Nutritional Therapy is really the best-kept secret to better health. This past year, health has been at the forefront of everyone's mind in a very reactive way.
Nutritional Therapy on the Rise
We've learnt through the news that the coronavirus affects those with underlying health issues more prevalently, and that supporting our immune systems with supplements like vitamin D can help reduce our risk of illness. However, what has been under-advertised ( because it does not support big pharma or big food industries) is how lifestyle and nutrition are powerful and accessible tools to boost our societies health and prevent chronic disease. Maybe you've started hearing about more doctors training in nutrition recently, with the likes of Dr. Chatterjee and Dr Rupy Aujla from the Doctor's kitchen raising the profile on this area and identifying the lack of training doctors undergo in nutrition health ( 4 hours worth in their whole degree). Well, this is where a Nutritional Therapist can come in! Let me tell you more about who we are, what we do, and why. Personally, nutritional therapy was the catalyst that supported my body to heal better and feel better over the long term more than any pill ever has- which is why I'm excited to share it with you!
So What is Nutritional Therapy?
Hippocrates said it best : "Let food be thy medicine"
The definition of nutritional therapy could be summarised as: "Nutritional Therapy is a system of healing based on evidence that food, in its whole and natural form, provides the substance needed to obtain and maintain a vibrant state of health. Nutritional Therapy uses food to prevent and reverse diseases that plague most western societies: diabetes, obesity, heart disease, arthritis, and depression." and more...
When I first started training as a Nutritional Therapist back in 2016, I thought I was going to be learning about making healthy meals with vegetables... The reality was very different; The first year was a solid hit of biomedicine, followed by bio and organic chemistry, with many weekend and nights spent reading nothing but research papers... Let's just say it was quite a shock coming from a Fine Arts degree!
Nutritional Therapy can get a bad rep because the name is not protected. It's true that there are online courses where someone can take a 2-day course and call themselves a Nutritionalist, which is why ( like with all things) you should always do your due diligence. A qualified Nutritional Therapist will have completed at least 3 years of accredited study. Always check into whether your Nutritional Therapist is accredited with a governing body like Bant (British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine), CNHC (Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council) and the ANP (Association of Naturopathic Practitioners).
Many Names Under One Umbrella:
Naturopathic Nutrition
Nutrition Medicine
Nutritional Therapy
Functional Nutrition
Holistic Nutrition
In a nutshell? Nutritional Therapy is about a whole body, individualised and preventative approach. The main focus is on getting to the root cause of poor health and optimising the bodies natural healing systems using evidence-based nutritional science and nourishing food.
No doubt western medicine has an important place that should be respected - especially for acute sickness or injury. In fact, increasing rates of preventable diseases are putting a huge strain on our health care systems that need to be reduced.
Western medicine has saved my life in the past, but nutritional therapy changed my life.
How Can Nutritional Therapy Help You?
Regularly exercising, following a healthy nutrition plan, and not smoking can be associated with up to an 80% reduction in the risk of developing the most common and deadly chronic diseases.
Did you know that +90% of type 2 diabetes, 80% of Cardiac, 70% of stroke, and 70% of colon cancer are potentially preventable by lifestyle and diet changes?
The fact is, that simple lifestyle changes can contribute to long term health.
What we eat builds and fuels every organ in our body, which means that nutritional therapy can help support anything from:
Energy and stress levels
Autoimmune conditions
Skin conditions
Hormonal imbalances
Cardiovascular disease
Obesity and diabetes
Imagine living a lifestyle that contributes to:
A long and healthy life where you are living up to your optimum potential
Not being held back by ailments or sluggish organs
Feeling boosted and supported by your body to allow you to live life undistracted
Because let's be real, poor health is a distraction from life.
We allow ill health to take up precious real estate in our bodies and minds, temporarily suppressing symptoms with medication until it becomes either "normal for you" or unbearable. *Queue calling your GP* where like in my experience, you'll be given a pill for an ill - something to treat the symptom, not the cause.
Is that sick care, or health care?
Let me put it this way, If your bathroom was flooding from a tap that hadn't been turned off, would you grab a bucket and start mopping up the water, or turn the tap off? So, much like you'd turn the tap off before mopping up the floor, Nutritional Therapy looks to address the driving cause (the open tap) of what is causing your symptoms ( the flooded bathroom),
Getting to the root causes or mechanical dysfunctions that are driving symptoms of poor health is dependant on a multitude of factors. From genetics to life experiences, historical diet and even career- which is why the "one size fits all" model don't always work.
Your Health care should be tailored to you.
Ever tried a fad diet, only to "fall off the wagon"? Or find it didn't have the desired result for you? That is because personalised nutrition is key to lasting change and results. That, mixed with my favourite part - habit formation.
You are unique, your experiences are unique, so your health path should be too.
Incorporating the whole YOU, your preferences, your lifestyle, your likes and dislikes, and your habits into your plan increases the likelihood of success because we work together on it.
I'm so passionate about this way of living now. It has increased my quality of life over the past 5 years in more way than I ever imagined something as simple as food could do.
Want to know more about what a Nutritional therapy session looks like? Let's chat and I'll tell you about it! Or you can book in to Work with me 1-1 to find a tailored path to health and vitality for you.
If you're feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all and not sure if you want to take the leap yet, you can Book in a free health audit to find out where to start or sign up to my newsletter for simple changes you can make to reach better health.
I can't wait to share more with you!