Optimum Nutrition

Hannah Dolan is a dynamic food innovator with a passion for creating nutritious, trend-setting meals. As Head of Food at Nursery Kitchen, she’s revolutionising children's nutrition, ensuring young minds grow with wholesome, delicious food. Previously, at Potage, she streamlined operations and elevated product quality, driving higher customer satisfaction.Her six-year tenure at Pret A Manger saw her rise to Head of Global Food Innovation, where she spearheaded bestselling product launches, expanded Veggie Pret and introduced Pret's first vegan bakery range, boosting sales by 60%. She also laid the groundwork for Pret’s consumer packaged goods and evening menu expansion.Earlier in her career, Hannah honed her skills as a food developer at Bakkavor, and Abergavenny Fine Foods, leading major NPD projects across UK retailers. In this conversation she talks to journalist, Hatty Willmoth, about:Innovation in children’s food.Educating children on food, flavours and textures.Calling on government and early years to set stronger nutrition standards and overcome barriers to great food in the early years.https://nurserykitchen.co.uk/  

In our latest episode we chat to Kate Cook, a trailblazer in health and nutrition, with over 20 years of expertise transforming lives and workplaces. As a nutrition and wellness expert, author and keynote speaker, Kate has worked with more than 7,000 clients, including corporate giants like JP Morgan and Pret a Manger, to create healthier, happier teams.Her journey began in her late twenties, leaving the art world to pursue nutritional therapy and founding The Nutrition Network to unite practitioners. With a Master’s degree in Anthropology of Food, Kate views nutrition as both science and soul, championing its transformative power.A TEDx speaker and author of seven books, Kate leads a movement proving age is no barrier to wisdom, energy, or impact. Her work continues to redefine wellness in businesses and beyond.In this candid episode she reflects on her career, how to be sensational at 60, and why the personal touch matters more than ever. https://katecook.biz/If you enjoyed this episode, follow us on social media at @ion_nutritionInterested in learning about nutrition yourself? Check out www.ion.ac.uk to find out more.

Welcome to our latest episode where we dive into the world of marathon running and sports nutrition with nutritional therapist Janie Perry. From solicitor to a 20-time marathon runner, Janie transformed her career and life, now dedicating herself to offering holistic and sustainable solutions for weight management and sports nutrition. Janie shares her journey and her mission to help women achieve health, energy, and happiness through nutritional therapy and homeopathy.  Topics we explore include: The vital role of carbohydrates in marathon training and performance. Why women need to be more mindful of low-carb diets. Balancing carbs, protein, and healthy fats during training. https://www.janieperry.co.uk/  If you enjoyed this episode, follow us on social media at @ion_nutritionInterested in learning about nutrition yourself? Check out www.ion.ac.uk to find out more.

In this latest episode we delve into the world of obesity with our guest, Dr Natascha (Tasch) Van Zyl, who has dedicated her career to helping individuals living with obesity achieve their best lives. According to Tasch, it’s not just about losing weight or fitting into a smaller frame, but about maximising health outcomes through sustainable lifestyle changes. With a focus on compassion, care, and acceptance, she explores how to support those with health conditions by working within their possibilities and reducing stigma through open, honest conversations. Tune in as we discuss the challenges and triumphs in the journey towards better health and wellbeing. Tasch is a health psychologist and lifestyle medicine specialist who combines her skills in a person-centred and goal-focused approach to support clients in achieving their goals.She is a Senior Teaching Fellow in Health Psychology at the University of Portsmouth. Previously, she headed the Graduate Diploma in Integrative Functional Nutrition, led year six of the Nutritional Practice qualification (BSc), and led the Behaviour Change Module (BSc & Grad Dip) at the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION). Tasch writes articles for healthcare publications and academic journals, and hosts her own radio show called Health Naturally.www.drnataschavanzyl.comIf you enjoyed this episode, follow us on social media at @ion_nutritionInterested in learning about nutrition yourself? Check out www.ion.ac.uk to find out more.

In the second episode of our third series ION graduate VJ Hamilton, aka The Autoimmunity Nutritionist, discusses her career shift from chartered accountant to nutritional therapy. She reflects on her journey of self-discovery and how she turned to nutrition after suffering with chronic fatigue and alopecia. VJ has lived symptom free for more than eight years.  VJ Hamilton is a Registered Nutritionist (BANT) and an expert in autoimmune disease. VJ combines her knowledge from her medical science degree in Biochemistry & Immunology with Nutritional Therapy to offer a thorough and personalised approach to support her clients based on the most current scientific research. VJ runs a virtual and in-person nutritional therapy and functional medicine practice, The Autoimmunity Nutritionist, specialising in gut skin and immune health. If you enjoyed this episode, follow us on social media at @ion_nutritionInterested in learning about nutrition yourself? Check out www.ion.ac.uk to find out more.

