I had a successful career in television as a director and producer of documentaries, before life changing events set me on my new path working in holistic health.

In 2007 my partner, Paul, was rushed to hospital after blood tests revealed he had leukaemia, he was 34. We discovered he faced 4 months of chemotherapy and 2 years of maintenance medication. I wanted to do something to help to complement the conventional treatment, so I sought advice from a Nutritional Therapist. With her help, I changed Paul’s diet, removing sugar and dairy, reducing his meat intake and increasing plantbased foods. I discovered that cancer cells have more receptors for glucose (sugar) than any other cell, they thrive on it, they also thrive in a body that is fueled with acidic foods such as dairy, meat and junk food. I went to lectures by Jane Plant, a scientist who also changed her diet after getting breast cancer, she advocated a dairy free diet and explained how dairy was a cancer ‘accelerator’. I was competely fascinated by this new knowledge and spent all my time reading and finding out more. I embarked on a cooking marathon, preparing Paul’s food at home and delivering it to his hospital bed every day, for the duration of his treatment. Thankfully, Paul sailed through his chemotherapy, and this year celebrates 10 years in remission.

In 2009 i became pregnant with our daughter, through IVF treatment. At the time, we were told IVF was the only option as Paul was still taking chemotherapy medication which would make his sperm toxic and which was likely to leave him infertile. We have since gone on to have a second child, but this time we didn’t use IVF, it was a natural conception. We used nutritional therapy to turn Paul’s sperm from poor quality to completely normal in a few months, and also to get myself, as a statistically past my prime 41 year old, into the best of fertile health. We achieved this through functional testing – using a private laboratory to conduct tests which established a picture of our nutritional health and applying a nutritional protocol to address the deficiencies and issues that were uncovered.

After i had my first child, i knew that i needed to move into the field of nutrition to share what had now become my absolute passion. So I spent 3 years studying at The College of Naturopathic Medicine in London, for a Diploma in Nutritional Therapy, and it was the best thing i ever did. I am a fully signed up member of BANT (British Association of Nutritional Therapists) and CNHC (the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council) and the Institute of Functional Medicine. I am currently furthering my education in functional medicine and hope to qualify as a certified practitioner in 2020. My enthusiasm for nutrition has increased throughout my studies and from seeing first hand the impact it can have on a person’s health, from the clients attending my clinic as well as my own personal experience. I am now also sharing my love of healthy cooking with you all on this website, and on my instagram page (see below) hoping to inspire you all to make healthy food choices every day.

My approach is to educate and empower my clients to take charge of their health, and I am constantly amazed at the results. Nutritional therapy works, especially when its applied with understanding, a commitment to change and a belief that optimum health is ours for the taking.


Yoga

I am a fully qualified Hatha yoga teacher (200 hours Yoga Network Alliance) and Pregnancy yoga teacher (Whyoga). Yoga and nutrition go hand in hand, yoga teaches mindfulness of the self, on a physical and spiritual level. We learn this through observing our breath, our movement and our mind.

Nutritional Therapy teaches the same mindfulness of the foods and drink we ingest and the impact they have on us. Becoming self aware does not always come naturally, which is why many people can continue to eat foods that work against the body for years, unaware of the damage they may be causing. Nutritional therapy aims to empower people to take charge of their health by understanding which foods work for their bodies and which work against them; we are all unique and have our own requirements.

Yoga also teaches us a very valuable skill with regard to our health, to let go. Letting go physically and mentally of stress and learning how to relax can enable us to stay in parasympathetic nervous system mode, where essential body systems such as digestion and reproduction can operate effectively. When we are stressed, we switch into sympathetic nervous system mode, also known as ‘fight or flight’ where our body releases cortisol and adrenalin to help us react to the impending danger it perceives, speeding up our heart rate and breathing, and temporarily shutting down our digestion and other systems not immediately important. Unfortunately many people are almost permanently in this state due to the stresses of our modern lives and, along with diet, this can often be the underlying cause of many health problems.

The impact of stress on our bodies cannot be underestimated, I believe that maintaining a normal stress response is as important as eating a balanced, nutritious diet. A regular yoga and meditative practice can help you achieve this and thus enable good health.