Nutrition

Nourishing Women: A Woman's Health Nutrition Series is a four-part course that explores optimizing diet for hormone health, therapeutic foods, and lifestyle considerations for women of all ages.

These classes provide tangible, relevant nutrition information to help you care for and nourish your body through rhythmic cycles and stages of change. The series also serves as a place for community and support among equals.

Available On Demand — register once and watch all four classes at your own pace, whenever it best suits your schedule.

Who Should Take This Course

• Adult women ages 18 and older
• Those interested in how nutrition and lifestyle influence hormones and women's health
• Individuals moving through a period of transition — puberty, pregnancy, or menopause
• Those experiencing endometriosis, PCOS, ovulatory challenges, PMS, fertility concerns, or symptoms related to hormone imbalance

What You'll Learn

Class One – The Foundations

• Introduction to hormones
• The menstrual cycle
• Nutrition for hormone balance
• Therapeutic foods and recipes

Class Two – Metabolic Health and Hormones

• System-wide assessment of hormone imbalance
• The role of body weight, blood sugar, and thyroid health
• Nutrition basics
• Therapeutic foods and recipes

Class Three – Lifestyle and Environmental Factors

• Evolutionary mis-match
• We are what we eat — and what our food eats
• Stress, sleep, and physical activity
• Therapeutic foods and recipes

Class Four – Nutrition Through the Lifecycle

• Dietary changes across life stages
• Supporting fertility and pregnancy
• Perimenopause to menopause transition
• Therapeutic foods and recipes

Frequently Asked Questions

What are classes like?
Each class is one hour. All classes are available on demand via video link sent by email after registration.

What can I expect from participating?
You can expect to gain foundational information about women's health and hormones, learn nutrition basics, and understand the role of therapeutic foods throughout the female lifespan. You'll receive practical recommendations to adapt your current diet to support optimal hormone health.

Will I receive a meal plan?
Each class includes therapeutic food recommendations and recipes. A 2-week meal plan is available at additional cost — email CINinfo@health.ucsd.edu to inquire.

Can I see an integrative registered dietitian individually?
Yes. Contact our navigation team at (844) 747-0474 to discuss insurance coverage and scheduling. A referral from your medical provider is required.

Will refunds be offered for missed classes?
Class fees are paid in full at registration and are non-refundable.

The Certificate in Integrative Nutrition is a career-focused, 140-hour training program designed for those who want to learn about food as medicine and coach their patients, clients, families, and communities in understanding the value of food and nutrition as a means to promote health, wellness, and disease prevention.

The program is composed of online and live sessions taught by UC San Diego health professionals, acclaimed researchers and authors, and expert plant-based chefs. It provides the skills and knowledge required for a basic foundation in the rapidly growing field of integrative nutrition.

This program is offered through UC San Diego Extension. Full course schedule, enrollment dates, and tuition details are available on the Extension website.

Who Should Enroll

• Existing health professionals looking to expand into nutrition
• Those who aspire to careers in healthcare
• Individuals seeking to develop or deepen a focus in diet and nutrition with a holistic orientation

College-level coursework in a relevant field is preferred — culinary arts, non-dietary healing arts, dietetics, nutrition, biology, or chemistry — but individuals are considered on a case-by-case basis. Cooking experience is helpful but not required.

Program Format

• 140 hours total
• Combination of online and live sessions
• Taught by UC San Diego health professionals, researchers, and plant-based chefs

The Wellness Blueprint: Nourish, Move, Rest, Thrive is a dynamic group coaching experience rooted in lifestyle medicine, where small, intentional shifts unlock powerful transformation.

This interactive series is designed to help you turn everyday choices into lasting habits across nutrition, movement, sleep, and stress. Join us for engaging sessions, real-life applications, and a supportive group environment to truly nourish, move, rest, and thrive.

Group Sessions

• Session 1 – Nourish: Real Food Upgrade. Explore how food quality can innately build an improved "quantity" for properly nourishing your body.
• Session 2 – Move: Keep It Active. Dive into joyful movement and discover how it supports heart health, energy, and overall well-being — then put it into action with a fun, guided group movement.
• Session 3 – Rest: Build Your Rhythm. Uncover the deeper impact of sleep on health and begin planning how to establish routines to optimize total wellness.
• Session 4 – Thrive: Cope and Conquer. Reimagine stress as a growth opportunity, using practical tools to strengthen resilience and navigate challenges with greater clarity and control.

