Half the battle of staying fit and healthy is getting the right nutrition. Whether you lead and active lifestyle, are training for an important event or have very specific nutritional needs, The Dietetic Clinic at PhysioExtra can help you.

What is a Dietitian?

Dietitians are the only professionals within the field of nutrition who are statutorily regulated or governed by law and an ethical code of practice to ensure that they always work to the highest possible standard. Unlike nutritionists, dietitians can assess, diagnose and treat diet and nutrition problems, using their expert knowledge in the science of nutrition to help individuals seeking advice about disease and general health to make educated decisions about their food choices and lifestyle. Dietitians are the Gold Standard of food and nutritional professionals!

What Can We Help With?

• Weight Management
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Digestive Health
• Allergies and Intolerance
• Disordered Eating
• Management of Long Term Conditions e.g. Diabetes, Chronic Fatigue
• Pregnancy Nutrition
• Infant and Children’s Nutrition
• Healthy Heart Diets
• Low Energy Levels
• Optimal Body Composition for your Sport
• Eating for Optimal Performance
• Advice on Use of Supplements

Disordered Eating

Disordered eating can take many forms: binge eating, vomiting, severely restricting calories, yo-yo dieting, obsessing about healthy food, fear of unhealthy food, fear of losing control, over exercising and fear of weight gain to name a few.

Problems with eating can happen at any age. It is a misconception that eating disorders are most common in teenagers and young women.

“Normal eating” 

If you feel that food rules your life and you don’t think you have a “normal” relationship with food, we can help. It can be hard to know what you should do when you are overwhelmed by your own thoughts, information on the internet and opinions or comments from others. You are probably already aware that your eating habits may be physically and psychologically damaging but just aren’t sure what to do about it.

In a non-judgmental way, we listen to what you have to say. We can give you an honest opinion on your eating, put things in perspective and we can talk about what a healthy relationship with food is. When you are ready, we can come up with practical ways to start to incorporate more “normal” eating behaviours in to your everyday life.

Digestion Issues

It is very common to experience bloating, tummy pain, constipation/diarrhoea  following restrictive eating, all of which can be distressing. This is because the lack of food affects how your gut functions. There are specific foods that aggravate these symptoms. We can work together to identify problem foods and to swap them for ones that are easier to digest.

Weight Management

“A year from now you’ll wish you started today”

It is well known that being overweight is associated with serious health issues such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers but sometimes we also want to lose weight just to feel better about ourselves. It’s a wonderful feeling to fit back in to pre-pregnancy clothes or to be able to pull your belt a notch.

There are a vast array of diets out there, with advice from “experts” and successful slimmers and celebrities ready with their testimonies of how this diet is the answer to your weight loss woes. It is extremely confusing to know who to listen to and which diet is “the one.” Deep down we know that these “all or nothing” diets do not work in the long term and are not healthy for your body or mind. Mentally beating yourself up about making the “wrong” food choices is soul destroying and can lead to a vicious cycle of going on and off diets.

We believe that for long term, life long success we need to relax and stop obsessing about food. Advice is for life…

• Carbs, alcohol and eating out are not banned
• Nourish your body with the food it needs to help you feel fab!
• No going hungry- wholesome foods for optimum nutrition
• Break old habits
• Easy to follow guides adapted to the way you live and the foods you like with advice on meals, snacks, shopping and eating out at your favourite restaurants.

Sports Performance and Rehabilitation

Faster, Fitter, Stronger

Neglecting your diet is not an option if you want to be the best. The right nutrition can make you faster, fitter and stronger. We use evidence-based practice, combined with our 15 years of experience of advising professional, elite and recreational clients.

The problem is, there is too much confusing and conflicting advice out there, so who do you believe? Who can you trust? What websites are credible?

Uniquely, we spend time taking a detailed look at any health, performance, training/performance issues, current nutritional intake, perform a detailed nutritional analysis and take accurate anthropometric measurements.

We provide:

• A nutrition plan tailored to your needs, training goals, weight health and performance issues
• No faddy diets or unnecessary supplements
• What and how much to eat and drink to minimise fatigue
• How to lose body fat without losing muscle power
• Which supplements are worthwhile for you
• Correct timing (periodisation) of carbohydrate and protein
• Shopping lists and actual amounts of foods.

Medical Rehabilitation

Dietitians are qualifed to assess, diagnose and treat medical conditions with nutrition therapy.

We specialise in:

• Rehabilitation– optimising nutritional intake from anti inflammatory foods and avoiding pro-inflammatory foods is usually over looked. The right micronutrients can significantly reduce inflammation, helping you get back to training sooner
• Managing Disordered Eating– We have a sympathetic approach to identify issues and helping you to “move forward”
• Managing Digestive/ Gut Problems– very common in up to 80% athletes, very successful management with dietary manipulation.

Digestive Health

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease
• Heartburn, gas, bloating, abdominal discomfort, diarrhoea, constipation

Have you been diagnosed with a digestion disorder? Are you frustrated that your doctors are unsure about what to advise for your diet? Unfortunately, most UK doctors and even gastroenterologists have very limited training in nutrition and the effects of food on the gut. Sarah has 15 years of experience as a Registered Dietitian in the NHS and private practice, as well as specialist training in the treatment of digestion problems. We can never guarantee “curing” your digestion but the vast majority of our clients see a significant improvement in symptoms.

New FODMAP diet

The low FODMAP diet has been published in international medical journals and is now accepted and recommended as one of the most effective dietary therapies for digestive problems. In February 2015 it was added to the National Institute of Clinical Excellence’s IBS treatment guidelines. The low FODMAP diet significantly reduces symptoms in 75% of people.

Not everyone reacts to the same FODMAPs, which is why it is important to have the advice of an experienced dietitian to help you negotiate the various phases of the diet.

Nourish to Flourish

Sarah is a member of the British Dietetic Association and the Health and Care Professions Council and has over 15 years of experience in both the NHS and with sports clients and has experience in both adult and children’s nutrition.

Here at PhysioExtra, whatever your health issue or goal, it is our job to do everything we can to help you be at your best. We use evidence-based research as well as experience of working with 1000s of patients over 15 years. The number of appointments required are guided by you. Between appointments we can offer email and text support.

To see if our Dietetic Clinic is right for you, call us now and arrange a FREE 15 minute telephone or clinic consultation.