Online Nutritionist

This article outlines what nutritional therapy is and how I use nutritional therapy in my work as an online nutritionist. It then answers many questions you may have about my services & what you can expect in a consultation and prices and how to contact me.

What is nutritional therapy?

Nutritional therapy is the evidence-based application of individualised dietary and lifestyle changes to benefit health and wellbeing and to optimise mental and physical performance. It goes beyond merely treating disease in promoting the abundant vitality, energy, and wellbeing that are our birthright.

Nutritional therapy incorporates naturopathic and functional medicine principles and draws upon the latest scientific research. It draws on evidence that nutrition can affect almost every aspect of health and disease and it works with the understanding that the body is a complex web of interconnected systems.

Scientific research too has been begun to focus much more attention on the interconnectedness of systems that were traditionally studied in isolation, the gut-brain axis being a case in point.

Investigating the root causes of disease

Many medications simply suppress the symptoms of disease but do not treat the underlying cause. This can lead to further complications down the line. It could lead to taking more medications because not only has the disease process not been treated at its root, but the original medication may be causing side effects.

For example, there are many potential causes of heart disease, but these are not really addressed by taking statins to lower cholesterol, which is not the cause of cardiovascular disease. Statins do have many side effects, and some of these may in fact be because they lower cholesterol, since cholesterol performs many essential functions in your body.

Thus failing to investigate the root cause of disease could cause you to end up trapped in a perpetual cycle of ever increasing medication.

The roots of nutritional therapy

It is hard to discern the exact roots of nutritional therapy as there are so many strands, so many pioneers, but it seems to have arisen from the meeting of naturopathy with biochemistry and physiology. Psychiatrists experimenting with micronutrient supplementation for mental illness have also played a role.

When functional medicine was founded it naturally fitted into the nutritional therapy paradigm that had been developed in the preceding decades.

Nutritional therapy training and accrediting body

Most UK-based dietary & lifestyle medicine practitioners complete their initial accredited training in nutritional therapy which allows them to register with a professional body. This was also the path I followed that led to may work as an online nutritionist in 2014, though study and training is ongoing.

Why nutritional therapy matters

At medical school students swear the Hippocratic Oath and it was back in the 4th or 5th century BC that Hippocrates is said to have stated “Let food be thy medicine”. Yet the traditional practice of using food as medicine as espoused by this ancient nutritionist and “father of medicine” has now been denigrated to ‘alternative’ or ‘complementary’ medicine, even as the scientific evidence for the power of nutrition and lifestyle continues to mount.

Evidence that nutrition affects health

What we eat has been shown in countless studies to affect our chances of getting cancer (1, 2) and every other aspect of our health, from the functioning of our digestive (3), immune (4), cardiovascular (5), endocrine (6), and nervous systems (7), right down to the underlying intracellular biochemistry and energy production in tiny organelles called mitochondria that keep us alive (8).

As an online nutritionist I evaluate the latest scientific evidence to support you to make dietary and lifestyle choices that can powerfully impact not only your physical health, but also your mental health, mood and general wellbeing.

The role of nutritional therapy in modern life

The release of more than 86,000 synthetic compounds into the environment (9), of which only a fraction have been tested for safety (10) and others have been proven to be toxic (11, 12, 13, 14), the depletion of topsoil that came with intensive farming practices, reduced sun exposure and the stress of modern life now necessitate, in many cases, the use of supplements to maintain optimal health and vitality (15, 16, 17, 18) and to support detoxification, as well as healthy food choices, the right amount of the right kinds of exercise, adequate rest, fulfilling relationships, purpose and meaning in life and the time to find joy and pleasure away from the workplace as well as within the workplace.

Nutritionists and nutritional therapists are trained to understand the safest and most effective ways to apply such approaches to healing at the individual level, using stale-of-the art lab testing and genetic testing where appropriate, and grounded in the latest scientific research.

Dietary change more effective than medical treatment?

Although meaningful top-down change in unlikely in the UK in the near future, there is at least growing recognition of the central role of nutrition in health and disease, with the medical journal Open Heart publishing an editorial in August 2015 proposing dietary change to be a more effective treatment than medical interventions for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome (19).

