What Is Functional Nutrition? A Root Cause Approach to Digestive and Whole-Body Health

When people suffer from chronic digestive issues, fatigue, or autoimmune symptoms—and conventional medicine doesn't provide relief—they often begin searching for something deeper. That's where functional nutrition comes in.

Unlike traditional approaches that focus on managing symptoms, functional nutrition seeks to understand and address the root causes of illness. It's a science-based, personalized method that looks at the body as an interconnected system—and for many people, it can be life-changing.

One practitioner who sees this transformation daily is Jenny Askew, founder of The Nutrition Clinic for Digestive Health. "By the time people get to us, they've usually been to several doctors and haven't gotten the results they were hoping for," Jenny says. "They've tried everything, and we're like their very last resort."

But that "last resort" is often the breakthrough they've been waiting for.

What Is Functional Nutrition?

Functional nutrition is rooted in the idea that food, lifestyle, environment, and genetics all influence health. It goes beyond standard dietary advice to explore how imbalances in one area—like the gut, hormones, immune system, or detox pathways—can create symptoms elsewhere in the body.

Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all plan, functional nutritionists create highly individualized protocols based on a person's history, lab results, and lifestyle. This is known as bio-individuality.

"Everyone's so different," Jenny explains. "We really focus on the bio-individuality of our clients and their stories, and that's what dictates where we go and what the next steps are."

Functional Nutrition in Action

In Jenny's practice, no two client plans look the same. One person may start with food sensitivity testing; another might need a comprehensive stool analysis or a deeper look at stress and sleep habits. The process is a bit like detective work.

"We look at their medical history. We look at medication use. We look at stress, trauma," Jenny says. "Of course, we're talking a lot about diet and exercise. So we're really trying to look at all the things and help them put the pieces together."

One of her clients, for example, had been experiencing diarrhea eight times a day for nearly a year—something that severely impacted her ability to live a normal life. Through testing, Jenny discovered that two staples in the client's breakfast—coffee and cantaloupe—were triggering inflammation. "Just taking those out of her diet, her symptoms improved immediately," Jenny recalls.

That kind of result isn't unusual. By looking at patterns and asking why a symptom is occurring—not just how to suppress it—functional nutrition often uncovers solutions that conventional approaches overlook.

The Science of Elimination and Reintroduction

Elimination diets are a common part of functional nutrition, but they're far from a fad. Jenny approaches them like a scientist. "We'll have them start with adding one new food every two or three days—but only single-ingredient foods, and only one at a time," she explains.

Clients keep a detailed food and symptom journal throughout the process. "A food sensitivity reaction might happen right away, or it might happen up to three days later," Jenny notes. That's why the reintroduction phase is slow and deliberate.

Importantly, restrictive diets are temporary—not a permanent solution. "Unless it's celiac or a true allergy, the most we ask people to restrict is six to eight weeks," Jenny says. "After that, they can start adding foods back. We don't want to keep them on restricted diets forever."

She's even seen overly strict diets worsen symptoms due to the stress they cause. "I've seen some people where the diet actually caused so much stress that it was making their symptoms worse."

Support That Goes Beyond Appointments

Jenny's practice offers what she calls a "concierge level of service," including grocery shopping assistance, email support between visits, and a secure messaging portal for quick questions.

"It's about being there for people when they need it and going the extra mile," she says.

She also understands the emotional toll dietary changes can take—especially when they affect social situations like eating out or drinking. "Those kinds of big changes are hard," she acknowledges. "But most people who have been suffering for a long time are usually willing to try just about anything. They're looking for answers."

Collaboration with Conventional Medicine

While functional nutrition offers a more holistic lens, it doesn't reject conventional care. Jenny often partners with doctors to ensure clients receive necessary medical evaluations or prescriptions. "We want to make sure that we're not missing anything, and that everything we're doing is truly in the patient's best interest," she says.

This integrative mindset is common in functional nutrition, where practitioners aim to complement—not replace—traditional medical care.

A Growing Movement Toward Personalized Health

As more people seek answers that conventional medicine can't always provide, functional nutrition is gaining traction. It offers a way forward for those dealing with chronic, complex conditions that aren't easily solved with a pill or a 15-minute visit.

Jenny's practice is part of that movement. Her team helps people take ownership of their health, understand their unique bodies, and find real relief. "We help them understand that they don't have to live with digestive problems," she says.

Whether you're dealing with gut issues, hormone imbalances, skin flare-ups, or unexplained fatigue, functional nutrition might offer the deeper answers you've been searching for—and a path toward healing that starts with why.

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A business owner, wife, mom, and now a cancer survivor, Jenny Askew is also a registered and licensed dietitian and ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist®. Jenny is passionate about improving the health of others by helping them get to the root causes of their health issues. This passion has led her to pursue further training in Integrative and Functional Medical Nutrition Therapy.