Learn How to Interpret Food Labels For Yourself and Your Coaching Clients

6.0 CECs / Video / 2 Articles / Quiz

Ever found yourself puzzled by the claims on food labels? From ‘Cage-Free’ eggs to ‘Grass-Fed’ beef, ‘Fair Trade’ coffee to ‘Plant-Based’ snacks – the world of food labeling is often a maze of jargon and vague terms.

Join us as we demystify complex food labels and explore the reality behind popular phrases like ‘Hormone-Free’, ‘All Natural’, and ‘No Added Sugar.’ Prepare to enhance your understanding of food labels, as we unveil the truths and myths behind these claims, ensuring you make more informed decisions in your dietary choices and professional recommendations. 

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:   

• Comprehensively Define Key Labeling Terms: Gain an in-depth understanding of terms such as ‘Fair Trade’, ‘Cage-Free’, ‘Grass-Fed’, ‘Pasture-Raised’, ‘Hormone-Free’, ‘All Natural’, ‘No Added Sugar’, ‘Plant-Based’, ‘Non-GMO’, and ‘Organic’, and their implications in food labeling. 
• Differentiate Between Authentic and Misleading Claims: Develop the ability to critically assess and differentiate between genuine and potentially misleading claims on food packaging, enhancing your ability to guide clients or make informed personal choices. 
• Recognize the Broader Impact of Label Claims: Identify the label claims that may offer benefits beyond personal health, including environmental sustainability and ethical considerations in food production and consumption. 

6.0 CECs / Video / Handouts / Quiz

Health coaching is both a science and an art. It requires applying evidence-based strategies in coaching conversations while balancing them with what you as a coach know your client needs in any given moment. Many health coaches have learned how to be a great coach on the job. In this course, we want to save you that trouble. You’ll hear from an experienced health coach all about the mistakes she already made so that you don’t have to make the same ones.  

Course Objectives:

• Describe why coaches giving health advice may be counterproductive to the behavior change process.  
• Distinguish between affirming and cheerleading statements in the coaching process and determine which is most appropriate for a health coach.  
• Explain the disadvantages of engaging in small-talk with clients during a coaching conversation.  
• Describe the importance of waiting until the client is ready before making any specific plans related to a behavior change.  
• Explore multiple reasons why sticking to the allotted time for a coaching session is necessary for both the coach and the client.  

6.0 CECs / Video / Handouts / Quiz

There are so many different types of diets out there, with each one promising to be better than the last.  In this course, AFPA’s Nutrition Specialist, Sasha Aparicio, MS, and Curriculum Manager, Shana Walsh, PhD, NBC-HWC, MCHES cut through all that noise to help you separate the sensational from the substantial. They present the most up-to-date findings from the research to help you discern which dietary patterns are actually health-promoting and which are just trendy, lacking any real evidence of effectiveness.  

Course Objectives:

• Define the terms diet and dietary pattern 
• Identify situations where a person may be recommended to follow medically prescribed diet or protocol  
• Compare and contrast the characteristics of diets that have high evidence, mixed evidence, or low evidence of effectiveness 
• Describe the characteristics of fad diets and provide examples of multiple fad diets   
• Explain the qualities of health-promoting dietary patterns  

6.0 CECs / Video / Handouts / Quiz

Losing weight isn’t easy, but health coaches have a track record of success in supporting their clients through the weight loss process. They do this by relying on evidence-based coaching strategies that include setting the right types of goals, exploring unhealthy beliefs, and making specific plans to address the behaviors that support weight loss, like planning and preparing meals, coping with cravings, and moving your body. 

This CEC course will explore these strategies in depth so that you too can support your clients in losing the weight they want to become healthier versions of themselves. 

Course Objectives:

• Explain the coach’s role in supporting the weight loss process  
• Differentiate between behavioral goals and outcome goals as they relate to weight loss  
• Identify unhealthy beliefs that a client may be hindering a client’s progress 
• Determine the most appropriate coaching strategies to support client behavior change in the areas of diet and activity

This CEC Complements the Following Courses:

• Certified Health and Wellness Coach
• Weight Management Specialist Certification
• Holistic Nutritionist Certification
• Personal Trainer Certification

6.0 CECs / Video / Reading / Handouts / Quiz

We already have many of the answers we need about what it takes to be healthy. We know we need to eat a healthy diet, move our bodies, manage our stress, and get quality sleep. And yet, most people aren’t doing these things on a regular basis. So the question isn’t about what we need to do to be healthy, but rather how do we do it?

Health behavior change theories were created to guide that process. They explore the factors that determine whether a person actually makes the changes they need to improve their health and their life.

