Helen Ritchie
Registered Nutritional Therapist
The Power of Personalised Nutrition
I specialise in supporting mid-life women looking for relief from perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, brain fog, weight gain, disrupted sleep, anxiety, low mood, and fatigue. All these symptoms and more can be effectively managed through personalised nutrition and lifestyle changes.
When menopause symptoms struck me 9 years ago, I recognised the hot flushes and acute anxiety, but not the brain fog and disrupted sleep, which overnight left me feeling unable to perform in my senior marketing career and ultimately contributed to me being fired from that job.
Unable to take HRT due to my history of breast cancer, I started researching natural alternatives and eventually retrained in nutrition so that I could help other women avoid the unfortunate consequences of menopause that I experienced.
I provide one-to-one personalised nutrition and lifestyle advice based on the Functional Medicine model.
Helen Ritchie, Registered Nutrition & Lifestyle Practitioner
BA (Hons), DipION, mBANT, rCNHC
How can Nutritional Therapy help?
You may not know what Nutritional Therapy is, but once you understand that the word 'therapy' is the ancient Greek word for 'healing', then healing through nutrition starts to make sense! We all need to eat so by ensuring your food is nourishing you and not impacting your wellbeing is the foundation for a long, healthy and happy life.
In addition to my work in supporting women in menopause and peri-menopause, I also work with both men and women to manage chronic health conditions such as pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, headaches, acid reflux, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, osteopenia, autoimmune diseases and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Did you know that diabetes can be put into remission through diet and lifestyle changes alone?
In addition to running my private clinic, I work as a Health & Wellbeing Coach on the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme and the new NHS Behavioural Support for Obesity Prescribing Programme for people using weight loss medication.
My approach is holistic, science-led and based on the Functional Medicine model. I aim is to uncover the biochemical root imbalances driving your symptoms and then address them through personalised nutrition and lifestyle changes. This starts with a detailed assessment of your health and medical history through a questionnaire and three-day food diary, and takes into account physical and emotional influences too.
During our sessions, we explore your goals and priorities and together create a practical, personalised plan of action. My recommendations are tailored to your individual needs, preferences, and lifestyle — no one-size-fits-all advice.
Nutritional Therapy is a complementary healthcare approach, and I regularly work alongside GPs, consultants, and other healthcare professionals to support your overall health and wellbeing.
Services
Please click here for more information on the services I offer.
Nutrition Review
Are you confused about all the conflicting information out there about what's healthy and what's not when it comes to good nutrition? So many people think that they have a healthy diet and in many cases this is not the case.
If you would you like me to cast my expert eyes over your current diet and lifestyle habits, I can review what you're currently eating and provide some simple advice on how to make healthier choices.
This is for you if you don't have any specific symptoms or health concerns that need addressing, and are just aiming to be the healthiest you can be.
Based on a 3-day food diary completed in advance of our 60-minute session, we will discuss my recommendations, agree what changes you can make and your personalised action plan will be sent to you afterwards.
Nutrition Review: £95
Supplement and Medication Review
Are you taking dietary supplements and not sure whether they're working and making a difference to your health?
Or maybe you're taking prescription medication and want to be confident that your supplements are safe to take and not going to interact with your medicine.
Then this review is designed for you.
Supplements are big business and many of us take them hoping they will magically fix our symptoms or make us healthier, but actually don't really notice much of a difference.
Whilst there is no substitute for good nutrition and lifestyle practices, this one-off, 60-minute review will take the guesswork out of your supplements and ensure what you're taking is both safe and effective, of good quality and personalised to your needs.
Supplement and Medication Review: £150
Ultimate Wellness Check
Are you concerned about your risk of developing future health conditions? Or maybe you'd just like to have a comprehensive check of your overall nutritional status?
A wellness check provides you with a detailed assessment of your current state of health, based on a comprehensive blood test via a private laboratory that includes 56 markers, including many not routinely tested by the NHS.
We discuss the results of the test in a one-off 60-minute session and together we create a personalised action plan of agreed nutrition and lifestyle changes. .