In 2024 The House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee published the report Recipe for health: a plan to fix our broken food system acknowledging that “our food system is broken” and citing evidence that after tobacco use poor diet “now makes the biggest contribution to years of life lost”. The report focuses on the public health emergency driven by obesity-related disease. Although it may take many years and a committed government to implement the report’s recommendations, it is encouraging that at least the role of diet and in particular of ultra-processed foods is being recognised at these levels.

Find out more about the online nutritionist

My personal struggle with poor health rekindled my interest in science, awakened in me a passionate interest in optimising health with dietary and lifestyle changes and led to my work as an online nutritionist.

I continue to learn from my clinical practice and home study and I regularly attend both in-person and online functional medicine, naturopathy and nutritional therapy training events.

Find out more about me, my qualifications and some of the many trainings I have completed as part of my continuing professional development in nutritional therapy, functional medicine, naturopathy, nutrigenetics and related areas.

Online nutritionist services and what to expect in clinic

The tools of the online nutritionist

Nutritional therapists make evidence-based recommendations based on the use of functional lab testing and further information about you, such as your symptoms, your sleep patterns, your levels of stress, your medical history, the medical history of your closest relatives, your dietary and lifestyle patterns, known toxic exposures, genetic makeup and more.

I gather this information from you in several ways:

• in a detailed online health questionnaire you will be asked to fill in before your initial consultation
• in a diet diary you will usually be asked to fill in before each consultation
• orally in each consultation, which will include how you responded to the recommendations from previous consultations
• from functional lab testing
• from genetic testing

Personalised recommendations

I outline my recommendations during the consultation so that we can discuss any challenges you may have in implementing the recommendations. I do ask that you communicate any challenges you can foresee due to your personal life circumstances, preferences, religious or ethical beliefs, financial and time limitations and personal capacity to make changes in your life, so that together we can find the best approach for you.

Recommendations generally fall into 4 main areas:

• dietary recommendations
• lifestyle recommendations
• lab testing
• supplements

It can take much of the initial consultation to build up an in-depth picture of the factors that could be driving your disease process, but I always aim to give you some initial recommendations in at least one of these 4 main areas.

Functional lab tests with the online nutritionist

Lab tests are recommended according to your individual needs, being selected from a wide range of tests focusing on gut health, hormones, cardiovascular health, micronutrient testing, antioxidants and oxidative stress and much more. Samples you provide could include blood, saliva, urine, hair and breath.

I am often asked about DUTCH, Organic Acids, NutrEval, GI Effects and GI360 stool testing, all of which I offer.

The only test for both vitamins and minerals currently available in the UK that I recommend is the Spectracell Micronutrient Test, which also includes testing for antioxidants such as glutathione.

Test kits are usually sent to your home and can usually be done at home, except for blood tests which would depend on a mobile phlebotomist being available in your area.

I explain your lab test results during a consultation.

In my interpretation I relate your test results to your symptoms, previous test results and any other relevant information, so that we build a fuller picture of what are the key causes or drivers of your symptoms and how best to support you in optimising your health.

The interpretation fee is included in the price of the test.

I charge an hourly rate for interpretation of the results of any lab tests that you have ordered independently or with previous practitioners. (This is the time it takes me to interpret your results before your consultation).

Consultation report

After each consultation with the online nutritionist you will receive a written report which can include:

• A commentary section that may include the following:
  • potential causes of your symptoms and why they may be having an impact
  • notes on your progress and any challenges you have met
• Any lab tests recommended, with some instructions (more complete instructions come with the lab test kits
• Any recommended home diagnostics or experiments
• Dietary recommendations
• Lifestyle recommendations
• Recommended supplements

All of the important points discussed in the consultation will be covered in your report, so that you can focus on the consultation without having to make any notes.

Nutrigenetics consultations with the online nutritionist

Nutrigenetics is the study of how your genetic profile affects your response to diet and to specific nutrients. It too has been embraced by nutritional therapy, which appears to be always ready to embrace the latest scientific understanding to find the root causes of illness and the most effective dietary and lifestyle approaches for each individual.

