HomeUploadUpload DirectHotlinkRandomAbouttheme toggle
Expand

Health Coach Threatened With Jail for Dietary Advice

Views:1031
@IJvids

Do adults have the right to talk to other adults about what to buy at the grocery store? That’s the question raised by a federal lawsuit filed by the Institute for Justice on behalf of Florida-based health coach Heather Kokesch Del Castillo.

In 2014, Heather left an unfulfilling career to found Constitution Nutrition, a business that specializes in providing one-on-one health coaching for paying clients. As a privately certified health coach, Heather operated successfully and without complaint—first in California and then in Florida—for nearly four years. But in May 2017, Heather was forced to shut down completely, after a licensed dietitian filed a complaint with the Florida Department of Health alleging that Heather was engaging in the unlicensed practice of nutrition/dietetics.

Although Heather has never held herself out as a licensed nutritionist or dietitian, the Florida Department of Health slapped her with an order to cease and desist providing nutritional advice and demanded that she pay over $750 in fines and costs. She would have to spend years of her life and thousands of dollars getting a degree and in training to become a licensed dietitian. Without any realistic options, Heather did as the state ordered and shut down. And she has been turning away willing clients ever since.

Unfortunately, Heather’s situation is not unique. Occupational licensing boards are increasingly operating as special-interest censors, while licensed practitioners—eager to keep out would-be competitors—often scour advertising spaces in search of people to file complaints against. And this problem is particularly acute for military families like Heather’s, for whom frequent moves often lead to conflict with state licensing boards.

But this sort of censorship cannot be squared with the First Amendment. Advice about what people should eat to stay healthy is as old as language and the government has no power to give any group a monopoly on advice about such a common, everyday topic.

That’s why Heather is fighting back. On October 3, 2017, Heather joined with the Institute for Justice to file a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida to strike down Florida’s unconstitutional restrictions on who can give safe dietary advice that customers want to buy. Together, Heather and IJ will vindicate her right—and the rights of all Floridians—to offer nutrition advice and health coaching without the fear of being prosecuted or shut down by the government.

http://ij.org/case/florida-diet-coaching/
Donate to IJ: https://ij.org/support/give-now/

ij
,
institute for justice
,
freedom
,
liberty
,
individual rights
,
constitution
,
constitutional law
,
unconstitutional law
,
con law
,
constitutional litigation
,
first amendment
,
free speech
,
freedom of speech
    Thumbnail for Why is Teaching a Crime? California Denies Blue-Collar Workers Entry to Trade Schools4:12
    Why is Teaching a Crime? California Denies Blue-Collar Workers Entry to Trade Schools
    IJvids
    918 views
    Thumbnail for The Air Force Veteran Fighting to Save Afghans From the Taliban14:00
    The Air Force Veteran Fighting to Save Afghans From the Taliban
    ReasonVids
    964 views
    Thumbnail for TikTok Israeli Model0:16
    TikTok Israeli Model
    guitar
    541 views
    Thumbnail for Plus Size Women Demand High Standards | Ride and Roast34:41
    Plus Size Women Demand High Standards | Ride and Roast
    Terrence Popp
    1647 views
    Thumbnail for Poalcast Episode 1 - Vegan ism1:35:38
    Poalcast Episode 1 - Vegan ism
    poalco
    1899 views
    Thumbnail for Leftoids Think Freedom is Far-Right Extremism | Grunt Speak38:31
    Leftoids Think Freedom is Far-Right Extremism | Grunt Speak
    Terrence Popp
    552 views
    Thumbnail for Just a nigger thing0:34
    Just a nigger thing
    AOU
    1428 views
    Thumbnail for Bug gets squashed0:08
    Bug gets squashed
    bestofvoatxyz
    881 views
    Thumbnail for The Rabbitstick: The Not So Primitive Hunting Weapon | Occpaleo3:44
    The Rabbitstick: The Not So Primitive Hunting Weapon | Occpaleo
    invidious
    318 views
    Thumbnail for We're Suing to End Twitter Censorship5:40
    We're Suing to End Twitter Censorship
    AmericanRenaissance
    1586 views
    Thumbnail for LOUNGE UNDERWEAR Birthday SALE Try on haul!😍💕🤤 60% OFF!!! | annabelle marie17:29
    LOUNGE UNDERWEAR Birthday SALE Try on haul!😍💕🤤 60% OFF!!! | annabelle marie
    invidious
    352 views
    Thumbnail for BOOM. | John Talks1:11
    BOOM. | John Talks
    invidious
    367 views
    Thumbnail for How the Drug War Destroyed a Hippie Paradise in Kathmandu10:11
    How the Drug War Destroyed a Hippie Paradise in Kathmandu
    ReasonVids
    1382 views
    Thumbnail for Not me forgetting I had a pimple patch on🤦🏻‍♂️ | Ian Fujimoto0:54
    Not me forgetting I had a pimple patch on🤦🏻‍♂️ | Ian Fujimoto
    invidious
    142 views
    Thumbnail for How Sugar Subsidies Ruin Halloween3:18
    How Sugar Subsidies Ruin Halloween
    ReasonVids
    914 views
    Thumbnail for Playing Minecraft as a HELPFUL Golden Kitten! | Aphmau19:51
    Playing Minecraft as a HELPFUL Golden Kitten! | Aphmau
    kids.topic
    54 views
    Thumbnail for Jay Beeber Defeats LA's Red Light Cameras8:27
    Jay Beeber Defeats LA's Red Light Cameras
    ReasonVids
    946 views
    Thumbnail for LA's New Crack Epidemic: Sidewalks4:24
    LA's New Crack Epidemic: Sidewalks
    ReasonVids
    856 views
    Thumbnail for Uncle Jared Wants You!3:48
    Uncle Jared Wants You!
    AmericanRenaissance
    1640 views
    Thumbnail for How One Company Secretly Poisoned The Planet | Veritasium54:08
    How One Company Secretly Poisoned The Planet | Veritasium
    invidious
    63 views
    Thumbnail for Gary Johnson: 'I Always Thought Telling the Truth Would Rule the Day. And It Doesn't.'30:58
    Gary Johnson: 'I Always Thought Telling the Truth Would Rule the Day. And It Doesn't.'
    ReasonVids
    968 views
    Thumbnail for Every Day I'm Struggling0:08
    Every Day I'm Struggling
    bestofupgoat
    28 views
    Thumbnail for Stefan Aarnio (1986-2020) Drops the Truth on Banned Books0:20
    Stefan Aarnio (1986-2020) Drops the Truth on Banned Books
    AOUisgay
    531 views
    Thumbnail for Adolf Hitler Speech on Freemasonry, Jews6:46
    Adolf Hitler Speech on Freemasonry, Jews
    NachtWaffen
    940 views

points

Permalink
Reply
ij
,
institute for justice
,
freedom
,
liberty
,
individual rights
,
constitution
,
constitutional law
,
unconstitutional law
,
con law
,
constitutional litigation
,
first amendment
,
free speech
,
freedom of speech
TOS  •  Add Keywords  •  Donate  •   Analytics  •   DMCA  •   Puzzle