I can also recommend, arrange and interpret many other private functional tests such as urine, stool, saliva, hair and food sensitivity, as well as help you better understand your set of NHS/GP blood results.
Wellness Check: £350 [includes a nurse home visit to take blood]
The Menopause Method
My 12-week programme of 1:1 nutrition coaching is for menopausal and perimenopausal women who are ready to start getting back to feeling normal and like their old selves again.
Working with me in a series of sessions over 12-weeks allows us the time to uncover the underlying root causes of your symptoms and for you to make changes that will have a noticeable difference on how you feel.
Here’s what you’ll learn during 12 weeks of powerful 1:1 nutrition coaching:-
- How to clear your brain fog and regain focus and clarity.
- The best way to lose weight healthily and sustainably.
- How to stop anxiety and overwhelm for good.
- Techniques to reduce hot flushes and night sweats.
- How to get a good night's sleep.
The Menopause Method 12-week Programme: £995
Individual Consultations
To achieve the best outcomes I recommend booking a series of consultations as part of a multi-week programme. This allows time for you to make changes at your own pace and for me to explore the root causes of your symptoms. I always aim to educate and inform, providing explanations and reasoning for any recommendations.
However, you can also book individual sessions on a pay-as-you-go basis if you prefer.
Based on filling out a detailed health and symptom questionnaire plus 3-day food diary prior to the first consultation, we discuss your health goals, my recommendations and together create a personalised action plan of agreed nutrition and lifestyle changes.
The first consultation is a 90-minute session and all follow-ups are 60 minutes.
Initial Consultation: £250
Follow-up Consultations: £150
Corporate Wellness Talks, Workshops and Pop-up Clinics
Many organisations are now investing in employee wellness programmes. With a 30 year corporate career in marketing behind me, I understand the challenges of working full-time in a stressful environment.
I can design and deliver bespoke workshops, talks and mini wellness sessions, aimed at educating, empowering and inspiring your workforce to live happier, healthier, more productive lives. These can also include food and cooking sessions if that is appropriate, as well as pop-up clinics for one-to-one consultations with your employees.
Recent workshop topics, in addition to managing menopause naturally, have included healthy eating, how to manage stress; lose weight; get a good night's sleep; reduce your risk of cancer; prevent dementia and Alzheimer's.
To discuss your requirements for a talk or workshop, please get in touch.
To find out how nutritional therapy could work for you,
why not book a complimentary session?
Working with Me
Working with me in a series of personalised 1:1 nutrition coaching sessions over a period of time is designed to uncover the underlying root causes of your symptoms. It gives you time to make changes at the speed you are comfortable with, to start building new eating and lifestyle habits as well as time to notice the improvement in your symptoms. These incremental small changes that fit with your likes/dislikes and lifestyle all add up to making a noticeable difference in getting you back to feeling good again. You may be surprised at how powerful personalised nutrition and lifestyle choices can be!
This programme approach includes:
- An initial 90-minute in-depth consultation to assess current nutrition, lifestyle, symptoms and medical history, based on a detailed health questionnaire.
- A series of follow-up sessions to review progress, provide ongoing education and support, plus programme adjustments.
- In-depth analysis of your 3-day food and lifestyle diary.
- Review of any prescription medication and check for any nutrient interactions.
- Nutrition education and personalised action plans sent to you after each session.
- Targeted dietary supplement recommendations [if appropriate].
- Interpretation of NHS blood test results and communication with your GP.
- Recommendations for private functional tests and interpretation of the results.
- Recipes and meal ideas/plans if required.
- Support between sessions via email or WhatsApp to answer any questions and to check-in on how you're getting on.
Location
I am based in Windsor and work both online [via Zoom] and face to face in a local physiotherapy clinic.
If you have any questions and/or would like to understand better how I can help you, why not book a free, 30-minute, no obligation, exploratory call?
Get your free copy of ‘The Ultimate Guide to Navigating Menopause at Work'
Get In Touch
Book a 30-minute free exploratory call
Or complete the form and I will contact you. Alternatively call me on 07884 117768