What’s the point in going to see a Nutritional Therapist when you can Google ‘The best foods to eat’ or buy hundreds of books on the subject?
Let me explain what the benefits of seeing a Nutritional Therapist are:
Individualised approach
A Nutritional Therapist works with YOU and creates a plan that is tailored for YOU ONLY. Prior to seeing a new client, I send them a detailed questionnaire to complete which covers their reasons for seeking help, their health history, their family health history, their current symptoms, and any medication or supplements that they are taking. I also ask them to share a 3-day diet and lifestyle diary. I then study this information before we meet so I am sufficiently knowledgeable about any diagnosis they may have, understand potential interactions with their medication and can consider any supplements that I might feel appropriate. In the consultation I dig deeper into the answers to find out more about their health. This information creates a tailored protocol for that person. Every programme created is different – what works for one person may not work for the next. This is one of the key elements of Nutritional Therapy: biochemical individuality. Nutritional Therapy is not a one size fits all approach which is what you get if follow an online plan or seek advice from written material.
Consultation skills
As a Nutritional Therapist I have been trained in the art of successful consultation. A large part of my training was in a clinical setting, honing listening and questioning skills to get the best outcome from a consultation, really understanding what a client wants to achieve and what motivates them. To enhance my coaching skills I trained as an NLP practitioner. Neuro Linguistic Programming is the practice of understanding how people organise their thinking, feeling, language and behaviour to produce the results they do. These additional skills and techniques have been invaluable to me in getting the best out of my relationships with clients and motivating them to achieve the results they want.
Client collaboration
One key to success is collaboration. I work with my clients to ensure that they have bought into any plan – in fact we create the plan together. There is no point suggesting that someone makes a change that they are not capable of, or motivated by, so I spend time in the consultation ensuring that every part of the plan that we are creating is realistic, achievable and motivating for that client.
Expert knowledge
This is my tenth year of practise and there is so much still to learn. Nutrition is in the news every day and new research papers are published constantly. It can be confusing to someone untrained to sift through the deluge of information available in the media and distinguish fact from fiction. As a member of BANT (the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine) I am required to undertake at least 30 hours a year of continuous professional development and I far exceed this. I estimate spending at least an hour a day researching health and nutrition. You can be sure that my opinions on, and approach to, nutrition are very considered.
In-depth, personalised investigation
A Nutritional Therapy tool that I am particularly keen on is functional testing. I don’t like working with assumptions, so encourage my clients to test where possible to confirm nutritional deficiencies, food allergies and intolerance, hormone imbalances, gut bacterial imbalances, pathogens and enzyme deficiencies. The test results enable us to create a more personalised protocol to correct any imbalances that are discovered, or to rule out potential underlying causes of symptoms. There are many laboratories to choose from and hundreds of tests. I advise which tests are most appropriate and will give us the most information to work with.
Informed supplement selection
Choosing the right supplement can be a minefield for someone without training and an expensive pastime if the supplements are not effective. 10 years of practising, plus 4 years of training has given me the skills to determine which companies and which products offer value for money. When choosing a supplement, I give careful consideration to the form of the nutrients, how well absorbed they are, the strength of the individual nutrients and the suitability of the overall formula for each individual client. I will also check that there is no interaction with any medication that you might be taking, or that the ingredients are likely to trigger a reaction for you. I create a personalised Supplement Plan for each client which involves careful selection of the supplements that are going to be most effective.
Long term coaching
The best results are achieved by working with an individual over time which is why I don’t offer single consultations. Changing habits takes time and it would be unrealistic of me, and indeed my client, to think that we could transform health after just one consultation. I prefer to work with people over a number of months, so that change can be embedded slowly and permanently. Regular progress checks ensure that I can work with you to help you overcome any barriers to change, review goals and reinforce positive thinking.
Time to fully explore your health
If you are used to a swift seven minute appointment with your GP then my lengthy consultations might seem to be a bit excessive. But this time is vital for us to explore the underlying causes of your health issues, establish links between your lifestyle and the symptoms you are experiencing, and for us to consider the most appropriate changes that will make a difference to how you are feeling. It’s your health and it deserves investment – after all we only get one chance at life.
Here to help in person
Unlike a search engine, I’m a real person and I can answer your questions or concerns. If you are still not sure if Nutritional Therapy is right for you, take up my offer of a free 15 minute discovery call and you can establish whether it’s the right approach for you, or whether I am the right Nutritional Therapist to work with.
