A little about me and a short intro to Nutritional Therapy

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I’m a North London based third year nutritional therapy student, a few months away from qualifying. I have a strong passion for allowing people to improve their health whilst enjoying delicious food. I truly believe that eating well does not have to be incompatible with pleasure.

So, what is nutritional therapy all about?

Nutritional therapy is a complementary medicine that involves formulating personalised strategies using food with or without the use of supplements to help individuals reach their health goals.  Whilst a lot of people know the basics of healthy eating, what public health advice can achieve is limited for a number of reasons.

people just don't know what to eat any more!

1.   Dietary requirements vary dramatically from individual to individual based on age, different life stages (childhood, puberty, adulthood, menopause & middle age, senior years) pregnancy & breastfeeding, gender, allergies & intolerances, ethnicity, genetics and pre-existing health conditions. 

2.   Taste preferences, ethical, religious and cultural restrictions on diet choice have to be factored in.

3.   Some people may have a passion for cooking, others either find it a chore or are simply too busy. 

4.   Whilst many healthy foods are affordable, people’s varying budgets and sometimes geographical location can alter what can be included in the diet.

5.   People may know that they should eat more vegetables but are unsure how to incorporate more into their diet in an appealing way. 

6.   People may be aware that they should eat better but may lack the motivation without the help of a health professional. A person’s health goal and motivation for eating well can be anything from wanting stronger fingernails or nice hair to wanting to recover from a serious illness. There’s no right or wrong!

Conflicting advice on what to eat can leave people seriously confused! Nutritional therapy is really exciting to me because it can show just how powerful food and nutrients can be if used correctly.  

Why do I call myself the sane vegan?

(not my image) most vegans are not like this!

I’m perfectly sure the same proportion of vegans as the rest of the general population are sane. 

Caring about animals and the environment and taking action to do something about it is not something strange or deserving of ridicule, but people might perceive vegans as extreme, puritanical, judgemental, sandal-wearing hippies.  

Through going to vegan meet-ups I’ve come across the occasional person like this who almost fulfils the stereotype and ruins it for all of us.

In reality most vegans are down to earth people who just want to make a difference in the world.  I really want to change people’s perceptions. 

I have a general passion for enabling people to improve their health but because of the dietary category I fall into I’m particularly interested in helping vegans & prospective vegans to eat well & feel great at the same time.  Other areas of interest to me are PCOS, emotional eating, type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s prevention.

Besides nutrition my other interests include ice skating, dancing, music, positive psychology and generally doing things to make the world a better place.

This blog will be based around practical health, nutrition and lifestyle tips, nourishing, delicious plant-based recipes and issues on the subject of food. 

As I’m still a student I’m not yet allowed to give out advice so anything I write up until the time I’m qualified, just regard it as ‘food for thought‘ rather than instructions!

Samantha

P.S. In my essay feedback I’m sometimes told that I waffle, I'm just a person with a lot to say but I'll keep things short and sweet. Enjoy reading!

me at Tibits, London!