Registered Nutritionist, Nutritional Therapist & Functional Medicine Practitioner in Cheltenham, Gloucester for Optimum Health 

Welcome. My name is Laila Lewis (BSc Hons, Dip CNM, mBANT, CNHC, Cert., ASK). I graduated as a Registered Nutritional Therapist and Registered Nutritionist in 2010. Since then I have trained extensively with The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), graduating in their Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice (AFMCP™-UK) in 2018 and their Advanced Practice Modules; Gastrointestinal-2013, Immunology-2021, Hormone-2022, Bioenergetics-2023.  I am also a Systematic Kinesiologist, a certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor, and the founder of Nourishing by Nature. I run a full-time clinic in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire whilst being a team member of The Nutrition Coach in London’s Harley Street. In my fourteen years of clinical practice I have helped thousands of  people just like you improve their health and well-being. I believe everyone has the potential to achieve optimum health through balancing themselves physiologically and emotionally and that the foundation of this is the unique combination of Functional Medicine, Nutritional Therapy, Intuitive Eating, and Systematic Kinesiology.

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Weight Loss

A Functional Medicine approach to healing

At the core of what I do is Functional Medicine. This approach aims to address the underlying causes of disease and imbalance  and involves the client and practitioner entering into a therapeutic partnership. Rather than taking the traditional medical disease-centred approach, this more patient-centred approach works with the whole person and not isolated symptoms and the roots of disharmony are explored. Functional medicine emphasises a definable and teachable process of integrating multiple knowledge bases within a pragmatic intellectual matrix that focuses on functionality at many levels, rather than a single treatment for a single diagnosis. Functional Medicine uses the patient’s story as a key tool for integrating diagnosis, signs and symptoms, and evidence of clinical imbalances into a comprehensive approach to improve both the patient’s environmental inputs and his or her physiological function.
Taking this approach means that a consultation involves much more than simply giving a Client dietary advice. Yes that is a fundamental part, but consultations involve discussion of a Client’s health history and looking for the interactions amongst genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex, chronic disease. Functional testing and genetic testing is also often recommended as a way to giving detailed information about physiological imbalances. In this way, Functional Medicine supports the unique expression of health and vitality for each individual.
The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) teaches health care professional’s how to apply these principles in practice in a course called Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice™(AFMCP™-UK) which I completed in 2018. I have also graduated in IFM’s advanced practice modules – gastrointestinal, hormone, immunology and bioenergetics (which focusses on chronic pain, fatigue and mood disorders).

What do I do use to help you achieve optimum health?

Nutritional Therapy and Intuitive Eating:

Nutrition and lifestyle approaches to healthcare have been repeatedly shown to influence all the systems of the body and Nutritional Therapy is the application of nutrition science in the promotion of health and peak performance. In addressing nutritional imbalances, the body is supported towards optimum health and vitality. Nutritional Therapists believe that the body has the natural ability to maintain and restore health and work on creating the right conditions for this to occur.

I combine Nutritional Therapy with an Intuitive Eating approach to help you discover what foods work best for your body.  Yes I will provide you with support, inspiration and down to earth, friendly advice, but more importantly I will help you get connected to your own body and it’s needs which will enable you to make long-term positive change.

Kinesiology:

I am a fully qualified Systematic Kinesiologist and a member of The Association of Systematic Kinesiology (ASK). I undertook this additional training as I believe Kinesiology is the final missing piece in my practice enabling me to provide my Clients with a 360 degree holistic approach to health.  I use Kinesiology to help re-balance clients, particularly on an emotional level. The longer I am in practice, the more I understand that our emotional health has a huge impact on our physical health and both our current emotions and past emotions/traumas are stored in the body manifesting in physical symptoms. Unresolved emotional issues can also cause us to make unhealthier dietary and lifestyle habits such as causing us to overeat or turn to over-exercise or alcohol to escape.  Systematic Kinesiology is an amazing tool for helping release traumas and emotions. Only when we are balanced emotionally can we truly find peace and joy in our lives and  truly focus on adopting healthy behaviours for the long-term.

 Please click here to find out more about my approach.

How I can help you

My approach can help you with the following and much more:

  • Supporting you to feel happy and comfortable with your body
  • Helping you find a diet and nutritional supplement plan that is right for you and suits your unique biochemistry, health status and lifestyle
  • Optimising your nutritional status
  • Working with you to create a diet and health plan suitable for immune imbalances  (e.g. with autoimmune conditions, inflammatory disorders, allergies, eczema, asthma)
  • Helping you to identify your personal triggers for digestive problems such as IBS, reflux, constipation and diarrhoea
  • Devising a testing plan to help you work out your food sensitivities and devising a plan to improve your tolerance to foods
  • Working with you to develop a diet and lifestyle suitable for reproductive hormone imbalances  (e.g. PCOS, endometriosis, PMS, hormone-related acne, infertility)
  • Supporting you through peri-menopause and menopause
  • Helping you to balance blood sugar which can help with energy levels and to reduce cravings
  • Working with you to devise a low cholesterol diet and lifestyle
  • Tailoring a diet and lifestyle plan suitable for thyroid imbalances
  • Promoting emotional and psychological well-being with a stressful modern lifestyle
  • Supporting you in overcoming and releasing emotional traumas and issues that maybe hindering your health and/or preventing you from making healthier lifestyle choices

How can you be sure I offer a professional Nutritional Therapy, Functional Medicine, Intuitive Eating and Systematic Kinesiology services?

As a full member of The British Association For Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy (BANT) and the government’s Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC), you can be confident I have undertaken thorough, quality training, complete continued professional development annually, I’m fully insured and follow a strict Code of Professional Practice. I am also a member of the Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM),  TASK-UK (Kinesiology professional membership) and  was trained in Intuitive Eating by the original Intuitive Eating professionals; Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.

I am a member of the following organisations.

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Let’s talk

Do you have a particular chronic health condition or symptoms you would like to address?  Do you want to find the root cause of your illness?   Are you looking for another way to achieve health?  Would you like to feel comfortable and happy with your body? Do you need help identifying the diet and lifestyle issues that are preventing you from healing? Or are you simply looking to increase energy and vitality?  If you have answered yes to any of these questions then I would love to talk to you about how we begin your nourishing journey to optimal health.

Click here to find out more about how Functional Medicine  can help you in Cheltenham, Gloucester or please feel free to call on 07768056048 or email me at laila@nourishingbynature.co.uk to arrange a free, no obligation  15 minute consultation to see how I can help you.