MEET THE FOUNDER OF VITAFLOW HOLISTIC WELLNESS
WHAT LED ME TO BECOME A CERTIFIED NUTRITIONAL PRACTITIONER
Hi! I'm Zoraya, a busy mom to a toddler, Registered Nurse (BScN), Certified Holistic Nutritionist (CNP) and Yoga teacher (RYT-200hrs) with a Bachelor's Degree in Food Science and Nutrition. Since an early age, I have always had a passion for healthy living, fitness and holistic nutrition! After giving birth to my daughter, I experienced a variety of health symptoms such as chronic fatigue, severe anemia, mood swings and hormonal issues that were not resolved by conventional medicine but through holistic nutrition and lifestyle changes. This ignited a passion within me to pursue a career as a Holistic Nutritionist and help other women regain control of their health and vitality!
My passion for holistic wellness goes back to my childhood when I would receive acupuncture treatments from my mother, who is an Integrative Physician. She would do this in order to help me regain my strength and increase my immune system after being sick with a cold or having other common ailments. From that early age I knew that our bodies have an innate capacity to heal when given the proper tools without having to resort to over the counter medications that only mask symptoms rather than cure the root cause.
This passion grew stronger in my early 20’s when I completed a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science at the University of Western Ontario (UWO, 2008) with the intent of becoming a Registered Dietitian. While this program was very interesting and provided me with a strong academic foundation in the food sciences and clinical practice, I had an inner desire to help sick and convalescent individuals who required constant care and support to get back on their wellness journey. Therefore, after I completed this degree I quickly realized that a dietitian's scope of practice within a conventional framework was limited, so I went back to school just a year later, and completed a Bachelor's degree in Nursing Science at York University (Toronto, 2011).
HOW I HAVE INTEGRATED MY NURSING BACKGROUND INTO MY HOLISTIC PRACTICE
Becoming a Registered Nurse (RN) has been a rewarding experience because it has given me the opportunity to navigate the healthcare system and understand the struggles sick people have to face in order to obtain medical treatments that sometimes only offer temporary relief and in some cases only perpetuating their disease. Even though, conventional medicine has advanced immensely in the last couple of decades, and life saving procedures can only be done by skilled surgeons and other medical professionals, it has also failed to acknowledge that adequate nutrition, lifestyle habits, spirituality, mindfulness and a healthy environment are the key elements to promote health and are crucial to making a full recovery from any disease. Therefore, I have witnessed this missing component while working in different areas of the medical system as an RN, from the Emergency room, mental health, Birth Unit, and presently in my current job as an IV Nurse at Private Clinic for patients with a wide variety of Autoimmune conditions.
Therefore, this disconnect in the health care system , and my own personal health struggles, re-ignited my passion for holistic living and nutrition and motivated me to make a difference in the healthcare system by becoming a certified Certified Nutritional Practitioner (CNP) in November, 2020.
Another personal experience that brought me into the holistic and wellness was the death of my brother in 2015. He died at the age of 38 to an aggressive form of cancer. Seeing him die at such a young age, with a misguided medical treatment plan and an improper diet also reinforced my decision to become a holistic practitioner.
Even though I miss him everyday and I wish that I could have helped him heal with the knowledge that I have now, I know that he is in a better place and he is proud of me for the people I have already inspired and helped become healthier.
GRADUATING FROM THE WORLD RENOWNED INSTITUTE OF HOLISTIC NUTRITION
In November 14th, 2020; I graduated as a CNP from the well renowned Institute of Holistic Nutrition (IHN), with First Class Honors, as well as the Valedictorian and featured Alumni of the month. This has been a true honor since this designation is only recognized and approved by two of Canada’s respected educational standards bodies: the International Organization of Nutritional Consultants (IONC) and the Canadian Association of Natural Nutritional Practitioners (CANNP). In addition to this, the designation as CNP is earned exclusively by graduates of IHN.
My passion for holistic nutrition and wellness has been present in my life for years, that shortly after starting my studies as a Nutritional Practitioner in 11/2019, I founded my own holistic wellness company called "VitaFlow Holistic Wellness". VitaFlow stands for FLOW of VITALITY which is within all of us!
To complement my holistic services and expand my scope of practice, in May 2022, I became a certified Yoga teacher (RYT-200 hrs). I provide private/group classes to my clients with a focus on metabolism, digestion and immune boosting flow sequences.
Currently, I specialize in women's health by offering tailored meal plans, supplement and lifestyle recommendations, yoga classes & wellness retreats. I also offer a unique line of healing gemstone jewelry and essential oils handmade by me too help my clients regain their health, confidence and vitality!!
This is why I do what I do and this will continue to drive me to grow my business into one day having an Integrative Clinical Centre with a variety of holistic services to promote healing, and a better quality of life to my clients.
Thank you for taking the time to read my journey into the holistic world, and what has inspired me to become a Holistic Practitioner. I would be honored to get to know you and help you regain your vitality!
Zoraya Bernal, RN (BScN), CNP