I often sit in the clinic chair feeling embarrassed or frustrated. Embarrassed because the nutrition industry has let so many people down so badly; frustrated at how resistant people are to changes that will improve their health. I never think, “How on earth did you let yourself get like this?” because the reality is more complex. Stress, trauma and social anxieties all drive how we eat.

I work with all kinds of clients, from athletes to post-operative referrals. Most say, “I want to improve my health”, when really they want a better body but won’t say it for fear of appearing to be vain. Often they know what they should be doing, but arrive expecting either a miracle or some secret way to get the job done more easily. I can’t blame them. The food and diet industry, of which I am a part, drives fads to boost sales, and reports every new breakthrough – based on research that, taken in isolation, means very little.

With its miracle weight-loss solutions and gimmicks such as juicing and superfoods, the nutrition world is a seemingly endless bullshit machine. Bogus claims about “chlorophyll oxygenating the body” or “chocolate being an octave of sun energy” aren’t just annoying, they’re dangerous; they displace useful, evidence-based information and turn people off the more sensible aspects of the industry. The public are being exploited, and that upsets the good practitioners.

There wouldn’t be opportunities for these people if the industry were properly regulated. Nutrition therapists seem to think that just because they own a mouth and a colon, they’re experts; but owning a car does not make you a mechanic.

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