Nutrition and lifestyle approaches to healthcare have been repeatedly shown to support wellbeing, and nutritional therapy can be beneficial for any health concern. It is as relevant for individuals with chronic conditions as those wishing to improve health and wellbeing, and is particularly effective for anxiety, stress and other modern lifestyle disorders.
Nutritional therapy is often used to help promote weight loss and support sports and exercise programmes. Other typical consultation goals include optimizing energy levels; hormonal balancing to alleviate menstrual disorders or menopausal symptoms; supporting gastrointestinal health to reduce digestive disorders, such as bloating or gas, and supporting emotional and psychological wellbeing.
It should be noted, however, that nutritional therapy cannot replace conventional medicine, and consequently a Nutritional Therapist should be happy to work alongside any healthcare professionals involved in the client’s care.
About the consultation
Nutritional therapy is a holistic therapy that can assist the client to achieve his health goals using nutritional and lifestyle-based intervention. The therapy is patient-centred and aims to target the cause of the individual’s health concerns, not simply alleviate the symptoms. Natalie Harris Nutrition uses the Functional Medicine Model to examine the client as a whole, and understand the underlying imbalances which have led to the client’s current health concerns. Each client is treated uniquely according to his requirements, and prior to the initial consultation, a detailed questionnaire covering his entire medical history and current health concerns is completed. In addition, the client will be required to fill out a three day food and lifestyle diary for analysis which should be returned prior to the consultation.
The initial consultation takes around an hour as the Nutritional Therapist and client talk though his health concerns. A variety of tools are used to assess dietary imbalances, and if required, functional testing may be recommended to obtain a better picture of overall health. Several days after the consultation, a personalised dietary and lifestyle programme specific to the individual client and his health concerns will be produced. This may include dietary adjustments, menu planning, recipes, lifestyle suggestions and food or botanical supplementation. A follow-up consultation of 45 minutes to monitor progress is recommended about four weeks after the initial consultation. Further consultations may be advisable, depending on each client’s personal health concerns.