Nutritional Therapy - an investment in your long-term health and wellbeing

I often get asked about what I do and how my approach can support people reach their health and wellbeing goals. The aim of this blog is to provide an answer and demystify what Nutritional Therapy is, its benefits, who it can and cannot help, and what's involved in the process.  

What is Nutritional Therapy?

Nutritional Therapy is a holistic complementary approach that aims to promote optimal health and wellbeing through sustainable and personalised diet and lifestyle changes.

Holistic meaning there is more to achieving optimal health than eating the right foods. Yes, our bodies need a wide range of nutrients to function properly but aspects such as quality of sleep, rest and recovery, movement, and emotional and psychological wellbeing are just as important. You can have what is considered the ‘perfect’ diet (there is no such thing by the way) but if you are constantly stressed out, you will not be able to properly absorb your food. One of my favourite sayings is ‘you are not what you eat, but what you are able to absorb.’  We need to look at the whole person in front of us not just isolated symptoms.

Complementary, working alongside other health care professionals like your GP or oncologist, or maybe a personal trainer. We may also refer you to other colleagues such as counsellors, acupuncturists, chiropractors etc. so you can get the right help that you need.

Optimal health and wellbeing is not only about lack of symptoms but living with vitality and zest. Just being free of disease does not equate to optimal health. As we age, we often accept a decline in our health as an inevitable sign of getting older. But there is so much that can be done to help us fully enjoy the latter decades of our life and keep us active, improve our mood, energy levels and attitude.

Sustainable – Most people have a good idea what they need to do in terms of their health and wellbeing but despite the best intentions, life gets in the way, and they struggle to develop and stick to healthier habits. And let’s face it, behavioural change is hard. But working with a nutrition coach (most nutritional therapists are also coaches) we work in partnership to identify the right strategies that will work for you.  If we understand the underlying mechanisms and effects, the potential whys, this knowledge will not only empower you to make the necessary changes, it will also make it easier to maintain your motivation to stick with it. And, of course, it’s not about deprivation but a long term approach to nourish your body and mind. 

Personalised – We all have different genetic predispositions, backgrounds, environments, personal circumstances and health histories. In addition, our needs will change as we go through different life stages. So, what works for one person, may not work for another and even what worked for us previously, may no longer be effective.

I want to expand on this point and illustrate as to why different people presenting with the same symptoms may need to take different actions. Let’s take the example of people struggling with the same type of headache. They can all take medication to give them pain relief but if they do not address the root cause, they are likely to get repeat headaches.

So, let’s say that person A has a headache due to dehydration. They may not have drunk enough water throughout the day, had excessive alcohol, or maybe have undertaken strenuous exercise, sweating out electrolytes. We would encourage them to drink more.

Person B is drinking a lot of water but their headache comes on because of blood sugar imbalance and them ‘crashing’. Here, we would focus on what they are eating and ensure that carbs don’t ‘go naked’, adding quality protein and healthy fats to smooth out insulin spikes.

And for person C, their headache may be triggered by emotional stressors like worry, anxiety, depression or stress. Here, we may recommend breathing techniques like box breathing or alternate nostril breaking or a walk in fresh air.

If we told person A and B to go for a walk, whilst the fresh air would still be beneficial, it would not hydrate them or balance their blood sugars. And for person C, drinking lots of water may not sooth their nervous system. I am sure you’re getting the picture.

Or let’s look at another common complaint such as reflux. Again, this can be due to a myriad of issues from food triggers to stress impacting the digestive process or physiological muscle weakness… therefore, the same symptoms but needing a different plan of action to address.

Why work with a Nutritional Therapist?

Nutritional therapists are well trained in applying the latest research in nutrition and health sciences to support people that are suffering from an increasing number of diet-related diseases.

I am a member of The British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy (BANT) (BANT.org.uk). Its primary function is to assist its members in attaining the highest standards of integrity, knowledge, competence and professional practice.

Science keeps on moving forward and we engage in continued professional development by attending seminars, workshops and lectures to keep our knowledge current. In addition, I am part of a supervision group that allows me to discuss my (anonymised) protocols and tap into hundreds and hundreds of hours of clinical experience from other practitioners.

The skill of an effective nutritional therapist is to turn information overload into easy to follow, uncomplicated, practical action steps and will deliver results and improve your health outcomes.

Nutritional Therapists also recommend supplements to bridge the gap of alleviating symptoms in the short term and rebalancing your various body systems in the long-term. This helps you to feel better and stay motivated to implement the changes that are needed to achieve optimal health outcomes. We are trained to check for any potential interactions with medications you may be taking.

Sometimes, it may be beneficial to carrying out functional tests. My personal approach is to get the food right first and see what the body does. Basic nutritional and lifestyle principles (like blood sugar balancing, hydration, stress management etc.) can go a long way in rebalancing the body. If after some months, there is little or no improvements, then further investigation with targeted testing will help to uncover more about your personal health puzzle.