Nutrigenetics report

The report you will receive after a nutrigenetics consultation is organised differently. It outlines your genetic variants, how they may potentially impact your health and what you can do to benefit from this knowledge, which usually involves dietary and lifestyle interventions or supplements, and sometimes monitoring your health with regular lab testing.

This is a very detailed report with long-term guidance and the many recommendations are then prioritised and implemented in subsequent consultations.

Although personalised medicine and the use of genetic profiling carried out in this way is sometimes referred to as precision medicine, please be aware that knowing your genetic profile does not lead to a prescription of supplements in precise dosages and precise dietary and lifestyle interventions.

Time allocation for consultations with the online nutritionist

I have already described the importance of understanding root causes of disease processes. My interpretation of this naturopathic principle is that we need to spend the time to thoroughly investigate potential causes and how they interrelate for you as a unique individual.

Rather than offer you 30 or 40 minute follow-up consultations so that I can complete many consultations in each clinic day, I limit the number of clients I see and do not offer consultations shorter than 80 minutes.

I also allocate time to read through your notes or your questionnaire and your diet diary and to interpret any test results before your consultation.

After your consultation when I am writing your report I may do some further research if you have any unusual symptoms or test results that push the boundaries of my knowledge.

This time enables me to work deeply with you and to investigate (for example) how test results relate to your previous test results as well as to your symptoms and your responses to dietary and lifestyle changes and supplements. This can often make the difference between success and failure, especially if your presenting symptoms are more complex.

All of this time is covered in the price of your consultation and lab tests (which are only interpreted for you in a consultation and in your consultation report).

Frequency of consultations

We typically meet online every 6-8 weeks. This gives you time to complete any lab tests, make the recommended dietary and lifestyle changes and see how you respond to these over time.

Coaching calls and support calls with the online nutritionist

If you need further support as you are meeting unforeseen challenges in implementing my recommendations, you can book a support call or a coaching call.

A support call can be helpful to fine-tune practical details to help you follow the recommendations successfully, rather than to give completely new advice. I include some time to read through your most recent consultation report before your support phone call but since I am not giving completely new advice I do not update my notes after these phone calls. This allows the time allocated to a phone call to be sufficiently short that I can usually book you in at short notice, usually within a few days or a week.

A coaching call is focused on the emotional or psychological challenges you may meet in implementing dietary and lifestyle changes into your daily life. It can also be booked at short notice.

Person-centred approach

Functional medicine, naturopathy and nutritional therapy all emphasise the uniqueness of the individual. This means that individual complexity needs to be taken in to account, rather than using an algorithm or a fixed protocol for everyone with the same condition or symptom.

As my client I welcome your input and do my best to respond to your unique health needs. We work together according to your goals, preferences and limitations. If your limitations are likely to hold back progress to your goals I will seek to find a way through or around the obstacle with you.

Benefits of working with a nutritionist online

• no travel
• easier booking
• easier rescheduling when necessary

Benefits of working with an online nutritionist based in the UK

Working with an online nutritionist based in the UK gives you easier access to functional lab testing from UK labs and to my expertise in UK supplements.

Online nutritionist services I do not offer & who I do not work with

I do not offer

• meal plans
• e-mail support in between consultations – see my e-mail policy and guidelines

I do not work with

• cancer
• anorexia nervosa, bulimia or any other eating disorders
• chronic kidney disease
• people who are unwilling to implement dietary & lifestyle changes
• people who are working with other practitioners who also recommend dietary changes, supplements or herbs

Please note: As an online nutritionist, naturopath and functional medicine practitioner my interest and training is in dietary and lifestyle medicine. I do not offer medical advice nor is my work a substitute for medical care. Please refer to a functional medicine doctor or to your primary care physician for medical treatment.

Free 20-minute phone call with the online nutritionist

Book a free no-obligation 20-minute telephone appointment using the box to the right to find out more about how I can help you before booking an initial consultation. Please note that for legal reasons I cannot give dietary or lifestyle advice in this short conversation. Before considering working with me it is essential that you read my e-mail policy and guidelines.