The main distinctions are that functional nutrition takes a root cause approach meaning that it aims to understand the root cause of different symptoms and dis-eases, as apposed to just managing symptoms or conditions. For example; for someone who may be experiencing digestive concerns like bloating, gas or food intolerances, instead of simply giving this person a diet which omits those foods which are causing distress we would look at what is happening in the guts to cause the person to have gas, bloating or intolerances - it may be dysbiosis (imbalanced gut bacteria) or insufficient gastric acid leading to food not being properly digested leading to fermentation and gaseous byproducts. We would then address this (often in conjunction with a period of reducing the offending foods) using different therapeutic foods, supplementation and lifestyle habits.

In our modern healthcare system when it comes to dysfunction or disease in the body, most general practitioners address it by simply band-aiding symptoms which are presenting, without ever really asking the deeper question of why these symptoms are occurring to begin with. Whether it be hormonal imbalances, auto-immune conditions, cardiovascular health or metabolic disorders, most often they are treated using some sort of drugs or medical intervention. Unfortunately this approach completely bypasses many of the fundamental aspects which are necessary for the healthy function of the many systems which work synergistically within the body. When we begin to ask why these symptoms are occurring, and which system they are correlating to, there are 6 key foundations which most will lead back to. They are the adequate intake of a properly prepared nutrient dense diet, digestion, blood sugar regulation, fatty acids, mineral balance, and adequate hydration. These 6 foundations serve as the fundamental basis to proper function throughout the body.

Localisation is the act of shifting from reliance on global corporations and industries, and towards local and regional economies. This includes trades, services and products but most importantly (well for this blog) food.

In terms of health for people and planet this is a huge underlying factor which gets little press.

Many people are often concerned solely with the particular food types they are eating, but with very little understanding or regard for where that food is coming from.The often monstrous miles that those foods take to be placed on the shelves in front of them, and therefore the added environmental impact this is having.

Do you ever wonder what is meant by all the jargon which is found on…well, all food labels, but for today we’ll start with egg cartons?If you go to any food store you’ll be presented with an array of different options.

Most commonly you’ve got cage eggs, free-range & organic. If you're lucky you might also have pastured eggs.

But what does it all mean?