The Institute for Optimum Nutrition
For some time I had been considering leaving my career in investment to study nutrition, and discovering that my health problem was food related acted as a catalyst for me to finally take the plunge.
In 1998, after two years on the NTDC course, I set up practice in London and slowly but steadily my client list started to grow. Although my aim had always been to practice, writing about nutrition was another avenue I wished to pursue. This opportunity began to materialise after teaming up with Vicki Edgson, a friend who had already graduated from ION. We put together a book proposal and set about looking for an appropriate publisher.
We were fortunate in that the first publisher we contacted, Collins and Brown, were in the process of setting up a health division, and they agreed to take on the book, now entitled The Food Doctor. I wrote my half of the book whilst in the final two terms at ION, and the book was sent to print one week before my final exam. Finally published in September 1999, The Food Doctor has been a springboard to many exciting ventures. To date, it has sold in excess of 200,000 copies, a third of which has been in the US. The book has recently been translated into Spanish, Slovenian, Norwegian, French, Russian and Swedish.
I followed up this success with my first solo book, The Food Doctor in the City, which examines nutrition and lifestyle in an urban environment. This title is also produced strong sales in the UK and in Australia. In the same year a third title In Bed with the Food Doctor was published, written once again with Vicki Edgson. The book is divided into two sections – sex and sleep – and examines potential problems in each area, offering nutritional solutions. I now write for a number of national newspapers and health magazines, including Here’s Health, The Mirror, Tatler, The Sunday Times and The Evening Standard. I have also appeared on television and radio a number of times.
In early 2000, Vicki and I formed a company to develop the concept of “The Food Doctor” further. Plans are now on track to create a brand name that people can trust to bring them truly healthy foods and information. At present the company is involved in corporate consulting and food development and it supplies nutritional literature and nutrition consultants to several firms in the City, including major US financial institutions.
Our first product, the Five Seed Mix, has been a best seller since its release in October 2000. It is a mixture of sesame, pumpkin, linseed, sunflower and hemp seeds, lightly toasted in koji (made from fermented soya beans). We have recently added three new flavours (Thai, Mediterranean and Chili) to the original, to complete the range. By the end of 2001, The Food Doctor family of foods has expanded to include genuinely healthy snack bars, sauces, cereals and soups. Working with supermarkets has been an eye-opening experience and I have learnt a lot about food manufacture and distribution.
The company also works with Cannons Health and Fitness Clubs, and provides nutrition booklets and information to both their staff and 150,000 members. This has empowered me to gain a wonderful experience in sports nutrition, a field that was not my forte whilst studying! We are in the process of putting Food Doctor nutritionists into key health clubs around the country, which in time will expand to include all Cannons sites.
The company employs a number of fellow nutrition consultants, and our marketing director and office manager are ION trained. We now employ 10 staff, and from our offices in Notting Hill, we are continuing to expand and are looking for qualified nutritionists to join us.
Our website, www.thefooddoctor.com has established a strong presence for nutrition on the Internet. The site includes a daily news section, nutrition tips, and other topical subjects. Visitors can take advantage of our free question and answer service and we now have staff specifically dedicated to writing for the site, and responding to incoming e-mails.
As much as I love writing and the diversity of the company’s activities, I continue to practice and see clients on set days every week. I get great personal satisfaction from working one to one, discovering how inappropriate nutrition has created health problems, and devising regimes that incorporate the best possible nutrition to improve overall health and ease symptoms. My interest in nutrition began in 1994 after being diagnosed with coeliac disease. Having suffered with a general unexplained malaise since childhood, which was repeatedly misdiagnosed, one enlightened GP suspected food allergies, which was later confirmed as coeliac.
* General Disclaimer - Information and advice provided by The Institute for Optimum Nutrition is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. Anyone suffering from a condition that requires medical attention or who has symptoms that concern them, should consult a qualified medical practitioner. ION and its staff shall not be held responsible for any claims relating to illness or ailments that are deemed to have arisen as a consequence of reading any part, or all of the content provided on this website. The content is provided for general use and may be unsuitable for people suffering from certain conditions, diagnosed or otherwise.
The Institute for Optimum Nutrition is an independent educational charity, registered company number 2724405, registered charity number 1013084.
Top