Isn’t that just about “eating more broccoli?”, a question I was asked when I embarked on my studies. That might help but nutritional therapy is so, so much more.
 

A nutritional therapist takes a “whole body” approach and starts by looking at the key systems of the body, not only the digestive system but also our hormones, skin, the nervous system, respiratory, cardiovascular, reproductive and excretory.  These are all interconnected and a weakness in one will impact another. It has been repeatedly shown that nutrition and lifestyle approaches supports the health of all these systems of the body.

 

What is the root cause?
 

The root cause of the issue is sought, rather than treating symptoms topically. For example, some gut problems manifest themselves in the sinuses but in others, it might just show up as a skin condition or recurrent UTI. 

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An individual approach

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Nutritional therapy takes an individual approach to what you should eat and your lifestyle. Paleo might work for your friend but make your thyroid cranky.  It also has to fit into your life and your activity level.    
 

We aren’t just what we eat. We are also what we assimilate.
 

We also need to look at what happens once we have eaten.  We have all heard “we are what we eat”, but this assumes that our guts all work perfectly.  However, no matter how good the diet, if our guts cannot absorb, or assimilate, what our bodies need, then there are problems.  

 

How well is your digestive system working for you? 

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A nutritional therapist will  look for clues about how well the digestive tract is functioning and very often, if the diet has been poor, the digestive tract needs some nurturing.

Even minor deficiencies in a nutrient can impact a huge number of functions of the body. For example lower levels of zinc can affect appetite, levels of stomach acid, immunity, skin and hair, to name a few, but the answer isn’t necessarily to supplement zinc (not least as this can disrupt levels of other minerals). It is necessary to see if the body can take in the zinc from food in the first place. 

Isn’t there just one perfect diet for everyone?
 

It would be amazing if there was one “perfect” diet to suit everyone but it's not that simple! We are all biochemically different and have different needs in terms of what and even when we eat and that is before you consider our different life stages or symptoms suffered.

 

For example, a young child will always have different requirements to the middle aged athlete who again will differ from the elderly person. Men and women differ; pregnant and post-natal women again have different needs. Even the seasons, or the amount of exercise, or recent illness will impact our requirements.

 

What conditions can be helped?

Most chronic conditions, as well as day to day fluctuations in health and wellbeing, can be linked to nutrition and lifestyle. People often can see stark differences in their health when they implement changes to their diet.

Some of the conditions nutritional therapy can help with include digestive issues, hormone imbalances, weight loss, migraines, poor sleep, stress, skin conditions, aches and pains, energy, autoimmune issues, allergies/sinusitis, mood issues and general wellbeing.

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What is it not?  Nutritional therapy is a complementary therapy and is not an alternative to medicine. A nutritional therapist will always watch for “red flag” symptoms and refer these back to a conventional healthcare professional.