What will happen during consultations?

Prior to your first consultation, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire and food diary.  This document will go into a lot of detail and can be daunting, but very enlightening to complete.  You should be completely honest when filling in the questionnaire (there will be no judgement) and provide as much information as possible.  During our first consultation we will go through my analysis and findings, and I will start to make recommendations so that we can co-create a nutrition and lifestyle plan that you feel happy to engage with.  During subsequent consultations, we will monitor your progress and make any necessary changes to the plan.  At all stages I will provide motivation and support and will also celebrate your successes!

What is the best diet to follow?

The answer to this is that there is no right or wrong answer. The human body is made up of such a complex set of systems, and dietary choices can be affected by external factors such as ethics, religion, or finances. What works for one person may not work for another. This is why I approach each client with a holistic eye, find what works best for them and create a nutrition plan which will be truly personalised. Another way to look at this is that your plan will not be a “diet”, it will be a lifestyle change aimed at longevity and wellness.

Are all calories the same?

The short answer is “No!”.  Let’s consider 100 calories worth of chocolate cake as against 100 calories worth of raspberries.  First off, in terms of volume, you’re going to get a lot more raspberries for your 100 calories as opposed to chocolate cake.  Secondly, the nutritional value of the raspberries far outweighs the chocolate cake. Your new nutrition plan will give you the knowledge to make smart choices to nourish your body and boost your vitality.

How many consultations will I need?

This will very much depend on how you feel your plan is working for you.  Some people feel able to take control after a couple of consultations, others may feel that they need a little more support.  You may decide that you want to run with your plan for a few months and then come back at a later date to review how it is going.  There is no obligation to commit to a certain number of consultations, although booking a block of consultations in advance will work out less expensive in the long run.

Should I take Vitamin and Mineral Supplements?

In an ideal world, we would get all our vitamin and mineral requirements from a varied high quality diet.  However, when initially implementing lifestyle changes, and because my approach is to take small sustainable steps, it may be considered necessary to recommend supplements as an adjunct to dietary and lifestyle recommendations in the short term.

I know that what I eat can affect my health, but how does lifestyle affect it

Lifestyle can have an enormous impact on our health.  We all know that stress or lack of sleep can have us reaching for the comfort food or that bottle of wine.  But did you know that factors such as community and support can affect our overall health.  For example, being part of a community can have a profoundly beneficial impact on physical, emotional and mental health; whereas, loneliness is believed to be as damaging to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day! Sometimes our digitally saturated lives can cause a disconnect - we may see people everyday, but how often do we actually really talk to one another? Developing and nurturing mutual support with friends and family can be as important to our health and wellbeing as nourishing our bodies with healthy food.