Before you trust me to help you with your heath, I’m sure you’d like to know a little about me.

I’ve not always been a health nut. For a long period of time I worked as a consumer PR consultant at a busy agency in London. Days were long, deadlines were short and stress levels often high. The ‘wellness’ scene hadn’t yet exploded and while I always cooked food from scratch at home, being surrounded by office treats and attending lots of social events meant that my own wellbeing definitely wasn’t front of mind.

It probably should have been. I considered myself ‘healthy’ but the reality was I had suffered serious asthma since childhood which required ongoing medication and several hospital admissions, and which was made worse by seasonal allergies and the fact that I caught winter colds more frequently than the tube.

By my mid 30s I had started to shy away from hangovers and the culture of burning the candle at both ends and spend more time enjoying quality food, both in restaurants and at home. I had a healthy pregnancy resulting in my beautiful daughter, Ruby, but not too long after started to experience uncomfortable gut symptoms, something I’d never had a problem with before. Initially I was told it was IBS and sent away with the message that there was no solution. Eventually it became apparent that I had H.pylori, a bacteria that in some cases can cause gastritis, ulcers and other complications. It took two rounds of serious antibiotics to eradicate the problem, but rather than feeling better, I gradually experienced more symptoms: bloating, nausea, pain, food intolerances and random asthma episodes after eating and drinking.

Determined to help myself I fell down a research rabbit hole. As I educated myself on the intricacies of the gut, I uncovered a whole world of food and cooking geared towards health and wellness that I had never been aware of before. Having always been an avid recipe collector I became completely engulfed by this ‘new’ (to me) way of eating.

My obsession with nutrition grew to the point where I decided it should mark a new chapter in my life and I signed up to study nutritional therapy at the prestigious College for Naturopathic Medicine in London. I graduated with a distinction and now practice at my clinic in south east London as well as online.

Healing my own digestive issues has been a long road; SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) and leaky gut are only a couple of the things I’ve had to contend with and in the process I’ve learnt a huge amount. Because of this, digestive health is at the forefront of my practice. Of course, I support people with uncomfortable tummy symptoms but I also help clients to understand how the health of the gut impacts so many other systems in the body.

Outside work, you’ll find me enjoying a walk with my maltipoo Stanley round our lovely local park, stuck with my head in a cookbook discovering new recipes, trying to encourage my daughter to eat more adventurously (yes, nutritionists have these problems too!) and attempting to learn the piano.

The more I inhabit this ‘world of wellness’ the more I understand the sheer overwhelm that faces people with health problems or those who are simply trying to make better choices. The amount of information and advice on offer is vast and while much of it is well-meaning, not all of it is true! I like to offer a guiding hand through this minefield, helping to navigate a route that’s right for you.

My style is non-judgmental, straightforward and honest. I’m not going to make you eat açaí and goji berry elixir with spirulina and pine pollen sprinkles (unless there is a very good reason!) and I’m not going to promise overnight miracles. My role is to act as a detective to seek out the root cause of your issues – sometimes simple tweaks can make a world of difference, sometimes we need to dig deeper. Whatever your situation, I’ll take on board your likes, dislikes and lifestyle and work in partnership with you to create a plan that will help you make lasting changes. Importantly, I’ll make sure that you are empowered with knowledge so you feel confident to take charge of your own health.

Food is a celebration, a ritual and a pleasure and every time we eat is an opportunity for us to care for ourselves and our families. You will go away feeling enthused about the prospect of trying new foods rather than dreading a restrictive ‘diet’. I will always encourage a balanced attitude – I’m certainly not ashamed to say that I eat dark chocolate every day!

My naturopathic training means that although nutrition is key to your plan, strategies to optimise mental health, sleep, physical activity and other lifestyle parameters are also integral to your success. I will also suggest functional laboratory testing and nutritional supplements where appropriate.