Confused about which diet to follow? How a Nutritional Therapist can help.

There is an absolute wealth of information that can be found on nutrition and diet today, some of it is very valid, helpful and credible. However, now the internet has given everyone a voice, there are also some questionable opinions and advice out there.

'Health gurus' will claim a specific diet, or way of eating, helped them resolve all their health issues, they lost 20lbs and have never felt better. But when someone else follows the same diet, they have not found the same results, found the diet unsustainable and can sometimes even feel worse. This is because every BODY is different. There is no 'one size fits all' in nutrition. 

No two human bodies are the same.  Just some of the ways in which we vary can be genetics, gender, age, our lifestyle, previous medical history, current health, impaired absorption of a particular nutrients, hormones... to name but a few!  

Of course, there are parts of nutrition that can be relevant for most of us, and we can make some profound changes through  sound general advice. But, when people start excluding food groups, over eating other food groups, or have underlying health issues that need supporting, then this is where people can run into problems. Not to mention the guilt when you find the diet is unsustainable, fad diets usually are. 

A nutrition expert should always be consulted if you are thinking of changing your diet, or excluding certain food groups. Functional laboratory tests can be offered to confirm any allergy or possible intolerance, and a balanced diet plan will be created to ensure you are still getting adequate nutrition from the rest of your diet.

When you come for a consultation with a Nutritional Therapist you will talk about your current health, previous medical history, your family medical history, and your current and previous diet, lifestyle and wellbeing. Tests may also be required to find out other information such as vitamin D levels, or a stool test. These tests are not essential, but can be helpful if it is relevant to your case. Some can also be carried out by your GP.

Supplements may also be recommend, tailored to your particular case, if I feel it will be beneficial for you. 

A Nutritional Therapist likes to 'build a bigger picture' of each case, and try and get to the root cause of health concerns, rather than only addressing the symptoms.  A plan is then tailored perfectly to all of this collected information, and this is where to will really start to see the benefits of good nutrition, through your own personalised nutrition plan.