Session Format

• Opening Connection: A welcoming start to get everyone comfortable and engaged
• Learn: The Wellness Blueprint theme of the week, with education and key insights on the topic
• Intention Setting & Practical Application: A moment to reflect and set a personal focus or goal
• Group Coaching: Integrative discussion, insight, and guided group coaching

Frequently Asked Questions

What is group coaching?
Group coaching is a non-judgmental, guided experience where a coach works with several participants at once to explore a shared topic, build skills, and support personal growth. It combines coaching, discussion, and peer connection so you gain insight, accountability, and encouragement from one another in a supportive environment.

What should I expect?
Group coaching is designed to empower you to make self-directed, lasting changes through guided conversation and shared learning. While education on lifestyle medicine is included, sessions do not provide individualized meal plans, prescriptions, or structured fitness programming. The focus stays on a positive, collaborative environment where you can explore what works best for you and move forward with greater clarity, confidence, and support.

How long is each session?
This is a four-part series with weekly sessions lasting up to one hour each.

Do I need to attend all four sessions?
Ideally, yes. The experience is designed as four consecutive sessions to build continuity, trust, and momentum within the group. Attending each session helps you form deeper connections, reinforce new habits, and create more meaningful, lasting impact.

Who leads the sessions?
One of our board-certified health and wellness coaches (NBC-HWC).

Can others join with me?
For privacy, sessions are reserved for registered participants so everyone can fully engage and learn from one another.

What technology is needed?
All sessions are held via Zoom. You'll need a Zoom-compatible device such as a phone, tablet, or laptop. Zoom links are sent ahead of each session.

This is more than a program. Join us to design your unique blueprint for sustainable change, built one small, powerful step at a time.

Food as Medicine at Home offers hands-on cooking classes streaming from the comfort of your own kitchen. Classes apply plant-based nutrition principles to support balanced healthy eating habits.

Participants learn about key nutrients—fat, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals—as well as therapeutic approaches for managing body weight, blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, gut health, inflammation, hormones, and longevity.

Course Highlights

• Learn the benefits of functional ingredients, food combinations, and dietary patterns
• Apply therapeutic nutrition principles to common health challenges
• Experience plant-based recipes that are easy to prepare and delicious
• Develop cooking skills for menu planning, bulk cooking, and batch cooking
• Live Q&A with an integrative registered dietitian each class

Class 1 – Natural Detox Support

Gentle detoxification to combat chronic disease, inflammation, and aging.

• Culinary focus: Cooking methods for nutrient preservation; reducing toxin exposure
• Health focus: Supporting natural detox pathways
• Activity: Habit Tracker
• Recipes: Collard Wrapped Chickpea Tapenade, Tahini Dipping Sauce, Quick Pickled Vegetables, Ginger Peach Iced Tea

Class 2 – Anti-Inflammatory Super Foods

Functional foods with anti-inflammatory benefits.

• Culinary focus: Preparing pulses and whole grains; batch cooking
• Health focus: Fiber and microbiome health
• Activity: Meal planning
• Recipes: Herb and Citrus Baked Salmon (or Tofu), Forbidden Rice with Ginger Turmeric Dressing, Miso Glazed Bok Choy, Triple Berry Apple Chia Compote

Class 3 – Fiber & Natural GLP-1 Boosters

Foods that naturally support satiety, digestion, and the body's innate GLP-1 production.

• Culinary focus: Pulses, whole grains, batch cooking
• Health focus: Satiety, digestion, metabolic health
• Activity: Meal planning + probiotic food take-home recipes
• Recipes: Lentil Bolognese, Go Green Buckwheat Risotto, Sparkling Green Tea with Basil Seeds

Class 4 – Ayurvedic Nutritional Healing

An introduction to Ayurvedic cooking: achieving balance among mind, body, and "dosha."

• Culinary focus: Cooking to sustain a healthy diet
• Health focus: Macronutrients, micronutrients, and functional foods for disease
• Activity: Menu and recipe adaptations
• Recipes: TBD

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is each class?
Each class is 1.5 hours via Zoom. Plan 30–60 minutes before and after for grocery prep and cleanup.

Is this a vegan cooking class?
Yes, all recipes are 100% plant-based. The broader approach focuses on whole-food, plant-based eating; animal proteins may be discussed in context.

Will food allergies be considered?
Yes. Please indicate any food allergies at registration so the instructor can offer substitutions.

Can my family members participate?
Immediate household members are welcome to cook along. Those outside your home should register separately.

What technology is needed?
All classes are held via Zoom. You'll need a Zoom-compatible device. Links are sent weekly before class.

Can I contact the instructor outside of class?
Yes — email CINinfo@health.ucsd.edu.