Integrative Nutrition Health Coach: Everything You Need to Know

Do you have what it takes to become an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach? Most importantly, are you passionate about helping others achieve their health and wellness goals? If the answer is yes, then you’re exactly where you need to be right now.

But first, we’re Cass + Tee, web designers & coaches, and the duo behind Lovely Impact. We believe that coaching is a calling, and we want to help you create a beautiful business doing what you love. 

We created this blog to share our best tips, strategies, and resources to help you build a thriving coaching business.

This guide will give you everything you need to know about the IIN program, from curriculum to cost. So read on and see if this exciting career path is right for you.

Let’s dive right in!

What is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach?

An Integrative Nutrition Health Coach is someone who has passed a health coaching course with the Institute of Integrative Health. 

This course is all about teaching someone how to deal with holistic health so that they can help their clients with all elements of their lives.

There is currently a huge demand for health coaches. Regardless, with no requirements or standards for certification in this field, it can be hard for both coaches and clients to know who is legitimate and how they can help.

Becoming an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach is a great way to give your client an idea about your credentials in advance and increase their trust in you. 

It proves you have some skills in the field and creates a foundation of understanding for both the client and coach to build a relationship.

As people turn to health coaches more and more, this course is a wonderful way to demonstrate your skills and provide your clients with the best possible service.

What is the Institute of Integrative Nutrition?

The Institute of Integrative Nutrition is an institution that provides coaching programs to aspiring coaches and helps them learn how to be fantastic coaches for their clients. The program is offered online across the world and has been licensed by the New York State Education Department.

It is also recognized by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching, and many other organizations throughout Australia, the UK, New Zealand, and North America. 

Although the institute was largely focused on one country (North America), it has since improved its offering for international users, ensuring that materials are relatable to people from all over the world.

Those interested in earning certificates can do so remotely and on their own schedule. The materials are released on a regular basis, but there are no live classes, so students can fit the work in around other commitments. 

On average, it takes most students around a year to complete the course.

What does an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach do?

The point of a health coach is to help clients make the right decisions to ensure their life stays on track – in all ways. An Integrative Nutrition Health Coach’s job is to assist their client in all aspects of life, including healthy eating to avoid medical problems.

However, Integrative Nutrition Health Coaches do not have the training or authority of a dietitian or nutritionist, and should not be giving their clients dietary plans or medical advice. 

Their aim instead is to help a client identify goals and challenges and then start dealing with these.

An Integrative Nutrition Health Coach is focused on the overall picture and all the different avenues through which they can help their clients.

Where can I work as an IIN Health Coach?

You should be able to coach anywhere once you are an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, although it is important to check that there are no regulations about this in countries outside of the US. 

At some point, more legislation and requirements may be introduced to this profession, but at present, there are no limits.

If you are interested in coaching online, this tends to increase your options, because you can set up your coaching business anywhere and get paid by clients no matter where they are.

The appeal of this kind of coaching is that it is very convenient and allows you to work from anywhere. You can take your job with you no matter where you go, making it truly flexible.

If you would rather do face-to-face coaching, you will be limited to your local area, but your job can still relocate if you do, as there is a need for coaches almost everywhere. 

You may even be able to combine the two methods and offer both online coaching and in-person appointments. 

How long does it take to become a health coach at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition?

It takes most people around one year to complete the Health Coach course at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. The course has no scheduled classes, but new material is released each week (with scheduled breaks), so you will always have something new to be learning.

The material is separated into modules, and each module usually has up to five hours of lectures, plus videos and reading notes. The lectures will be given by both guest speakers and IIN experts, and cover a wide range of subjects.

In this program, you will learn many different aspects of health coaching, as well as social media, marketing, and finances, which will prepare you to be a professional, well-rounded health coach with all the skills necessary to succeed in business.

Some people may take longer than a year to complete the course, especially if they are only studying part-time. Generally, the course is designed to be completed within twelve months, so you may need to speak with the school if you plan on working on a different time frame.

What can you do with an IIN certification?

You can do any kind of health coaching once you have an IIN certification. You don’t have to worry about being limited to one field or one niche. In fact, the aim of IIN coaching is to provide you with an overall foundation to work with. 

You will probably build on and expand the skills that you begin developing during this course, but you can count on it being a good starting point.

Health coaching can lead to a whole variety of other careers, but many people who start this course will simply go on to be great holistic health coaches. 

Others will specialize in one element of health coaching, and some will find that this career path leads them to a different but related field.

Is IIN ICF certified?

The Coaching Intensive Practicum offered by the Institute of Integrative Nutrition is ICF certified, meaning that IIN health coaches must earn 40 credits every three years if they want to maintain their credentials. 

This may have an impact on what you decide to do with your certification, so plan accordingly.

How much does it cost to be an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach?

Coaching courses can be very costly, and this is something that often discourages coaches from getting certification. The courses offered by the Institute of Integrative Nutrition cost between $3000 and $7500, with most courses costing close to $6000.

This brings the course within the reach of many candidates who cannot afford more expensive, high-end courses. However, there have been comments that the IIN is making vast amounts of money on this and is essentially using it as a “cash cow” to get money from aspiring coaches.

In full transparency, there have also been some complaints about the lack of detail on certain topics, and the lack of preparation for running your own business, which some candidates find frustrating.

Does the Institute for Integrative Nutrition offer payment plans?

In most cases, you can pay for an IIN course in monthly installments, and many people pay for their courses themselves, while some have companies that pay for the training on their behalf.

It’s usually worth looking around for discounts, as many associates of IIN will offer discount codes or reduced fees.

If you aren’t sure whether you can afford a course, you can always get in touch with IIN to discuss your options and work out a payment schedule with them.

Is the Institute for Integrative Nutrition legit?

There is a lot of dispute about the legitimacy of the IIN and its courses. 

Unfortunately, because of the lack of regulation, it is hard to implement any standards or criteria for certifiers within this industry, and this makes it challenging to determine whether the IIN is a legitimate measure of a coach’s ability to coach.

Many people argue that the IIN and its courses are little more than a diploma mill and that anyone can get the certification if they are prepared to pay for it, regardless of skills or qualifications. This is true to some degree and an opinion that can be found regarding many coaching certification programs.

On the other hand, the course does ensure that coaches have at least studied the basics. Since the industry is not regulated, this tends to make this course a better starting point since it creates some standards by which your coaching skills may be measured.

Overall, the Integrative Nutrition Health Coach certification may not be the best training course out there, but it is fairly well-reviewed, and over 80 percent of participants claim they would recommend the course to a friend.

Final Thoughts – Next Steps for An Integrative Nutrition Health Coach

So there you have it, our comprehensive overview of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. We hope this has helped to answer any questions you may have had about becoming a health coach with IIN or what the program entails.

If you do decide to become a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, one of your next steps will be to create an online home for your newly certified coaching services, which is where we can help!

Here’s how to get started:

First, join our resource library HERE and download our business coaching checklist. 

Second, create your signature program by reading THIS >>

Third, use our brand clarity for coaches’ workbook HERE, and health coach logo template HERE to create a professional-looking brand.

Last, launch your business using our health coaching website HERE >>