How a new army of nutritionists are using Skype and Instagram to bring tailor-made eating to London

The personal nutritionist could become the new personal trainer, says Kate Wills
A healthy feed: seared chilli cherry beef from Soulmatefoods
Kate Wills30 November 2015

There are two types of people — those who whip up a luminous green smoothie every morning and those who just look at pictures of them on Instagram. If you’re the latter but are longing to #eatclean-er and start using your Nutribullet as more than just an expensive ornament, you could join the growing number of Londoners who are outsourcing their eating decisions to the experts.

Seeing a nutritionist used to involve an expensive trip to Harley Street but a new generation of therapists are Instagramming bespoke meal plans and offering consultations by Skype.

Libby Limon, 35, is the resident nutritionist at Frame and sees private clients at her clinics in Clerkenwell and Marylebone as well as over Skype and FaceTime (libbylimon.com). “The people who come to see me are all young professionals, mainly women. Some just want to get fit and feel healthier, others have a specific problem such as low energy or hormone imbalances.”

After an initial consultation, Limon puts together a bespoke meal plan, taking into account everything from a client’s budget to how much space they have in the kitchen. “The process can be anything from a one-off consultation to a year-long overhaul.”

Soulmatefoods founder and CEO Christian Coates

She charges £60 a session, which includes motivational emails and recipes for super-healthy snacks. “With nutrition there is no ‘one size fits all’. That’s why it helps to have a professional take a look at what you’re eating and make changes you can stick to.”

But if soaking your own gluten-free oats sounds like too much effort, personalised nutrition companies are now shipping the good stuff to your door. Soulmatefood, founded former bar owner Christian Coates and loved by Pippa Middleton and Daisy Lowe, provides pre-prepared healthy meals and snacks for those too busy to boil up their own bone broth. “We customise a meal plan to the client, whether they want to burn fat, maintain their weight or build muscle,” says Tom Whitehead, head nutritionist at Soulmatefood.

Of course, the privilege of not having to scour the supermarket for chia seeds doesn’t come cheap — the Weightloss Plan costs £165 for six days’ worth of food. “We worked out that the average person spends 10 hours a week planning, shopping and cooking meals,” says Whitehead. “For most of our clients that could be time better spent.”

Healthy alternatives to bacon - in pictures

1/6

For those who baulk at such prices there are more affordable ways to get advice. Amelia Freer, nutritional therapist and author, is too in-demand to take on new clients, but her YouTube channel, (ameliafreer.com), is the next best thing to having her in your kitchen. For a more hands-on experience, Genesis Ali leads a team offering free 20-minute consultations in central London (johnbellcroyden.co.uk).

Plenty of nutritionists treat their followers to tips and recipes on Instagram, follow Vicki Edgbaston (@venutrition) and Lovisa Nilsson (@nutritionstagram) for good-for-you dinner inspiration (er, din-spiration?) that isn’t just a plate of pesto courgetti.

Whether it’s a lesson in how to make your own almond milk or just kicking the Nando’s habit, for the clean-eating brigade the personal nutritionist could become the new personal trainer.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in