Joanna Nannini
BA(Hons), DipION, MBANT, CNHC
Registered Nutritionist
Registered Nutritional Therapist
Hi, I’m Joanna, a Registered Nutritionist and Nutritional Therapist. What’s the difference? Well, nothing really. We just tend to refer to ourselves as Nutritional Therapists when supporting clients in a 1:1 consultation or Nutritionist if providing information at a more general, public level (e.g. via workshops, social media).
I studied for 3.5 years to qualify for my Diploma (DipION) with the renowned Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION). I am fully insured and registered with the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) as well as the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) all of which require that I be fully compliant with their respective Codes of Conduct, including the requirements for Continual Professional Development (CPD) so I am always learning and keeping up to date with the latest research.
My primary focus and passion is working with parents-to-be and new parents who wish to optimise their health and that of their baby for the duration of and post-pregnancy. I aim to provide practical and easy to follow nutritional advice while also providing ongoing support and guidance. The objective is to enable you to be confident that you are offering your child the best nutritional start in life while also ensuring that your health and nutritional choices are supporting you and helping you to feel at your best during this potentially challenging time. Let’s face it, being pregnant and / or a new parent is exhausting!
As a new mum myself, and being around many other pregnant and new parents, I understand how important nutrition is in helping you to feel more energised and in tune with your body. Issues around pregnancy sickness and breastfeeding, for example, can be debilitating but advice and support that I, and other networks, can provide will prove to be invaluable both for your mental and physiological health.
Nutrition evidence and research is moving at a fast pace. My aim and responsibility is to provide you with the most up to date and relevant advice tailored to your individual needs. The pregnant and postnatal body is fascinating in its ability to change and adapt (although not necessarily fun to experience!) and it is different for each individual. My interest in this area grows all the time and I love learning from research as well as my experience and that of others.
About Nutritional Therapy
Nutritional Therapy is about more than just food
So, what is nutritional therapy and what does a nutritional therapist do? Well, I work with clients using the functional medicine model which means that I consider your wellbeing from a holistic (whole-being) point of view. For example, if you are experiencing issues with breastfeeding, it does not necessarily mean that there is a problem with your breasts. It may be that you are in pain and therefore mentally distressed which can impact on your milk production as well as your patience and willingness to breastfeed.
As a nutritional therapist, I work with you to uncover all aspects of your health and get to the root cause of any troubling issues you may be experiencing. You might find it odd at first that I ask questions around your personal history but, in my experience, all questions are relevant (whether it is to allow for consideration or to rule things out) and all information you provide is kept completely confidential in line with my responsibilities as a therapist.
You might not have any particular concerns but are interested in ensuring that you and your baby are getting keynutrients, at the right stages, to give them the best start possible and help you feel the best you can be.
You can see from the BANT infographic, how all aspects of your life – from external environment to internal gut function – can impact on your wellbeing and it is these areas that we seek to optimise in nutritional therapy.
