Evie Whitehead: ‘listen to your gut!’ 

Liz Nicholls

Local nutritional therapist Evie Whitehead, DipION, mBANT, CNHC, who recently launched podcast series with ITN, advises us all to trust our gut! 

Born in Amersham, brought up in Beaconsfield, I am a local nutritional therapist with a passion for helping people feel their best through food!  

I have over a decade’s experience in helping people with all kinds of health concerns, but I specialise in gut-related issues. I run my private clinic in Bourne End and see my clients mostly online for private one-to-one consultation. My approach is realistic using simple, achievable and sustainable changes to help you feel your best. I often find the simple changes people can stick to get the best results, so please don’t think nutritional therapy means turning your world upside down!  

My very first client had an inflammatory bowel condition called diverticulitis. To study this condition, I leaned into the mysteries and inner workings of the gut and gut microbes which fascinated me. I started to see lots of people with irritable bowel syndrome (and still do) and learned how to find and correct the root cause/s of these conditions. Ten years on, it’s still my passion.  

We don’t know everything about the gut yet – this fascinating scientific area is still in its infancy. Despite recent advancements, we’re still uncovering the complex relationships between gut bacteria and human health. However, we know that we can modulate the behaviour and balance of the trillions of gut microbes in our gastrointestinal tract through food. This holds much promise in terms of preventing disease including autoimmune conditions, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases.  

Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing gut experts from around the world on my ITN podcast series Listen to Your Gut. Interestingly, from the experts’ studies, the key missing component in participants’ diets was the same, regardless whether the condition was diabetes type 2, Crohn’s disease or depression. The missing ingredient in our western diet is fibre which we’ve largely replaced with ultra processed foods. These are generally low-nutrient, softer in texture and moreish, meaning we easily overeat them. They satisfy the dopamine centres in our brain making them highly addictive and they’re everywhere!  

Our food has changed so much since the industrial era but in the last 20-30 years it has become even more processed, full of sugar, oils and additives, making this “food” cheap to produce with long shelf life. This shift directly impacts our digestive system and gut microbes. We’re literally starving our gut microbes of the nutrients they need to survive which is making us ill. However, the good news is we can make some simple changes to make a big difference. Why not book a free, no-obligation call with me? Just email info@evienutrition.co.uk.