Most people understand that they should probably eat a bit better than they do, they should probably move more and take the time for more ‘me time’ to live a long and happy life.
‘Life’ seems to get in the way of achieving that. Many of us are juggling jobs and the complexities of modern family life, leaving little time to dedicate to the business of ‘being healthy’. Convenience often wins. It’s not that that’s wrong per se, but here’s the thing: all the time we are not eating or moving or living as well as we know to do, we are silently getting closer to chronic health conditions.
It may be something like Insulin resistance, high LDL cholesterol or fatty liver, or it may be those niggling health worries that bother us greatly but that we have learned to cope with. I’m talking here about things like IBS or other gut troubles, migraines, eczema, arthritis, stress or anxiety, haywire hormones or that the weight that has crept on over the years and you can’t seem to shift it, no matter what you try.
What I want to share with you today is that the food you eat matters more than you may imagine. And that, in many cases, simply by making changes to your diet, the symptoms of some of these conditions can be improved so markedly that there is a really profound shift in how you experience life.
WHAT IS NUTRITIONAL THERAPY?
It’s only now that the science of what to eat is getting the recognition it deserves and has being actively promoted by a small number of well-known and recently enlightened medical doctors, like Dr Chatterjee, Dr Rupy and the late Dr Michael Mosely.
Essentially, nutritional therapists like me apply the latest hypotheses and research in nutrition and health sciences to you and your symptoms/health concerns and come up with a tailored nutrition, lifestyle and (sometimes) supplement plan to support those needs.
Testing may be used to really dig deep on the root causes of your health condition. I might bring in some coaching to help you put the ideas into practice in a meaningful way or break through whatever barriers have held you back in the past.
PERSONAL SERVICE
It’s a very personal approach. You might hear practitioners talk about people being ‘biochemically unique’. That means that there isn’t a single way of eating that is right for everyone. Your friend might have hypothyroidism and you want to lose weight, for example. Your friend might have a history of antibiotic use, while you had your appendix out when you were 14. Your friend might have an intolerance to dairy, while you get hives from strawberries. I could go on, but you can imagine the thousands of different permutations here. And the fact is that your family history, previous medical history, and any current symptoms as well as what you like and don’t like, not to mention your personal circumstances are all important when I create a plan for you.
It is personalised just for you. That takes both time and skill. You could download something from the internet – if you knew what you were looking for – but it is not the same. I may also work with supplements targeted to a specific condition or your own health goal. I have access to many tests and know which ones are best suited to get to the root cause of your condition. This can be a minefield – potentially dangerous and inevitably costly – if you don’t know what you’re doing.
WHY DOESN'T EVERYONE SEE A NUTRITIONIST IF THE RESULTS ARE SO GOOD?
It’s unfortunate that so many people don’t have access to the huge effect that a personalised food and lifestyle programme can have on the symptoms they have or how they experience their life.
Whilst GPs truly want to help, in ten minutes it is not enough time to discuss your symptoms and also give nutritional advice – that’s if they have had any training in nutrition. Some – like Dr Chatterjee – are taking on training in something much bigger called Functional Medicine. This is a framework for considering that the symptoms you are experiencing are a result of imbalances in your body and, rather than treat the specific symptoms themselves. This is what I do. As a nutrition professional I try to understand the root cause of the problem and base your programme around that.
If you think about it: nearly all medications, whilst often necessary, merely suppress symptoms. Only very few are an actual cure – antibiotics come to mind here. The exclusively pharmacological approach conventional medicine so often employs does nothing to uncover the root causes. Metformin lowers blood glucose – but why is it high in the first place? Statins lower cholesterol – but why is it elevated? Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) numb pain – but why are you in pain? These are the questions nutrition professionals will ask before embarking on a quest to find out to then be able to address the root cause.
WHAT HAPPENS IN A NUTRITION CONSULTATION?
Your first consultation will last up to 90 minutes. You will have been asked to complete and send back a nutritional therapy questionnaire and food diary before you visit. During the session, we’ll go into your medical history, your health goals and any other challenges you’re facing, what you generally eat, what you like to eat, what you hate to eat and how you have to eat (running out of the door, in a rush at your desk, and so on). There’s no judgement and anything you share with me is kept in confidence.
My nutritional therapy sessions are usually sold in programmes that run over 12 weeks. This is because it is rarely helpful for anyone to leave without the knowledge that they have at least 3 sessions in place to help us uncover the root causes of any health concerns, implement the programme, make changes at a pace that suits them, and to deal with any challenges or questions that come up along the way.
Does this sound like what you are looking for? If so, book a free 20-minute Health Review and see if working together is the right thing for you.
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