Are you looking to lose some weight, improve your energy, manage a chronic or autoimmune condition or simply optimise health before an important life stage such as getting pregnant?
Well, working with a registered Nutritional Therapist or Nutritionist, as it is more commonly known, may be a great way to help you achieve your identified health goal.
Nutritional therapy is an evidence based personalised practice of using food, supplements and lifestyle changes tailored towards an individual to help them move forward with their health goals. Below are some of the main reasons why you should work with a Nutritional Therapist if you are committed to achieving a particular health goal:
Personalised Approach
Why does a particular type of diet such as Keto work for some people and not for others? Why some people rave about taking particular supplements such as Liposomal Vitamin C, which gives others a stomach disruption? Well, the short answer is that we are all different in terms of our genetic predisposition, interactions with our environment (what we do for a job, where we life, how much we exercise, habits such as smoking/drinking etc.) and metabolic processes. So why use the same cookie cutter approach to health and wellness for everyone?
Considering the above, the best way to ascertain what diet/supplements/lifestyle changes are best for you and YOUR HEALTH GOAL is to work on one to one basis with a Nutritional Therapist that considers all these important factors before making recommendations.
Evidence Based Recommendations
Trained and registered Nutritional Therapists use evidence based approaches to supporting your health goals. Now, what does that mean? It means that if they recommend a particular supplement or diet change there is likely to be research behind it. Nutritionists also consider previous clinical experience as well as the client’s preferences, any medications they are on (prescription and over the counter), as well as important factors such as budget, personal values, support networks and lifestyle of course.
No old wife’s tales or food/supplement myths here – just evidence-based advice, personalised for you!
Functional Medicine Testing
Are you getting strange reaction to some foods such as wine or oranges? Do you think you may have a Gluten intolerance? Are you wondering whether you might have been exposed to mould (from home/work environment) or heavy metal toxins (from things such as amalgam fillings or seafood)?
Registered Nutritional Therapists work with you to identify and address imbalances, which may lead to disease and chronic conditions. Sometimes this process is like solving a complicated puzzle and functional testing can often help in these cases. When deemed appropriate I might recommend some functional medicine testing that is not usually available on the NHS.
At Optimal Health Nutrition we are registered with some of the most advanced laboratories in the UK.
Addresses Root Causes and Not Just Symptoms
How is gluten linked to condition such as MS and Rheumatoid Arthritis? How does stress affect obesity? Why does gut disruption affect our mood and is even linked to conditions such as depression?
The answer is that Nutritional Therapists use the Functional Medicine approach to health and wellness, which means that we see the body as made up of interconnected body systems such as cardiovascular and digestive system and when there is an imbalance in these systems that may lead to chronic conditions and diseases. We work at a deeper level, at the source of the imbalance and not on the symptom itself, which sometimes takes time, patience and perseverance.
Wholistic
Why relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga are important for IBS? Why exercise is important for autoimmune conditions such as Rheumatoid Arthritis? Why having a water filter is important when it comes to hormone imbalances?
Nutritional Therapists do not just consider your diet. Bearing your health goals in mind, we consider your whole environment such as the type of job you have, exercise, where you live, how much you relax, whether and how much you smoke/drink and even what your support networks and relationships are like. Based on this information then we provide appropriate wholistic advice in the form of lifestyle recommendations alongside food and supplementation plans.
Nutritional Therapy is a Form of Complimentary Health Care
Nutritional Therapy is Complementary to existing medical treatments. Not an alternative treatment.
I very often work with clients who are under a particular consultant and in some cases I liaise directly with the medical professional regarding the client and their goals. I also notify them of the plan of action and recommended supplement and lifestyle changes. It is a partnership and we work with the client and their goals in mind.