Meet Jenna Bos, NTI graduate, who excels as a Master Nutritionist & Natural Food Chef. Read about her inspiring journey, learn what sparked her interest in holistic wellness, and explore her post-graduation endeavors.
Tell us about yourself and your business
Although I don’t have a business yet, I am pursuing a few areas of Holistic Nutrition that are very important to me! I am currently in the process of studying for the NANP board exam, which I will be taking this coming fall! For me, this is a huge step in my career as a Nutritional Therapist, I think having one board certification it will help me feel more confident helping my clients achieve their health and wellness goals!
After graduating from the Natural Food Chef (NFC) program, I jumped headfirst into my career as a chef! Currently, I work for a non-profit organization called First Descents (FD), a company that transports people affected by cancer and multiple sclerosis to desert shelters! This program is a wonderful way for our participants to connect with people who are experiencing similar journeys from diagnoses to remission.
FD emphasizes using nature as healing and a huge part of that healing is natural foods! In these programs I’m in the kitchen with another chef, preparing delicious and nutritious meals to keep participants energized and healthy for their surfing, white water kayaking or rock climbing adventures! It’s the most rewarding job and such a fun way to show how important nutrition is!
Future Career Plans
In the coming months I will be doing cooking classes at Cancer Support Community of Montana! I am particularly excited about this opportunity as I love sharing with people how to make nutrient-dense meals, how those nutrients benefit our bodies, and how to maintain the nutritional integrity of food without sacrificing taste!
I have so many opportunities ahead of me and I’m so excited to see what doors open next!
READ MORE >>> What do I do with a Natural Food Chef certification and what can I do with a Master Nutrition Therapist certification?
What led you to pursue a career in holistic wellness?
I’ve always been interested in health and wellness since I was little, and I’m also a big foodie! I was never quite sure how to go about either of these things, let alone combine the two. In 2019 I did my first yoga training. an 8-month intensive in Ayurveda and Hatha Yoga. Ayurveda really stood out to me as this “magical” way of combining our relationship with our bodies, the food we eat, our spirituality and the way we move, with the rhythms of nature. it just made sense!
A big part of Ayurveda is how we eat according to our body’s dosha (aka our body composition according to Ayurvedic teachings). For many people outside of the holistic health and wellness world, this concept comes across as “woo-woo” and foreign. Many people assume that we all need to eat the same kinds of foods for the same reasons in order to be healthy. For me, though, this Ayurvedic teaching made me sing!
Of course, Health is individualistic and so is food and the way we interact with it! Realizing this, I needed to learn the science behind it, which eventually led me to a Google search for “holistic schools” and alas, I stumbled upon NTI. The rest is history.
How did going to school at the Nutrition Therapy Institute lead you to success?
NTI set me up for success in many ways. Personally, I loved how small and intimate my classes were through the NTMC and NFC programs, I think that was a huge part of why I was able to do so well in school! All the faculty and staff at NTI are so passionate about this work, they were always there to answer any questions I had and were so encouraging throughout my holistic wellness education. I think having small class sizes really allowed all of my teachers to connect with us students and created great class discussions!
Mainly, NTI’s curriculum structure was AMAZING! All of my classes were so well thought out and progressing from class to class throughout the Nutrition Therapist Master Certification (NTMC) courses was so easy, I was impressed!
What was the most valuable part of your education as a student at NTI?
I think so My biggest takeaway from my NTI training, was how affordable nutrition can be. Many of us see a lot of diet and health myths on the internet and social media. They often give us a false picture of what health is “supposed” to look like, what it “should” feel like, and what steps we “need” to take to be healthy.
There is simply a lack of education about nutrition and health in our society. I think this is really one of the biggest reasons why so many people are not motivated to change their lifestyle, they just don’t know where to start. Or, in the case of so many people in the younger generations, they’ve tried all the FAD diets from their favorite Instagram influencer and seen no results, leaving them desperate for their health.
During my training at NTI, I learned so many ways to educate our clients about the importance of real food, how to guide and motivate them in a way that is purposeful and sustainable. and how to create a plan that fits their lifestyle, their budget, their beliefs and that actually works! Throughout the NTI classes, I learned so much about the intricacies of the human body and why it is so important to treat each client with a customized approach to nutrition, rather than a “one size fits all.” I believe this careful strategy of how we train our clients is a huge reason why so many NTI graduates are so successful. In all of my classes, we’ve learned that health goes beyond our physical bodies, but also encompasses our lifestyles!
What is your favorite part about being a Master Nutritional Therapist & Natural Food Chef?
My favorite part about being a Natural Foods chef is sharing food that I know makes a huge difference in the lives of those who eat it! It’s so rewarding to see people so inspired by food that makes them feel good and that they actually enjoy. And while I am not currently practicing as a Master Nutritional Therapist yet, studying for my board exams has been such a great reminder of how much I have learned at NTI and makes me so excited to share my knowledge with my future clients!
What are your goals as a Master Nutritional Therapist & Natural Food Chef?
My goals are always changing in terms of what my career looks like as I’m still exploring what this industry has to offer, which (might I add) is a very exciting phase to be in! However, one thing remains the same. My biggest goal is to educate people about the importance of good nutrition over a tasty meal (in whatever capacity)!
At this time, I really enjoyed working at the shelter as a Natural Foods chef. It’s such a great way to educate people about food in a safe environment where the reason they’re there is to heal, and that’s so powerful. I think I would like to continue down the path of retreats and holistic wellness education in some capacity. I love making food fun for people to learn and what a gift it would be to give people the opportunity to explore it in a relaxing environment!
What is one nutritional strategy that you make sure to include in your routine and why?
If I had to pick one thing to take with me to a desert island, it would be my probiotics. Gut health is so important to our overall well-being, and it wasn’t until I trained at NTI that I fully understood this! I take a probiotic every morning, eat lots of delicious fermented foods, drink plenty of kombucha (my favorite thing of all time), and eat lots of foods that I know feed my gut and make my tummy happy! Combine these things, with a good dose of happy movement and meditation to balance my nervous system and you have a very happy Jenna!
Are you inspired by Jenna’s journey and want to create a rewarding career for yourself?
Then becoming a Master Nutritional Therapist or Natural Food Chef is the perfect way to do just that! Us Master Nutrition Therapist certification is scientific and the most comprehensive holistic nutrition education program available today. In our Natural Food Chef program, we teach you how to combine culinary art and science with holistic nutrition. Getting in touch with our admissions team to learn more today!
