Q. We are just a few weeks after the holiday season and most of us have had a few too many puddings and other goodies. Could you recommend how one could get back on track again?
A. Never panic and don't weigh yourself - it will just depress you. I consider doing a mini-detox at this time of year i.e. no alcohol, caffeine, wheat and dairy.
I have a special smoothie in the morning with some fruit and fibre, then a soup for lunch with some brown rice and then dinner is fish and vegetables. I find this just re-calibrates my eating and then I get back on track.

Q. Your special morning smoothie, what exactly does it consist of?
A. 2 Scoops of 'Fast and Be Clear' (Allergy Research - available through Nutricentre)
2 tablespoons of organic flaxseed
Rice milk (enough for a cup)
Berries (frozen would be acceptable)
1 scoop Progreens (Allergy Research)

Q. We all know that we should eat breakfast and most of us do eat some sort of breakfast but what should a breakfast consist of in order to provide us with a good start to the the day?
A. Yes eating breakfast - no negotiating! I have eggs and rye toast, porridge, muesli - so that my blood sugar is balanced right from the start of the day. As some foods burn quicker than others we look for thick, fibrous foods that gives a sustained release of sugar rather than something sweet which will cause the blood sugar to rise and then subsequently to crash.

Q. Are all fruits good? It has been said that fruit should be eaten before meals rather than after? Is this true and if so why?
A. It depends - the food combiners are not keen on eating fruit with other foods, especially melon.
If you have yeast conditions loads of very sweet fruit might encourage the condition.

Q. Food combining - what do you recommend?
A. Food combining seems to work for some people who have digestive problems but the issue with combining is that the carbohydrate and vegetables can give some people a crash in blood sugar levels.
It is ok to combine the protein with vegetables as the protein helps to stabilise blood sugar. For a lot of people just eating fruit before 12noon, especially if they are working, is not sustaining enough and leads to poorer choices later in the day as blood sugar levels become low and might encourage snacking on something sweet.

Q. Energy. What and how often should we eat in order to have as much energy as possible from food?
A. You must have breakfast (breaking the fast!). For great energy have a good breakfast. Don't have great big meals that will give you a rush of sugar. Have a little protein with each meal to stabilise your blood sugar - remember vegetarian sources too.

Q. Nuts and seeds. People seem to have gone nuts about nuts and seeds? Are they all good and which ones should we eat?
A. Just remember to vary your protein sources - don't rely on one food group - look at other snacks like oat cakes and hommous, or tapanades or tahini. And remember that too much of a good thing isn't necessarily wonderful!

Q. What are the most common issues/ailments you deal with in your daily life as a nutritionist. What would you recommend for these issues/ailments?
A. IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), Hormonal issues (like PMS), weight loss, depression, energy, pregnancy and pre-conceptual care, stress and pressure in the work place (adrenal problems), thyroid problems, general bowel problems, parasites - the list is endless!
As for treatment - as Nutritional Therapists we often conduct biochemical tests to determine which course of treatment would be best and we address the symptoms with diet, lifestyle guidance and nutrients entirely dependent on that person's unique nutritional requirements.

Q. What is a biochemical test?
A. Biochemical tests help us to determine what to focus on and to determine the strategy we will take. We can test almost anything from blood, sweat, hair, stools, saliva etc but the tests we advise depend on the findings of our initial session where we conduct a clinical analysis i.e. ask a massive amount of nosey questions!
Typical tests are stool tests to test for parasites, or saliva tests to test the female hormones or to test the adrenal hormones (stress hormones), urine tests to test the thyroid.

Q. Do you recommend nutritional supplements as part of a daily routine and if so do you have a particular range that you recommend?
A. Yes! Even the World Health Organisation recommends supplements as our food does not have the nutritional quality it once did - you get what you pay for in supplements so always go for good brands that tend to be a little more expensive I am afraid.

Q. Do you have any nutritional advice for key times in life such as pregnancy and the menopause?
A. The scope of this question is wide. In general eat well, sleep well, don't worry and make sure that you see a Nutritional Therapist to give you a clinical assessment so he or she can work out what your exact nutritional needs are and then they can recommend a programme.
General advice might be for everyone - make sure you are drinking good, pure water. Food with not too many pesticides and make your own food and don't rely on ready meals!

NOT recommended in pregnancy are any foods that could give you food poisoning (listeria being of major concern) So avoid:

Q. Where did you learn about nutrition?
A. At ION (The Institute for Optimum Nutrition). When I started the course in 1997 there were very few places to study Nutritional Therapy (that is nutrition in clinical practice i.e. seeing patients) ION was the oldest course (founded in about 1985) and the best.

Q. What qualifications are recognised in UK?
A. Nutrition is unregulated in clinical practice at the moment but Nutritional Therapists (my training) have a professional body: BANT (The British Association for Nutritional Therapy). They are looking through the strict process of regulation right now so that all the training undertaken by members is aligned (i.e. degree courses and diploma courses).
The minimum length of training for a Nutritional Therapist is 3 years.
It is only in the last few years that we have called ourselves Nutritional Therapists (rather than Nutritionists). This is distinguish us from those who do not have the clinical experience i.e. seeing patients face to face and applying nutrition to helping human health conditions.
..the scary thing is, any one can call themselves a nutritionist even if they are not trained, including some well known TV personalities!
Nutritionists who are degree trained might not have the experience of clinical practice i.e. they are scientists looking at research studies whereas I have seen 2, 500/3,000 patients face to face.
There are now degree courses emerging in Nutritional Therapy (e.g. at The University of Westminster) and most courses, including the ION course, are full degree or foundation degree level but this is a recent development.

Q. Could you recommend a taster course for someone who wants to check out if a full length nutrition course is for them?
A. Try the ION (The Institute for Optimum Nutrition) short correspondence course - www.ion.ac.uk

Q. If someone is interested in becoming a nutritionist what career options are open to them on completion of the relevant qualifications?
A. For Nutritional Therapy - private practice, working privately in school, GP practices, education or in the media (e.g. The Food Doctor and The Nutrition Coach). At the moment Nutritional Therapy is still open for those wanting a second career - but this is changing as the diploma courses become degree courses - so science based subjects at school would be a good thing. Personally, the greatest qualification is an ability to get on with other people and to empathise.

Web Interview February 2006
Kate Cook
BA Hons, Dip ION (MBANT)

Kate Cook is the author of the book 'Whole Health' with 52 brilliant ideas for Healthy Living.
For more information on Kate take a look at her website: www.thenutritioncoach.co.uk

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