2023 Chinese Year of the Rabbit and the element of Water

….. Go with the flow, adapt, change direction if needs be…..

Limelight ‘Nutrition’  Update below 

My website focuses on sharing up to date nutrition Information and healthy recipes

A journey into growing and using culinary herbs, fermenting, dehydrating, cooking… and my

‘Grow Your Own’ pursuits in a small back yard

I will share my Craft projects.  I nearly always have something on the go!

From time to time I may add in some ‘healthier’ bits and bobs for home and personal care

 

Limelight Nutrition 

I am no longer offering one to one consultations but you can check out the Nutritional Therapists of Ireland [NTOI] website for a link to the many Nutritional Therapists currently in practice click here.

Update as of  January 2023

Due to the annual and rising cost of insurance, membership of NTOI, Continuing Professional Development (CPD), website and internet security fees, and the inordinate amount of time and work that even one consultation with one client can incur, I made the decision this year to step away from Nutritional Therapy as a business.

The past 3 years have been a steep learning curb for us all.  The world of ‘health’ has become a topic that none of us can ignore.  In my humble opinion practitioners of natural health are needed now more than ever but at the same time running such a business has become more difficult than ever.  At the start of the virus scare of 2020 I shared as much helpful nutritional information as I could on Facebook and Instagram in a effort to give a positive and helpful side to the story. Almost every post on Facebook was blocked or labelled misinformation.  I eventually shut the page down.  This was basic nutritional information that may have helped my followers.  I was alarmed and appalled that this was happening and it was just the beginning.  Unlike other therapies, Nutritional Therapists were not recognized as ‘essential’ in the winter of 2020 when we were entering into a near 6 month lock down.  Practitioners that were already well established may have weathered this storm with on-line consultations, confident of their history of positive outcomes with clients and an established client base.  For anyone more newly qualified I dare say it has been a difficult time to get started.  I have only ever wanted to deliver a service with honesty and integrity.  An entrepreneur I am not!!  A social media influencer I am not!!   My willingness to chase after a business success is just not there.

I have always been interested in health and well being.  Before I started my nutritional therapy course I completed Certificates in FETAC Level V Pre-Nursing, and the following year FETAC Level V Food Science.   I also have many other interests including yoga, music, healthy cooking, fermentation, growing my own, drying herbs, home DIY, knitting, crochet, sewing, paper crafts and when the weather is agreeable, outdoor activities in nature.   I am a life long learner!!

A change of perspective and direction has become necessary.  The nutrition knowledge I have gained has served me extremely well and I share it with anyone that is open to listen.  After the whole ‘virus thing’ since March 2020 it seems abundantly clear to me that the medical profession, in general, is not up to scratch in their knowledge of nutrition and its health benefits.  A gigantic system that seems unwilling to embrace change.  No matter what a nutritional therapist recommends in terms of diet or supplements to a client, their doctor or medical professional is the over-ruling third party in the relationship.  Unless you happen to also be a qualified doctor, a nutritional therapist learns that a client under medical supervision is off limits.  There are only a handful of such practitioners in Ireland.  It is such a shame that these ‘professions’ cannot find a middle ground as almost everyone can benefit from basic improvements in nutrition.  The integrative medicine that I thought was on the horizon a few years ago seems further away now than ever.  In my view the gap between main stream medicine and natural medicine modalities has widened exponentially in that time.  Personally, I no longer choose to be in a position to have to tell someone ‘you need your doctor’s blessing on my recommendations’, when they have been carefully considered by me, based on that individual’s requirements and having examined their medical history and possible interactions with medications, all of which form part of a consultation.   I have found that it confuses clients and makes it appear that you are not sure of what you are doing.  Most clients have no idea of the wads of red tape we take on as ‘Nutritional Therapists’ and how we accept the unspoken truth that the finger of blame is pointed in the direction of the natural health practitioner but rarely in the direction of the medical profession.  Its just the way it is, unfortunately.  The general public has been swayed to distrust natural medicine modalities.  A pill for every ill type of thinking is deeply embedded and difficult to change and frankly, I’m not up for the challenge.

Apart from valuing my own health and doing all I can to remain healthy, I also value my quality of life.  I am leaving it to those that will to carry the torch for Nutritional Therapists.  Better that I keep my money, time and energy to enhance my own existence.  I’m free to share my knowledge here and the reader may take it or leave it without obligation or charge.

Question:  If I knew at the start of my Nutritional Therapy course back in 2013 that I would decide not to pursue a Nutritional Therapy practice, would I have gone ahead with it anyway?  Answer:  One hundred percent yes!  My knowledge about nutrition and the ‘unhealthy’ side of the medical industry has been eye opening and invaluable in my response to the events of the last 3 years.  I believe we are witnessing the collapse of the conventional medical system.  There is a need for some sections of the medical profession but it has failed to address chronic, diet and lifestyle related illnesses with practical solutions.   The ‘health’ industry in total is open to corruption and manipulation wherever there is big money to be made.  In the end I would advise people to arm themselves with knowledge and return to the simple basics of health.

I predict we will have no choice but to take more responsibility for our own health outcomes.  I believe this is as close to the truth as possible…. “My health is my responsibility, your health is your responsibility”!  There is an absolute abundance of information on healthy eating and living out there.  It’s never been easier and it is NOT in short supply you just need to be interested enough to seek it out.   Then try it out!   Prevention is better than cure and there are NO quick fixes for years of overindulgence or poor diet and lifestyle choices.  Health is a choice.   It is NOT the easier option but it is the best option in the long term.  Go after it, not because you want to dodge death or live forever, but because you can feel a great deal better today.   Empower yourself!!

I will continue to post about my culinary and nutrition pursuits.   My interest has not waned but rather it has increased.  I have added home and crafts tabs to share some of my other projects that someone might find useful.  I’m not a business success and fortunately I am not under pressure to be a success financially.  If you are not getting joy and personal satisfaction from what you are doing, then ‘give it up’ I say 🙂  Your time here in this life is too precious to waste!!

 

Anne ♥