NICE TO MEET YOU
I’m Claire; Nutritional Therapist and Holistic Nutritionist, gut health geek, lover of avocados, and cat mum to two insatiable furry alarm clocks.
I help plant-based eaters take control of their IBS symptoms and get optimal nutrition from their diets through personalised nutrition coaching.
I’ve dedicated many years of my life to navigating nutritional science and, through my own personal health journey, discovered the fundamental pillars of optimal health.
MY CREDENTIALS
I have a diploma in Nutritional Therapy and am a Certified Holistic Nutritionist.
I’ve completed a number of additional studies and certificates in:
- Gut Health and the Human Microbiome, November 2020
- Plant-Based Nutrition, January 2021
- Lifestyle Medicine, June 2021
- Food Choice and Behavior, June 2021
- Monash Low FODMAP Diet for IBS, August 2021
Expanding my knowledge is important to me, so I never stop learning. I am currently studying for an MSc in Clinical Nutrition.
I’m fully insured, registered with the Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT), and a full member of the Federation of Nutritional Therapy Practitioners (FNTP).
I apply an evidence-based, no nonsense approach to nutrition – you won’t find any poppycock here about excluding entire food groups, mega-dosing on supplements, or detoxing, unless I’m recommending that you stop scrolling on Instagram, and get out into the fresh air.
I believe that it’s what you eat consistently over time that matters – progress not perfection is what counts. You don’t need to eat a perfect diet 100% of the time in order to be healthy.
HOW I CAN HELP YOU
I specialize in Irritable Bowel Syndrome and plant-based nutrition and offer a range of personalised services, from individual sessions to long-term programs.
MY PERSONAL HEALTH JOURNEY
I just wanted it to be over. I would have done anything to relieve the intense, double-me-over, pain that made my life miserable every single day. I had accepted the chronic diarrhea and considered that to be normal. So much so that I’d drag myself out of bed a full two hours before I needed to leave the house in the morning, so I could make sure I’d completely emptied my bowels and wouldn’t have to spend my journey to work crossing my legs. I guess you could say I’d got pretty good at playing the hand I’d been dealt.
But the constant pain and discomfort, the distention that made me look five months pregnant, and wondering WTF I’d done to deserve this misery; that was what I couldn’t reconcile myself with.
And the anxiety became a self-fulfilling prophecy, the more sick and sorry for myself that I felt, the more stressed I got, which only exacerbated what was going on inside my guts.
When things got particularly bad, I ended up with a potassium deficiency from pooping so much, and on a separate occasion, I spent a Friday night hooked up to an IV in the emergency room because the pain was so bad, my gastro thought I had appendicitis! I even pooped my pants in public a few times when I couldn’t make it to a bathroom in time. If you know, you know.
Meet: IBS. Your functional bowel disorder that affects up to 1 in 3 adults, worldwide. There is no test to confirm that you have it, other than to rule out all the more sinister conditions, some of which are deeply unpleasant.
And it sucks!
Despite spending most of my adult life trying to get answers from GPs, Gastroenterologists and Dietitians; undergoing a myriad of dignity-robbing tests and procedures; shelling out god-knows-how-much on prescription medicines and supplements; doing elimination diets, cutting out wheat, making a half-arsed attempt at low FODMAP, and eating a low fibre diet, I just couldn’t get any long-term relief.
Then, in 2016, after over ten years of suffering, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I started researching how what I put in my mouth affected not just my guts, but my entire body, and this lead me to complete a two year diploma in Nutritional Therapy. I never intended to use this knowledge for anything other than to improve my personal situation, until I later stumbled upon a certification in Holistic Nutrition which opened my eyes to the countless benefits of plant-based eating.
Having since applied a holistic approach to my own health, coupled with a plant-predominate diet, I’ve been able to significantly reduce my IBS symptoms and dramatically improve my quality of life.
I’ve now naturally gravitated towards helping other plant-based eaters with Irritable Bowel Syndrome take control of their symptoms and get their life back using the same holistic framework.
I’ve received training from Monash University in the Low FODMAP Diet for IBS and guide my clients through the protocol so they too can identify their food triggers.
Find out how my program Plant Nourish, Gut Flourish can help YOU break free from the unpredictable bowel habits, pain and bloating caused by IBS.
THREE FACTS ABOUT ME
01
I'M A BRITISH EXPAT CURRENTLY LIVING IN THE UAE
I've also lived in the UK (obviously) and Muscat in Oman
02
THE MOUNTAINS ARE MY HAPPY PLACE
Despite the fact that I currently live in the middle of the desert
03
I'VE VISITED 27 COUNTRIES SO FAR (STILL COUNTING!)
If I had to choose a favourite, it would be Italy (we've been seven times)