviews.

A minimum of 24 credits (1 semester credit = 45 educational hours)

1. Anatomy/Physiology – 3 semester credits
2. Biochemistry – 3 semester credits
3. Nutrition – 6 semester credits, must include:
   1. Macronutrients
   2. Micronutrients
   3. Life Cycle Nutrition:
      1. Men’s health (pediatric & geriatric)
      2. Women’s health (pediatric & geriatric)
   4. Sports Nutrition
4. Nutrition & Pathophysiology – 3 semester credits, topics to be covered below (may overlap with Physiology requirements above):
   1. Nutritional Support of the Body (Digestive, Immune, Cardiovascular, Musculoskeletal, Nervous, Lymphatic, Integumentary)
   2. Environmental Influences on Health & Disease
   3. Symptomology of insufficiency, excess and impaired metabolism
5. Nutritional Counseling – 6 semester credits, to include:
   1. Comparative Dietary Systems
   2. Diet analysis & planning
   3. Popular diets review
   4. Whole foods
   5. Cultural influences
   6. Nutritional Supplementation
   7. Health assessments
   8. Review laboratory results
   9. Whole foods cooking
   10. Menu/meal planning
6. Herbology – 1 semester credits, at least 30 herbs studied
7. Business – 1 semester credit, to include:
   1. Legal issues surrounding nutrition practice
   2. Practice Development
   3. Ethics – Standard of Care and Scope of Practice
   4. Bioethics (including FERPA & HIPAA)
8. Research – 1 semester credit

Independent Educational Review (IER) 1 Month Process 

A person wishing to establish Professional membership with the NANP who has not graduated from an approved holistic nutrition program may request an independent review to determine eligibility for Professional membership.

Requirements for the independent review include:

1. a cover letter stating the desire to become a Professional member
2. a two hundred dollar ($200.00) review fee
3. official transcripts from all relevant educational institutions
4. course description materials (i.e. catalog, etc.)
5. may also include a telephone interview with the NANP Educational Programs Assistant

Persons who do not meet the above-mentioned requirements may be granted an extension (up to one year) to complete one or more courses of study before being accepted for Professional membership. To inquire about an Independent Educational Review (IER) contact Andrea Grandson at andrea@nanp.org.