The Nutritional Supplement

What Course(s) did you graduate from at CNELM?

BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapy

What made you decide to embark on this course of study?

In my early twenties I managed to resolve several of my own health issues (severe IBS and severe allergies) by changing my diet. While I lived in Vienna I saw how some of my close friends were struggling with their health and diet too, as well as some close family members back in Holland. I longed to help them in a more professional way instead of based on my own experience only so I decided to take the plunge and go back to Uni.

What did you do before starting this course?

I taught business English and designed medical leaflets.

Were you working alongside studying?

I was working fulltime while doing the degree, until the final year when I moved back to the UK. I was fortunately able to access lectures online. When I returned to the UK I then started attending lectures and worked part time only.

Did you use your dietary educators certificate after the first year of study?

I did not as I lived in Austria at the time.

What work did you do after graduating?

I went straight into practicing as a nutritional therapist.

How did you promote your practise?

I worked in an independent health shop several hours a week and gained my client base through there. I organised talks and workshops and would put leaflets for those in as many places as possible as well as posts on facebook and mail shots. It is usually word-of-mouth advertising that attracts the most clients though.

Do you have any particular area of interest or specialisation?

All areas of nutrition interest me. Many of my client’s suffer from digestive issues and I’ve taken a specific interest in IBD. Clients with IBD often tend to get stuck in the medical system and come to me when they are at a complete loss as to what they can and can’t eat without experiencing pain or discomfort. It has been very gratifying seeing such clients transform from having a fear of food to getting back to almost normal health and enjoying their meals again.

Was practising the way you thought it would be when you decided to train as a nutritional therapist?

I had not thought ahead much of what practicing would be like as I was too engrossed in finishing the degree. The business module opened my eyes somewhat as to what to expect. When I started practicing I was surprised at how many hours I was spending per client. The time per clients has thankfully significantly reduced as I’ve gained more experience over the years.

I also learned very soon that family members are the toughest nuts to crack! After the first year of study I was so excited and keen to share my knowledge with my family. I expected them to listen and make some changes to their diet immediately. But they didn’t! I was especially surprised by my mum not listening to me at all. You see, one of the reasons I decided to study nutrition was to attempt to solve my mum’s chronic digestive issues. It took me years to get her to make the smallest adjustments in her diet and try out some supplements. Had she had a proper consultation with one of my colleagues or a graduate at the time, she may have changed her diet immediately.

I’m not surprised that CNELM and BANT advise against seeing family and friends as I experienced firsthand that dealing with family members simply does not work. I may give the odd tip to a friend but that’s where I draw the line mixing my private and work life.

Is there anything you wish you’d known before finishing your studies that you might have prepared for differently?

When I finished the degree I was so ready to make a positive difference to people’s lives and show people that nutrition is key to good health. However, not everybody is ready for change. The link between nutrition and disease is clear to us practitioners, but very unclear to the majority of people. People want quick and easy fixes for their health issues.

I believe the food industry lures the public into eating awful food and the pharmaceutical industry is then ready and waiting on the other side to provide quick ‘fixes’ when people get ill from eating such foods. Convincing people that changing diet is the (slow but effective) way to optimal health can be a really tough job. It’s best to not overload people with information and give it to them in small chunks. Don’t expect to change the world in a day, but do praise yourself when you manage to change the health of just one person. This one person could go on to cause a chain reaction in many others such as their close family, friends or colleagues.

What have you done since graduating?

I continued to work part time in the independent health shop while starting my own practice. I was then offered a position in India to help set up a holistic wellness centre together with an allopathic doctor and an Ayurvedic doctor. Apart from writing a book with Bear Grylls, my work in India has been my most educational experience to date. The working days there felt pretty much like being in an action movie with no end, from the moment I woke up until the moment I went to bed. Clients could knock on my clinic door at all hours, and I was often completely unprepared as to who would sit in front of me. It still makes me chuckle to think that I expected everyone to properly fill out a food diary and health questionnaire before barging into my room.

Perhaps one day I’ll have to write a book about my experience there as it would make for a highly entertaining read! The best part was working together with the Ayurvedic Doctor. It was expected that we would not see eye-to-eye on many things due to our different educational back grounds. However, we got on exceptionally well and found so many similarities in our ways of working and approaching health
issues in clients. I learnt a tremendous amount about the science that is Ayurveda while she learnt a tremendous amount about the biochemistry behind nutrition. An absolutely invaluable exchange of knowledge.

I eventually moved back to the UK as I missed my boyfriend, my cats and the horrible weather too much. I have continued to see clients in the UK since then.

How did you meet Bear and agree to work together?

I met Bear through work. We had many a conversation on nutrition and health. He learned what he liked to eat and noticed it made him feel super healthy; I knew the science behind why it was doing him such good and helped to make his meals as tasty as possible.

He was so enthusiastic about the whole process and my work that he suggested we share it with the world and write a book together to inspire others. So we did! It was incredibly hard work but the book came out at the end of 2015 and has been a great success. It has felt truly amazing to be able to spread the health message to such a vast audience.

I still believe in changing the world one person at a time, but this book has allowed me to do it just a little quicker.

What was it that interested him about what you do?

Bear had developed a serious interest in healthy eating over the years but wasn’t sure about certain things he was doing or why he should or should not do them. He loved the fact that I had such in depth knowledge on all nutrition topics he wanted to know about and that I was able to explain complex topics to him in simple, down to earth, comprehensible language.

Although my experience with clients, working abroad and my own research had helped with gaining that knowledge, it was the CNELM degree initially which had given me that really solid science based nutrition foundation and client centred approach and I am still super grateful for that. A life changing degree in so many ways.

Do you have any tips for graduates?

Being a self-employed nutritional therapist can be a lonely occupation. You’ll find you may have to spend many an hour by yourself in front of your computer preparing stuff, marketing, doing research, writing reports etc. Make sure you have a decent support network of friends, family and colleagues who you can rely on, share your ups and down with and who can sometimes help you along the way. Or, at least make sure you have a cute cat to sleep on your lap while you’re doing your work at home. It helps!

What or who has most inspired you in your work?

The pharmaceutical industry has been my biggest inspiration to finding natural solutions that do not include taking medicines for certain health issues. Medicine absolutely has its place in society, but not for people who get ill from eating a bad diet.