Meet NTI Grad, Jenna Bos

Meet Jenna Bos, an NTI Graduate, excelling as a Nutrition Therapist Master & 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

While I don’t have a business yet, I am pursuing a few areas of Holistic Nutrition that are very important to me! Currently, I am in the process of studying for my NANP Board Exam which I will be taking this coming fall! For me, this is a huge step into my career as a Nutrition Therapist, as I think having a board certification will help me feel more confident in helping my clients achieve their health and wellness goals!

Upon my graduation from the Natural Food Chef (NFC) program, I dove headfirst into my career as a chef! Currently, I work for a non-profit called First Descents (FD), a company that takes folks affected by cancer and MS on wilderness retreats! This program is a wonderful way for our participants to connect with people experiencing similar journeys from diagnoses all the way to remission.

FD emphasizes using nature as therapy, and a huge part of that therapy is natural foods! On these programs I am in the kitchen with another chef, whipping up some delicious and nutritious meals, with the intention of keeping our participants energized and healthy for their adventures surfing, whitewater kayaking, or rock climbing! It is the most rewarding job and such a fun way to showcase how important nutrition is!

Future Career Plans

In the coming months, I will be teaching cooking classes at the Cancer Support Community of Montana! I am particularly excited about this opportunity as I love sharing with people how to create meals that are packed full of nutrients, how those nutrients benefit our bodies, and how to maintain the nutrient integrity of foods without sacrificing flavor!

I have so many opportunities ahead of me and I am so excited to see which doors open next!

READ MORE >>> What To Do With a Natural Food Chef Certification & What Can I Do With My Nutrition Therapist Master Certification?

What led you to pursue a career in holistic wellness?

From a young age I had always been interested in health and wellness, and I am also a big foodie! I was never sure how to pursue any of those things, let alone, combine the two. In 2019 I took 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 to our bodies, the food we eat, our spirituality, and the way we move, to 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’s composition according to Ayurvedic teachings). For many people not in the holistic world of health and wellness, this idea comes across as ‘woo-woo’ and foreign; many people assume we all need to eat the same types of food for the same reasons, in order to achieve health. For me, however, this Ayurvedic teaching made me sing!

Of course, health is individualistic and so is food and the way we interact with it! Having had this realization, I needed to know the science behind it, which ultimately led me to a Google search of ‘holistic nutrition schools’ and alas, I stumbled upon NTI. The rest is history.

How did going to school at Nutrition Therapy Institute set you up for success?

NTI set me up for success in so many ways. Personally, I loved how small and intimate my classes were through the NTMC and NFC programs, I think this was a huge part of why I was able to do so well in school! All of 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 the entire way through my holistic wellness education. I think having small class sizes really allowed all of my teachers to connect with us students and created wonderful class discussions!

Most notably, NTI’s curriculum structure was AMAZING! All of my classes were so carefully thought out and progressing from class to class throughout my Nutrition Therapist Master Certification (NTMC) courses was so effortless, I was beyond impressed!

What was the most valuable part of your training as a student at NTI?

I think my biggest take-away from my training at NTI, was how approachable nutrition can be. So many of us see many nutrition and health myths online and on social media. Often times we’re painted a false picture of what health is ‘supposed’ to look like, how it ‘should’ feel, and what steps we ‘need’ to take to be healthy.

There is simply a lack of education around nutrition and health in our society. I think this truly is one of the biggest reasons why so many people are unmotivated to change their lifestyle, they simply do not know where to start. Or, in the case of so many people in younger generations, they have tried all of the FAD diets from their favorite Instagram influencer and haven’t seen any results, leaving them hopeless for their health.

During my training at NTI, I learned so many ways to educate our clients on the importance of real food, how to coach them and motivate them in a manner that is intentional and sustainable; and how to create a plan that fits their lifestyle, their budget, their beliefs and that actually works! In all of NTI’s courses, I learned so much about the intricacies of the human body, and why it’s so important to treat each client with a tailored approach to nutrition, rather than a ‘one-size-fits-all solution’. I believe this mindful strategy to how we educate our clients, is a huge reason why so many NTI grads are so successful. In all of my classes, we learned that health goes beyond our physical bodies, but encapsulates our lifestyle as well!

What is your favorite part about being a Nutrition Therapist Master & Natural Food Chef?

My favorite part about being a Natural Food Chef is sharing food that I know is making a huge difference in the lives of those eating it! It is 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 Nutrition Therapist Master yet, studying for my board exam has been such a great reminder about how much I have learned at NTI and gets me so excited to share my knowledge with my future clients!

What are your goals as a Nutrition Therapist Master & Natural Food Chef?

My goals are always changing as far as what my career looks like, as I a still exploring what this industry has to offer, which (I might add), is a very exciting phase to be in! However, one thing stays the same; my biggest goal is to educate people on the importance of good nutrition over a tasty meal (in whatever capacity that takes place)!

Right now, I have really enjoyed working in the retreat space as a Natural Food Chef. It is such a wonderful way to educate folks about food in a safe environment, where their reason for being there is to heal, and that is so powerful. I think I would like to continue down the path of retreats and holistic wellness education in some capacity. I like to make food fun for people to learn about and what a gift it would be to give people to opportunity to explore that in a relaxing environment!

What is one nutritional strategy you make sure to include in your routine and why?

If I had to choose one thing to take with me on a desert island, it would be my probiotics. Gut health is so, so, important for our overall well-being, and it wasn’t until my education at NTI that I fully understood that! I take a probiotic every morning, I eat lots of yummy fermented foods, drink a fair amount of kombucha (my favorite thing of all time), and eat plenty of foods that I know feed my gut and make my tummy happy! Pair these things, with a good dose of joyful movement and meditation to balance my nervous system, and you’ve got a very happy Jenna!

Are you inspired by Jenna’s journey and want to create a rewarding career for yourself? 

Then becoming a Nutrition Therapist Master or a Natural Food Chef is the perfect way to do just that!  Our Nutrition Therapist Master Certification is science-based and the most comprehensive holistic nutrition training program available today.  In our Natural Food Chef program, we teach you how to blend culinary art and science with holistic nutrition.  Get in touch with our admissions team to learn more today!