Abstract

This work proposes a philosophical and theoretical framework for, and a definition of, the field of Wholistic Nutrition. The purpose of the work is to expand the existing paradigm of nutrition beyond the reductionistic approach of biochemistry by incorporating concepts from other areas of modern science, in order to better elucidate the role of food in the recovery and maintenance of health. Chapter One is an overview of models and paradigms, based on the work of Jean Gebser and Thomas Kuhn, theorists of consciousness and science, respectively. Chapter Two is an overview of the mainstream scientific nutritional paradigm that includes a brief history of the discipline, a description of the process undergone by food as it is digested and absorbed through the intestinal wall, a review of the successful applications of nutritional science, and an inquiry into its limitations. Chapter Three is an analytical description of certain concepts from four scientific fields: systems theory, complexity theory, quantum physics, and chaos theory. Chapter Four applies the concepts introduced in Chapter Three to new ways of understanding various aspects of health, body function, and food absorption. Chapter Five applies these concepts to nutrition theory and practice, presents a definition of the philosophy of wholistic healing, and proposes that Wholistic Nutrition be defined as the study of how different foods, both whole and refined or fragmented, affect various levels of the human being's bodymind . The work concludes with a review of the implications of this new paradigm for health practitioners, as well as its possible applications in nutritional education, research, and counseling