About Nutritional Therapy
Nutritional Therapy can help with a whole range of chronic health symptoms from uncomfortable digestive issues or food cravings, to menopause symptoms or an inability to lose weight.
As a Registered Nutritional Therapist, I offer my clients a holistic (whole-body) approach to supporting their health issues rather than just looking at individual symptoms in isolation. I will seek to identify their root causes of their discomfort rather than offering a quick sticking-plaster’ fix.
For example, when you come to me with menopausal symptoms, then I’m going to ask you about your blood sugar levels and your stress exposure. This is because the hormones insulin and cortisol have a direct impact on sex hormones and so by working together on your blood sugar and cortisol levels you may start to feel that your hormone symptoms are becoming more manageable. This approach is known as Functional Medicine and you can find out more information about it here.
However Nutritional Therapy is not an ‘off-the-peg’ service as every client is unique with their own set of imbalances. For example, even if all the clients I saw had digestive issues each one would have a bespoke Nutrition Action Plan which took into account their medical history, lifestyle, genetics, family history, environment and so on.
How I work with my clients
In clinic I follow a simple three-step plan which will uncover and address any imbalances that may be causing your symptoms.
Nourish
Together we look at what changes you can make to your diet so that you are nourishing your body with delicious nutrient-dense foods that will assist you to achieve your health goals. You will make these changes gradually to ensure that they are sustainable, and I will support to adopt this new way of eating by giving you recipe ideas, meal plans and a variety of useful nutrition resources that you can refer back to in the future.
Rebalance
Changes to your diet may be all it takes to alleviate your symptoms, but more often the root cause is much more complex, and will require deeper examination and more specific interventions. I use a variety of functional tests such as stool or hormone tests, nutrient status or DNA testing to build an accurate picture of where your imbalances lie, and can recommend professional-grade supplements (where applicable) to provide short-term support as your body rebalances.
Unwind
For many women, their own health needs often take a lower priority than those of their loved ones. But the invisible burden of stress, poor sleep and lack of movement can have a significant impact on your gut health and hormones, and can easily tip your body into overwhelm. Supporting you to take some time each day to unwind and focus on your own needs can have a positive impact on your symptoms and overall wellbeing.
How Should You Choose a Practitioner?
Nutritional Therapist, Nutritionist, Dietician?
There are a number of different types of practitioner in the health and wellness space, and choosing someone you can trust can be confusing.
Anyone can all themselves a nutritionist or a nutritional therapist as they are not legally protected titles, and many nutrition courses you see advertised on social media are very short and can be purchased online.
But only Registered Nutritional Therapists and Registered Dieticians are trained and qualified to provide evidence-based advice to clients on a 1:1 basis.
The British Association of Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) is a voluntary professional body for Registered Nutritional Therapists. By registering with BANT I demonstrate that I have attained a high standard of education, as well as by trained to operate in a 1:1 clinical setting. I am also governed by the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC), which is an independent UK register of complementary healthcare providers and which sets the clinical standards that all Registered Nutritional Therapists must meet.
Nutritional Therapy is appropriate for both clients looking to enhance their health and wellbeing, as well as those with chronic conditions who want to work with a Registered Nutritional Therapist alongside their primary healthcare professional. However, please note that Nutritional Therapy should never be used as a replacement for medical advice, and any clients with ‘red flag’ signs or symptoms are always referred to a medical professional.
Find Out More
If you’re not sure that Nutritional Therapy is for you then book a telephone call to find out how my personalised approach could help you to relieve your symptoms and support your health and wellbeing.
There is no obligation to work with me following our call, but it’s a great opportunity to find out more about me and to discover more about the services that I offer.