Association for Independent Health Consultation (UGB)

The UGB – Verband für Unabhängige Gesundheitsberatung e.V. (Association for Independent Health Consultation) is a German non-profit registered association founded in 1981 in Gießen, where its head office is still located. It also maintains branch offices in Switzerland and Austria and today has around 2,000 members. Its stated mission is to provide independent, competent and sustainable health and nutrition advice, deliberately avoiding funding from industry, political or ideological interest groups so that its work remains free of commercial influence. The association is financed through membership fees and donations. The UGB is best known for its work in popularising the concept of Vollwerternährung (wholefood nutrition). According to the association, its efforts contributed decisively to the adoption of key elements of wholefood nutrition into the dietary recommendations of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung (DGE) during the 1990s. It publishes articles on current nutrition and health topics in its specialist magazine UGB-Forum, which appears every two months with a print run of 5,000 to 6,000 copies and is advertising-free. In addition to holistic health themes and wholefood nutrition, its editorial focus includes the nutrition of children and infants, fasting and weight loss. Eight special issues, UGB-Forum spezial, have also been published. A major pillar of the organisation is the UGB-Akademie, which offers seminars, certified training courses and conferences for both health professionals and interested laypeople. Target professional groups include ecotrophologists, dietetic assistants, home economists, cooks, natural food sector specialists, educators, physiotherapists and other health professions. The academy runs individual seminars, certified training programmes with final examinations (for example the qualification Gesundheits-Trainer) and specialist conferences and symposia on current nutrition and health questions. For nutrition professionals, the UGB offers the certificate Ernährungsberater UGB (UGB Nutrition Consultant), a further qualification for ecotrophologists, nutrition scientists and dietetic assistants. This certificate fulfils the provider qualification requirements of the Leitfaden Prävention of the Spitzenverband der gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung (the umbrella association of statutory health insurers), enabling certified nutrition professionals to bill health insurance companies. For consumers, the certificate serves as a guide to finding a qualified nutrition consultant. The association's public-facing activities include its website ugb.de, which offers understandable, well-researched and advertising-free nutrition information, recipes for healthy eating, online lectures, practical seminars such as anti-inflammatory cooking courses in its teaching kitchen in Gießen, and online specialist conferences. The UGB positions itself as an independent voice in nutrition and health, promoting informed personal opinion-forming and evidence-based practice rather than commercial interests.

The UGB – Verband für Unabhängige Gesundheitsberatung e.V. was founded in 1981 in Gießen, Germany, as a non-profit registered association (gemeinnütziger Verein). From its beginnings it pursued the goal of providing independent, competent and sustainable health and nutrition advice, and it deliberately structured its funding to avoid dependence on industry, political or ideological interest groups. Its work is financed through membership fees and donations. A central theme of the association's early and ongoing work was the concept of Vollwerternährung (wholefood nutrition). According to the UGB, its activities contributed decisively to the fact that key elements of wholefood nutrition were incorporated into the dietary recommendations of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung (DGE) during the 1990s. This period marked the association's most visible influence on German nutrition policy and public dietary guidance. Over the decades the UGB expanded its activities beyond advocacy and information into education and professional qualification. It established the UGB-Akademie, which offers seminars, certified training courses with final examinations, and conferences and symposia for both health professionals and the general public. Target professional groups include ecotrophologists, dietetic assistants, home economists, cooks, natural food sector specialists, educators, physiotherapists and other health professions. The academy also developed the Gesundheits-Trainer qualification. For nutrition professionals, the UGB created the certificate Ernährungsberater UGB, a further qualification for ecotrophologists, nutrition scientists and dietetic assistants. This certificate fulfils the provider qualification requirements of the Leitfaden Prävention of the Spitzenverband der gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung, allowing certified professionals to bill statutory health insurers. For consumers, the certificate helps identify a qualified nutrition consultant. The association also built a publishing arm. Its specialist magazine UGB-Forum publishes articles on current nutrition and health questions, with a focus on holistic health themes, wholefood nutrition, the nutrition of children and infants, fasting and weight loss. The advertising-free magazine appears every two months with a print run of 5,000 to 6,000 copies, and eight special issues, UGB-Forum spezial, have been published. Some articles are made available on the association's website. Today the UGB has around 2,000 members and, in addition to its head office in Gießen, maintains branch offices in Switzerland and Austria. Its website ugb.de offers advertising-free nutrition information, recipes, online lectures, practical seminars such as anti-inflammatory cooking courses in its teaching kitchen in Gießen, and online specialist conferences. The association continues to position itself as an independent, non-commercial voice in nutrition and health, promoting informed personal opinion-forming and evidence-based practice.

• 1990

  According to the association, its work contributed decisively to key elements of wholefood nutrition being adopted into the dietary recommendations of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung (DGE) during the 1990s.

• 1981

  UGB – Verband für Unabhängige Gesundheitsberatung e.V. founded in Gießen, Germany, as a non-profit registered association.

• UGB-Akademie established, offering seminars, certified training courses and conferences for health professionals and the public.

• Ernährungsberater UGB certificate introduced, fulfilling the provider qualification requirements of the Leitfaden Prävention of the Spitzenverband der gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung.

• UGB-Forum magazine launched; it now appears every two months with a print run of 5,000 to 6,000 copies, and eight UGB-Forum spezial special issues have been published.

• Branch offices established in Switzerland and Austria alongside the head office in Gießen.

Independent, non-commercial and advertising-free health and nutrition advice; financed by memberships and donations and deliberately avoiding industry, political or ideological funding.

• UGB-Forum magazine

  Advertising-free specialist magazine on nutrition, health and environment, published every two months with a print run of 5,000 to 6,000 copies.

• UGB-Forum spezial

  Special issues on various topics; eight have been published to date.

• UGB-Akademie seminars and certified training

  Seminars, certified training courses with final examinations, conferences and symposia for health professionals and interested laypeople.

• Ernährungsberater UGB certificate

  Further qualification for ecotrophologists, nutrition scientists and dietetic assistants, fulfilling the provider qualification requirements of the Leitfaden Prävention.

• Gesundheits-Trainer qualification

  Certified training with final examination offered by the UGB-Akademie.

• Online lectures and specialist conferences

  Online lectures and specialist conferences on current nutrition and health topics, such as the Online-Fachtag Ernährung & Gesundheit.

• Practical seminars (e.g. anti-inflammatory cooking)

  Practical courses such as anti-inflammatory cooking held in the UGB teaching kitchen in Gießen.

1. 1UGB-Gesundheitsberatung official websiteugb.de
2. 2Wikidata: 獨立健康諮詢協會wikidata.org
3. 3Wikipedia (German): Verband für Unabhängige Gesundheitsberatungde.wikipedia.org