Lupus Blog & Current Events

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jennifer Crossman, Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor (CFNC), about functional nutrition and what it means for lupus patients for Lupus Awareness Month this May.

Please tell us a little about functional nutrition. Why did you get interested and what training did you pursue?

Functional nutrition is understanding how your body functions and which parts do what. It also means understanding what foods do for your body to help it function in a healthy way. 

I studied under Andrea Nakayama at the Functional Nutrition Alliance. It took me 9 months in an online class to complete my training. I got Certified in early February and practiced through the program. 

I got into functional nutrition because I wanted a more natural approach to healing myself. 

How can lupus patients benefit from functional nutrition approaches? Is there a lupus-specific diet?

I think lupus patients can benefit from functional nutrition because they would have a better understanding of how their body can function better when they eat or avoid specific foods. There is not one specific type of diet because everyone is a bio-individual and everyone is unique. 

What is one thing you wish everyone knew about functional nutrition?

The one thing I wish everyone knew about functional nutrition is that there is a way to feed your body that's best for you. No one diet fits for everyone. Having someone there like a functional nutritionist can help guide you in the right direction to help you find what fits your needs. 

You can connect with Jennifer through her Facebook, and you can learn more about Functional Nutrition here.