In this course, three prominent health behavior change theories are explored:

• The Social Ecological Model
• Self-Determination Theory
• The Transtheoretical Model

Specific emphasis is placed on how to apply the theories throughout the coaching process. 

Course Objectives:

• Describe the foundational constructs of the Social Ecological Model, Self-Determination Theory, and the Transtheoretical Model-Stages of Change.
• Explain how each theory can be leveraged by health coaches to support their clients through the behavior change process.
• Explore the benefits of applying theoretical constructs to the coaching process.

This CEC Complements the Following Courses:

• Certified Health and Wellness Coach
• Holistic Health Coach Certification
• Holistic Nutritionist Certification

6.0 CECs / Video / Quiz

In‌ ‌this 6.0 continuing education credit (CEC) course, you will learn what probiotic and prebiotic foods are and examples of each, and how they contribute to gut health and brain health via the microbiota-gut-brain axis when incorporated into the diet.

Specifically, you will explore the following questions:

• How do probiotic and prebiotic foods work together to contribute to overall health and wellness? 
• Can probiotic and prebiotic diets impact brain health? How?  
• What foods can we incorporate into the diet to maximize probiotic and prebiotic health benefits?
• What should we consider to individualize probiotic and prebiotic-rich diets?

8.0 CECs / Research Article / Quiz

In‌ ‌this 8.0 continuing education credit (CEC) course, Functional Nutrition Approach to COVID-19 & Immunity,‌ ‌you‌ ‌will‌ ‌explore‌ ‌and‌ ‌build‌ ‌a‌ ‌fundamental‌ ‌awareness‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ various nutritional and lifestyle practices and strategies for bolstering immune resiliency through the lens of functional medicine. Specifically, you will explore:

• How various dietary patterns and practices influence immune function
• Micronutrients, macronutrients, and phytonutrients that impact the immune system
• Why lifestyle and nutrition practices predispose certain populations to COVID-19
• The complex nature of the immune system and how various food compounds impact disease risk
• Practical strategies for bolstering host defense and immune resiliency with your clients

8.0 CECs / Research Articles / Quiz

In‌ ‌this 8.0 continuing education credit (CEC) course, Fundamentals of Health Behavior Change, ‌you‌ ‌will‌ ‌explore‌ ‌and‌ ‌build‌ ‌a‌ ‌fundamental‌ ‌awareness‌ ‌of‌ ‌the psychology of health behavior, how health behaviors can be changed, and coaching strategies and techniques to promote health behavior change. Specifically, you will learn about:

• The various models of health behavior and behavior modification
• The psychology of health beliefs and how people make health-related decisions
• How various frameworks of health behavior psychology can be applied in practice
• The social determinants of health and factors that impact health behavior actions and decisions
• Practical coaching, behavior modification, and counseling strategies

6.0 CECs / Research Articles / Quiz

In‌ this 6.0 hour continuing education credit (CEC) course, ‌Natural and Herbal Strategies for Menopause, ‌you‌ ‌will‌ ‌explore‌ ‌and‌ ‌build‌ ‌a‌ ‌fundamental‌ ‌awareness‌ ‌of‌ ‌the various natural strategies (such as complementary medicine practice and mind-body practices) and the medicinal herbs that have may have an effect on the biological processes associated with menopause. Specifically, you will explore:

• How menopause impacts human physiology and biology
• Why certain hormones cause certain signs and symptoms
• The various symptoms and risk factors associated with menopause
• Traditional, complementary, alternative, natural, and holistic practices for menopause
• The level of evidence for certain holistic strategies and herbs for menopause
• Practical strategies for implementing these strategies for your clients experiencing menopause

6.0 CECs / Research Articles / Quiz

Our understanding of the microbiome and human brain is always evolving. In recent years, it has been well-established that the gastrointestinal (gut) microbiota and various strains of bacteria have a direct impact on brain function and our overall health and wellness.

Since our understanding of these topics is still evolving, it’s important for nutrition, wellness, health coaching, and fitness professionals to understand the latest science of the microbiome, psychobiotics, the gut-brain axis, and how all of this science can help you provide more value to your clients.

In this 6.0 hour continuing education credit course, you will learn about:

• The various anatomical and physiological components of the gut-brain connection
• What psychobiotics are, their supplemental forms, and their uses
• How the immune system and gut-microbiome are connected and how this connection influences inflammation
• The different neurotransmitters, hormones, and other molecular biochemistry involved with psychobiotics
• How psychobiotics can benefit and influence different diseases and conditions
• Practical strategies for incorporating psychobiotics, probiotics, and prebiotic foods into your client’s diet