Joshua Rosenthal

In 1992, Rosenthal founded the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN),^[5] a program that offers a health coach training program. It began as a cooking class in a rented kitchen in NYC^[2] and has grown into the world's largest nutrition school. The school has more than 100,000 students in 123 countries and growing^[2][6] and students learn topics that range from holistic nutrition and coaching to business and marketing^[7]

Rosenthal is currently the director and primary instructor for the Institute for Integrative Nutrition,^[7] teaching alongside other nutrition and wellness experts, including Andrew Weil, Deepak Chopra and Barry Sears, among others.^[8] Rosenthal has more than 30 years of experience in curriculum development, personal coaching, and nutritional counseling.^[9] He speaks every year at IIN's annual conference at Lincoln Center in New York City.^[5]

Rosenthal coined the term primary food, which refers to anything that provides nourishment to a person's body. This includes relationships, career, physical activity, and spirituality. Secondary food is the food people eat.^[10] He also developed the term bio-individuality, which means a diet that works well for one person will not always benefit another.^[11] These theories, along with Rosenthal's concept creation of a health coach,^[12][13] are the result of his time studying macrobiotic diet at the Kushi Institute and exploring health education.^[14]

In 2006, Rosenthal lobbied the city of New York to be the first major U.S. city to ban trans fats.^[15]

In 2016, he worked closely with elected officials in Washington D.C. to declare a National Health Coach Week in January to generate awareness for health and wellness.^[16]

The Institute for Integrative Nutrition has received extensive criticism from Quackwatch on a variety of issues.^[3]

Rosenthal authored books that include, Integrative Nutrition: Feed Your Hunger for Health and Happiness,”^[9] Integrative Nutrition: The Future of Nutrition,^[17] The Integrative Nutrition Cookbook: Simple recipes for health and happiness,^[18] and The Power of Primary Food: Nourishment Beyond The Plate.^[19]