Like most children, for me food was just fuel, and sit-down meals (usually mince and tatties!) felt like a waste of time. Then I chanced across a book called ‘Ultrahealth’ by Leslie Kenton. I was completely baffled – what did all these glossy photos of fruit and bottles of pills have to do with the ones of fabulously healthy-looking people? What on earth was Conjugated Linoleic Acid or Spirulina? I read on however, and was soon utterly convinced.

Over the years my research continued, and the more I found out about disease and nutrition, the more committed I became. How could it be that thousands of people were suffering such easily treatable health problems? How could the health service be wasting so much money, how could doctors and surgeons and drug companies be getting it so terribly wrong?

The idea that poor health is not natural, that degenerative disease is not inevitable, that our everyday health, our well being, our longevity and the health of future generations is not just shaped, but is so fundamentally dependent on our diet  – it seems obvious now, but then it was a total revelation.

Another revelation was finding that there were a few pioneering people actually using this new knowledge to treat and prevent disease. This was nutritional therapy, a world away from the limited scope of dietetics. After completing my science foundation qualification, I trained at the Institute of Optimum Nutrition in London for a further three years. This is one of the most prestigious and well-respected colleges of nutrition therapy in the UK, and many of the students travel from abroad to attend it.

I’m now settled in Edinburgh and run my own busy nutritional therapy practice. I love what I do and feel very privileged to be able to make such a difference to people’s health.

Emma Conroy
BA MION Dip Nutrition BHMA SNHS