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Food

This is where I have been studying Nutritional Therapy for the past 4 years. I am now in my fourth and final year – the practical year which will prepare me for clinical practice. Very exciting! In all honesty, it hasn’t been a walk in the park, but well worth it.

Nutritional Therapy

There is a lot of contradicting information out there – good fats versus bad fats, wholegrains versus refined grains versus no grains at all, wheat or no wheat, dairy or no diary, and so on. But nutrition is by no means a one-size-fits-all approach – in fact, it is as individual as a fingerprint. Although our bodies all work the same, everyone is different, and nutritional advice (any health advice, really) should be tailor-made to the individual. That will be my approach when I graduate. Watch this space! Oh, and please do get in touch if you’d like to be my guinea pig. I mean case study.

A bit of history...

I became interested in nutrition many years ago, when I was feeling tired a lot, had low energy, felt overly sensitive and generally sluggish. So I decided to try some different dietary approaches, to see if they would help improve my wellbeing. By changing my diet (gradually), my energy levels increased and I started feeling much better in myself. I even lost some weight in the process. I tried various approaches to see if they worked for me, such as low carbohydrate intake, avoiding wheat and dairy, and I was even a vegetarian for a while. I found my balance, but I’m aware it is an ever changing thing. It is important to be sensitive to your body’s needs and adapting when necessary, but most important is finding a way of incorporating lasting changes in a positive way – if you feel deprived or pressured, it’s no fun. It's been a learning curve for me, but the journey has been worth it – I've never been healthier or happier!

All this doesn’t mean I never have chocolate or a glass of wine – quite the opposite in fact. I'm a firm believer in 'a little bit of what you fancy does you good', and especially if it’s good quality too – for example, having good quality chocolate is much more satisfying than the average bar, so you need less of it! I’m a big fan of booja-booja myself – I think they could possibly be the best chocolates ever. Once you get your head round them (quite literally), you may never go back to commercial ‘chocolate’...

Speaking of quality, I’m all for organic foods. Especially for dairy and meat – if I can’t get these organic, I’d rather not eat any at all. Luckily, I have an organic butchers just round the corner, and any meat I cook comes from there (all in moderation, of course). Also, I feel it’s important to support my local community, so I do my best to shop locally in independent health food shops, such as Rainbow Wholefoods, the Green Grocers and Folland Organics on the market. Do have a look in your local health food shop – it may be a bit alien at first, but you just might discover some delightul new additions to your daily diet!