Catherine Jeans is an experienced nutritional therapist, and founder of The Family Nutrition Expert, based in Norwich. Jeans graduated from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition and has since lectured for ION and runs her own private practice which has helped over 2,000 clients from around the world.Through her online nutrition courses, private coaching programmes, and live workshops her aim is to educate and inspire families to live a healthy, happy way, every day.Jeans holds professional certificates in NLP and life coaching, as well as being a YTT200 hour Functional Yoga Teacher. She is a member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council, the UK regulator for complementary health care practitioners.Racing the Rainbow, Jeans’ first children’s book, co-written with Rachel Holmes, presents healthy ways of eating in a fun and engaging way. Packed with facts, activities, and easy recipes, this fun-fuelled publication aims to feed a child’s imagination. Available on Amazon.Interested in learning about nutrition yourself? Check out www.ion.ac.uk to find out more.

Catherine Sharman is a nutritional therapist and founder of Après, formerly a hit London restaurant and now a healthy ready-meal company. In this episode, Catherine explains how she uses the principles of functional eating – a concept instilled in her while studying at ION – in her food, making little changes to food she loves in order to better support health. Joined by host Hatty Willmoth, a journalist and Communications Officer at ION, Catherine starts by explaining her long professional journey before turning to functional eating. Catherine is adamant that healthy food does not have to be boring. On the contrary, she says, the key to a sustainably healthy diet is eating beautiful, nourishing food that you love; joyful food that just so happens to be healthy. So, what's the difference between a regular chicken satay dish and Catherine’s? What sets apart a 'functional' shepherd's pie from any old version? And what can fish-and-chip lovers do to improve their meal of choice? If you enjoyed this episode, follow us on social media at @ion_nutrition, follow Après at @apresfoodco, and take a look at their website (www.apresfood.com) for more information. Interested in learning about nutrition yourself? Check out www.ion.ac.uk to find out more.

Dr Kirstie Lawton is a nutritional therapy practitioner and ION lecturer who specialises in paediatric nutrition, i.e. nutrition for children. In this episode of the Optimum Nutrition podcast, Kirstie addresses common questions and misconceptions about how best to support a child’s health with nutrition, particularly focusing on how to help them develop a healthy relationship with food that will serve them for life. In conversation with host Hatty Willmoth, a journalist and communications officer, this episode tries to shed light on some difficult conundrums that parents might face. Is it ever okay to put a child on a diet? Should children be allowed to snack? What is the best way to handle picky eating? And should any foods be off-limits for children?This episode was recorded during a busy day in the office, so there is some background noise. Apologies!If you enjoyed this episode, follow us on social media at @ion_nutrition and Kirstie at @drkirstielawton.Interested in learning about nutrition yourself? Check out www.ion.ac.uk to find out more.

Giulietta Durante is a menstrual cycle nutritionist, registered nutritional therapy practitioner, and podcaster who lives and breathes her specialist subject: the menstrual cycle. In this episode, Giulietta explores why she feels it’s so empowering to embrace every phase of the menstrual cycle, with all the challenges and opportunities each brings. Joined by host Hatty Willmoth, a journalist and communications officer at ION, she addresses the misconception that we should aim to feel the same every day, arguing that we should build fluidity into our diet and lifestyles. How can we adapt what we eat to support our bodies throughout the cycle? What does it mean to be a cyclical being living in a linear world? How can we embrace our periods? If you enjoyed this episode, follow us on social media at @ion_nutrition and follow Giulietta at @hormones_in_harmony too. Interested in learning about nutrition yourself? Check out www.ion.ac.uk to find out more. 

Layla Gordon is a nutritional therapy practitioner based in Poole, Dorset, who graduated from ION back in 2021. In this episode of the Optimum Nutrition podcast, Layla explains healthy fats in conversation with host Hatty Willmoth, a journalist and communications officer. Together they explore the different types of fats and how they interact with every cell in the body. Starting with the basics, this episode asks, is fat bad? Does eating more omega fats mean better health? How can vegans get enough omega-3? It also covers beneficial foods, supplementation and functional testing.If you enjoyed this episode, follow us on social media at @ion_nutrition and Layla at @laylagordonnutrition.Interested in learning about nutrition yourself? Check out www.ion.ac.uk to find out more.