The benefits of Nutritional Therapy

Nutritional Therapy can be used alone, or alongside orthodox treatment, to yield improvements in specific symptoms, ailments and medical conditions, and to promote health, vitality and longevity.

As research continues into the therapeutic benefits of foods and specific nutrients, many of us have begun to consider Nutritional Therapy as the potential solution to unresolved health problems, and the answer to long-term health. However, Nutritional Therapy is not only curative, put also preventative, and therefore individuals with concerns about future health complications, perhaps linked to their genetics, dietary and lifestyle habits, can also benefit tremendously from seeking expert nutrition advice.

Compelling evidence supports the link between many of today’s most common health problems, and imbalances in normal body chemistry, which are often provoked by suboptimal nutrition. Considering this, it is possible to see how taking steps to identify and correct shortfalls in certain nutrients is a key first step for anybody suffering from any unresolved health issues, and for those with a particular interest in achieving and maintaining optimum health. Often, we resort to various medications to help relieve our symptoms, although very often these issues can persist for long periods of time, in which case they may significantly impact on our quality of life.

Health problems which can benefit from Nutritional Therapy

Weight problems
Digestive problems
Behavioural problems/ ADHD
Depression
Asthma
Acne/ Eczema/Psoriasis
Diabetes
PMS / Menopause
Heart disease/ High blood pressure
Low energy/Fatigue/ME
Allergies
Osteoporosis
Arthritis
Insomnia
Migraines/headaches
Poor concentration
Low thyroid function

Apple and stethascope

Specific Benefits of Nutritional Therapy

Nutritional Therapy for Sports Professionals and Athletes

‘A nutritional strategy should always be devised to support your training plan and objectives, as this will help to improve your performance, resistance to injury, and recovery from physical trauma or surgery ’

Athletes and sports professionals have very specific nutritional requirements, which vary significantly over time, and in accordance with current and planned training loads. Satisfying these nutritional demands depends upon consistently manipulating the diet to match variations in nutrient and energy demands, yet this is something that many sportsmen and women fail to manage effectively without the guidance of a Nutritional Therapist.

With professional nutritional guidance, an athlete can achieve optimum nutrient status, and this can help to maximise performance gains at each stage of their training programme. If nutrition goals are not set as part of an overall training programme, the energy and nutritional costs of exercise will cause the individual to become deficient in vital nutrients, the manifestations of which can include fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain, and poor stamina and strength.

There is compelling evidence that nutrition is a crucial part of any training or fitness programme, yet still there is a widespread tendency among sportsmen and women to eat a diet that is insufficient to satisfy their body’s higher-than-average nutritional demands. Often, this is the case even when the individual believes themselves to be eating a perfectly healthy diet, the reason being that a great many misconceptions exist as to what constitutes an ideal training and competitive diet. Unfortunately, basing dietary changes on anything other than a sound knowledge of your own unique nutritional requirements will very rarely lead to any significant improvement in performance or health.

There is no doubt that nutrient depletion is a problem for certain groups of athletes, and very few individuals within these groups are aware of the effect that this has on exercise performance, nor do they tend to consider the nutritional aspect of recovery when they are injured or unwell. Often, the link between diet and low energy levels, fatigue, muscle aches, and join pains is not made, and therefore such problems may go unchecked for months, or even years, thereby significantly affecting the athlete’s ability to do justice to their talent and training. Unsurprisingly, these problems are more often than not accepted as being ‘par for the course’ when carrying out intense training programmes. The truth is, however, that such problems can be traced back to nutritional imbalances, and so avoided with a professionally devised nutrition strategy.

Nutritional Package for Athletes and Sports Professionals

Assessment and consultation

The high training loads and energy expenditure of athletes can increase their nutritional requirements significantly, and therefore it is my role to look at each individual athlete’s regular diet, and assess how well it is satisfying their individual energy and nutrient demands. I will then provide the athlete with a precise nutrition strategy, which they are encouraged to follow as accurately as possible for a period of 5-6 weeks.

Podeum

5 week review

An athlete’s nutritional requirements vary significantly from day-to-day, week-to-week, and month-to-month, and therefore regular dietary manipulation is necessary to ensure that caloric needs and nutritional demands are being satisfied. It is based on this knowledge that I offer regular reviews, as this allows me to reassess the adequacy of an individuals diet, and adapt their nutrition strategy accordingly to match variations in their nutritional requirements.

Benefits of Nutritional Therapy for Athletes and Sports Professionals

Maximise muscle mass / achieve and maintain low body fat

A nutritional programme will help the athlete to achieve an ideal body composition for their sport. In other words, it will help to maximise muscle mass by boosting protein synthesis and inhibiting protein breakdown, while also minimising the amount of superfluous body mass, i.e. fat.

Increased metabolic efficiency

An optimum nutrition programme can increase an athlete’s metabolic efficiency, thereby reducing the oxygen consumption and heart rate required to perform.

Reduce risk of injury

Research shows that dietary intake and total body stores of some nutrients, namely iron, may have some effect on an athlete’s risk of injury. By optimising nutrient levels, a nutrition strategy can reduce risk of injury, and so avoid lost training time.

Promote recovery

Injuries are common in sports, and nutrition can aid recovery by supplying appropriate levels of restorative nutrients, which help to increase the rate at which muscles and connective tissue are repaired, and reduce the pain associated with the injury.

Optimise energy production/prevent fatigue

Fatigue often develops during intensive training sessions, primarily due to the energy costs of exercise, which often leave an athlete with the unpleasant feeling of ‘running on empty’. A nutritional programme can optimise glycogen stores and prevent hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar), which is vital for consistently high energy levels. Not only this, a nutrition strategy increases nutrient levels, which in turn increases oxygen delivery to tissues, helping to prevent fatigue. An optimum programme will also raise energy levels by ridding rid the body of, and reducing exposure to, toxins which interfere with energy-producing reactions.

Enhance training capacity

An optimum nutrition programme will help to enhance training capacity, primarily by ensuring adequate energy supply, which enables the athlete to carry out repeated training sessions to improve fitness and performance. Not only this, such a programme will help to ensure optimum amounts and balances of all essential nutrients, which is important as shortfalls of nutrients can seriously impair athletic performance.

Improve competitive performance

It is important that an athlete has a nutrition strategy leading into, during, and after the competition phase, as this will help to ensure that they fulfil their potential, and do justice to their talent and training.

Please note:

The information and advice provided on 'Foodsense.co.uk' should not be used as a basis for drastic change in diet, as individual reactions to foods, food combinations and patterns of eating are variable. To confirm the suitability of any of these recommendations it would be necessary to consult a qualified nutritionist who can give specific guidelines based on your biochemistry. On a final note, if you are considering any drastic change in diet, always consult your doctor beforehand.