There are a lot of terms that get tossed around in health, so when trying to navigate your own journey, it can become tricky.
Many practitioners are able to advise on food and nutrition, and there are also many resources out there - social media alone can you see you enter a 2 hour deep dive!
What's most important for you though is that you find someone who is qualified (they have industry recognised training), will listen and make you feel comfortable. If that's your GP, great! If you're looking for advice that is more specific to diet and the role it plays in your health, read on!
What is nutritional therapy?
Nutritional therapy is using a task that every human does multiple times a day to improve your overall health and vitality. That task? Eating, of course! Through the use of foods, tailored diets, supplements, and dietary counselling, nutritional therapy assesses where you are health wise NOW, then supporting you right through to your health goal and where you want to BE. A nutritionist will also often help guide you in changing your current behaviour towards nutrition and foods.
Nutritional therapy can be used to aid in a huge variety of disorders, diseases and symptoms including fatigue or low energy, weight management, IBS/SIBO, irregular periods, PCOS and hormone support, sport and athlete nutrition, sexual health, natural family planning, fertility or infertility and pregnancy support, or simply if you just want to overhaul your not-so-healthy routine.
Okay, that makes sense. But then what is a dietician?
Dieticians approach nutrition from a scientific standpoint, rather than holistic, by translating scientific information about food and government dietary guidelines into practical guidance. Similar to nutritional therapy, they will work to treat symptoms and disease via what is eaten and avoided.
In the UK, dieticians will often work in hospital settings, providing support to the wider treatment plan of patients alongside specialists, doctors, physiotherapists etc. They also aid in diagnosis, often of eating disorders.
In my experience, most people will only encounter a dietician if they've already made it into a hospital setting for treatment, for example, recent diagnosis of diabetes. Whilst on the other hand, patients will often seek out a nutritional therapist for support or through the recommendation of friends and family.
Prevention is better than cure.
You've no doubt heard this before, but it's true. It's far easier to treat symptoms in their early stages than to manage a disorder or disease down the line, and for many, the prospect of a life long schedule of routine GP appointments and medication is enough motivation.
Nutritional therapy can support or alleviate symptoms, as often what we eat or put into our bodies is the culprit. Identifying these and transitioning into a healthier, nutrition based approach provides the foundation of a strong, happy and healthy body - importantly one that is full of vitality with an unrivalled immune system.
If you want to learn more, why not why not reach out to me for a free 20 minute consultation where I can tell you more about the wonderful benefits of nutritional therapy.
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Kelly Mulhall
Registered Nutritional Therapist
Kelly is a Registered Nutritional Therapist who focuses on positive physical and mental wellbeing, achieved through diet, lifestyle, sleep and exercise. Having struggled for years with IBS and hormonal imbalance, and increasingly frustrated with the lack of support and helpful advice from her GP, Kelly began her own journey of healing the body from the inside out. After seeing huge improvements she quit her job to study nutrition and focus on harnessing the healing powers of food to help other people in similar situations.
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