Introducing Registered Nutritionist, Lisa Unger

Hi, My name is Lisa Unger, and I am a Nutritional Therapist. I specialise in promoting total health and wellbeing through personalised, practical and evidence based support, to help my clients feel better.

 I have always been a foodie and loved cooking. In my teens I was too much of one, and ended up very overweight. For years I tried every diet going: low carb, no carb, counting calories, starvation….. Every time a new diet fad was written about in the newspapers, I’d be the first to try it. It was all consuming, and I really didn’t like myself very much. I had to try a new approach. I became interested in making healthier food choices for the long term, and changing my lifestyle. This has resulted in my own long term healthy relationship with food, and a constant healthy weight .

Always a keen cook, I began a catering company. I delivered pre prepared dinner party food to my clients, and gluten free and diabetic sweet treats to local businesses. Although I loved cooking, I felt that I wanted to have a career that felt more meaningful.

At this time, my daughter developed Type 1 Diabetes and Coeliacs Disease. These are autoimmune conditions, which rely on the knowledge of nutrition for healthy outcomes. I knew nothing about them. I felt really helpless, watching her struggle to understand what she could and couldn’t eat, and the effects different foods had on her body. I began researching these conditions, in order to gain a better understanding. I looked for inspiration with cooking, trying to give my daughter delicious meals, while ensuring all the nutrients were present. Emotional support was also vitally important, to help her overcome the obstacles that cropped up along the way, that would have stopped her achieving her health goal.

 I became more interested in how food and lifestyle could improve health naturally, and I decided to study nutrition. It was fascinating to learn how all the body’s systems are connected, by nutrients and food, and how they all work together. Whether you have a significant medical condition, or are just not feeling yourself, small consistent changes to your diet and lifestyle can lead to enormous benefits. Some changes have an effect within a few days or weeks, whereas other issues may take a longer time to improve. Putting what I learnt into practice, has left me feeling revitalised, less stressed, more energised, and I am still a foodie!

Nutritional Therapy is not just about cutting out unhealthy foods. Each person is unique, with individual needs. The root cause of the same condition may be different for each person. I consider my clients individual health history, work and life environment, likes, dislikes, and unique requirements. Together with my client, I focus on what they can eat, the lifestyle changes they can make and the nutritional support they need to reach their wellbeing goals, using non-invasive, natural approaches, which are evidence based. Supplements and clinical testing are sometimes suggested.

I studied a 3 year course in Nutritional Therapy at the prestigious College of Naturopathy and Medicine (CNM), accredited by the Nutritional Therapy Education Council (NTEC). This included 200 hours of supervised clinical practice. I am a member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT), and The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC). In order to further my knowledge and keep up-to-date with the latest research and science, I continually attend various conferences and seminars.

I am really interested in mental health, and how food and nutrition can be used to aid it’s healing. I have Bsc in Psychology, and I am a crisis volunteer.

I look forward to meeting you all at Chilli Pilates, Bushey.

Best Wishes

Lisa

Lisa Unger Nutrition

BSc Hons | dipCNM | mBANT | rCNHC