What does the Nutritional Therapy process look like in practice?

What most people suffer from is information overwhelm and decision fatigue. Therefore the first step is to take a DECISION on one or two health goals that are your top priorities. I see clients often struggle with this because there are so many issues they want to address. But working together is the start of a process that will educate, enable and empower you to take control of your health for the rest of your life.

You will be required to complete a comprehensive health questionnaire together with a three day food diary before our initial session. We will then go through your responses after which I will put together a plan of action based on current research and clinical experience. This can take between 3 – 5 days to draft. I will then run this passed other experienced practitioners (anonymised of course). Reason being, the field of nutrition is constantly evolving, new supplement formulations are being developed all the time, and drawing on the clinical experience of many practitioners will ensure that my recommendations are up-to-date and robust.   

I will then share my plan with you, explaining the rationale for the various recommendations and getting your feedback and thoughts. We can negotiate any tweaks that would make it easier for you to stick to the plan. For example, if I recommend broccoli and you forgot to tell me that you hate broccoli, I will suggest an alternative. Or if you feel that what I am asking you to do is too much of a stretch, we can agree something less challenging. There may be non-negotiables but you will be given an in-depth explanation so you will understand more about my reasoning.

You will receive guidelines on how to balance your plate to optimise your metabolic health but I will not provide you a detailed food plan. This is because a rigid plan will not teach you how to balance your plate and won't work in the long run. I can provide you with plenty of yummy recipes or frameworks of how to assemble meals which are far more flexible, easy to implement and discourage food wastage.

You will then implement the plan for 4 – 6 weeks and see how your body reacts. There are no quick fixes and it takes time to embed changes and for your body to restore, repair and rebalance itself. But the key to your improved health and wellbeing is to take ‘imperfect’ ACTION. Another saying of mine is that ‘you cannot steer a parked car’ but remember, we do not aim for unrealistic perfection. The 80/20 rule works well as small steps taken consistently over a period of time will lead to big results. I have experienced this myself and see it time and time again in clinic.

Then, very importantly, we EVALUATE what is happening. If we see improvements, great. We can move onto the next stage. If not, great, we will decide on a different course of action, and then evaluate again. Now might also be a good time to introducing testing. This final stage is often overlooked but will help you tremendously to get in tune with your body, recognising its signals and messages, and allowing you to take control of your own health.

So, the overall process is to DECIDE (on your top priorities) – take recommended imperfect ACTION for a reasonable length of time – and then EVALUATE your results.

All throughout this process you will have regular contact and support from me to keep you motivated.

I see the best results when people commit to working with me for a minimum of six months. This will allow sufficient time for you to embed new habits and for your body to rebalance. You will find that other niggly symptoms start to disappear (my husbands’ wart under his foot disappeared when working on his energy levels), or one day you realise that your sleep has significantly improved, your skin has cleared up or your energy levels are fantastic. One of the most welcomed side effects of restoring metabolic health is weight loss.  

Who can benefit from Nutritional Therapy?

Anyone can benefit from understanding more about how their diet and lifestyle choices affects their health, whether they have complex health issues, minor but irritating symptoms, or those that want to take a proactive approach to prevent declining health in the future.

Common complaints I deal with include:

• Digestive issues

• Weight loss / gain

• Stress related conditions

• Sleep problems and cancer support

• Poor immunity

• Blood sugar management

• Ageing conditions

• Circulation and joint problems

It’s important to note that Nutritional Therapy does not claim to treat, diagnose or cure medical conditions. But nourishing your body and mind will play a huge role in supporting your recovery and long-term wellbeing. Our bodies are amazing and want you to thrive. By providing the right conditions and nutrients, we can tap into its incredible capacity to restore, regenerate and correct itself.

Who does not benefit from this process?

There are some health conditions that either require further training (cancer or eating disorders) or because of the nature of the illness, Nutritional Therapy would be out of scope (for example with kidney disease).

Otherwise, working with a nutritional therapist is a valuable investment in your long term health and will educate, enable and empower you to transform your health.

However, it is not the right approach for you if you are …

• looking for a quick fix or magic supplement (chronic conditions can take decades to develop, so you will not resolve these issues overnight)

• don’t want to be take control of your own health and rather adopt ‘a pill for an ill’ approach (medications have their place but long-term use can lead to a shedload of side effects and of course, you will not address the underlying root issue.)

• don’t have the capacity to prioritise yourself and to start taking imperfect action (small steps taken consistently over a period of time will lead to big results but you need to ready to take the first step)

And talking about imperfect action, why not take the next step and book a call with me to discuss your particular situation and explore whether working with me is right for you?

Thank you for reading this blog and found it informative. Please click here to either complete an enquiry form or book a call. Looking forward to hearing from you.

All the best