Lesley Markey

Registered Nutritional Therapist, Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Nutritionist

PgDip NT MBANT CNHC

 Hi, I'm Lesley...

I am a Registered Nutritional Therapist with a Post Graduate Diploma in Nutritional Science and Practice. I have a background in education, specialising in Early Years.

My journey to becoming a Nutritional Therapist happened for a number of reasons. I wanted to have the skills and knowledge to be able to cut through all the sensationalised and faddy information that is presented to the public. I wanted to find a way of eating that was personal to me and that would support me to reach my health goals. I have always had problems with my weight and after losing 12 stone with various faddy diets I couldn't maintain, I had forgotten what normal eating was.

I am fascinated with the whole subject of nutrition and how the food that we eat has a massive impact on not only our physical health but also our mental health and emotional wellbeing.

I have many interests and hobbies.  Food is top of the list!! I love cooking and baking and I am always on a quest for the perfect vegan brownie or lemon polenta cake. I love exercise, although I only came to this in my 40's, completing my first Total Warrior to celebrate turning 50 (see the petrified person below! p.s. that is me scared of the water NOT the fire - go figure). Strangely that scared face has nothing to do with the fire I was jumping over but the water I was jumping into.

Since Total Warrior I have managed to complete the Great North Run.

After spending so many years struggling with my own nutrition and exercise, it is an amazing feeling to be able to move and challenge my body because now I understand how to NOURISH me.

I am not saying I am perfect, but what I am is always learning and happy to dig into the science to do the research. In the last year I have personally discovered the effect stress and menopause has on the body .. the weight gain was a shock and as a Nutritional Therapist you can imagine that ‘imposter syndrome’ started to kick in. But once I took the time to turn my research towards myself I began to realise that a number of different key factors where in play.

On reflection I think that this little blip has helped me to be even better equip for working with women in a similar situation… busy women who don’t have the time to do all the research. I have done extra research and CPD on the links between the gut and mental health. It has also spurred me on to create a whole range of small group courses that bring together groups of likeminded women to #MakeYourselfYourBestProject.

The majority of my work now centres on women at menopause and beyond. I have a private Facebook community of amazing women and have developed an online program called The Menopause Makeover that I am extremely proud of.

I am excited to see what happens next.

If you would like to share your health journey with me or just find out more about how I can support please get in touch.

Lesley x

A bit more about BANT...

The British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) is a professional body for Registered Nutrition Practitioners. Its primary function is to assist its members in attaining the highest standards of integrity, knowledge, competence and professional practice, in order to protect the client's interests, nutritional therapy and the Registered Nutrition Practitioners.

• The primary function of BANT is to assist its members in attaining the highest standards of integrity, knowledge, competence and professional practice, in order to protect the client’s interests, nutritional therapy and the Nutritional Therapist.
• BANT members are qualified in both the science of nutrition as well as clinical practice.
• BANT promotes the activities, training and continuing professional development and recommend our practitioners keep fully updated in their profession. We also insist they are fully insured to practise.
• BANT was set up as a Company Limited by Guarantee in February 1997. It is a non-profit organisation funded neither by pharmaceutical, agrochemical, commercial or government agencies but by member subscriptions and donations.
• BANT promotes high standards of education in Nutritional Therapy and high standards of practice and ethics within the profession.
• BANT acts as a professional body overseeing the activities, training and Continuing Professional Development of its practitioners.
• BANT has a governing council of nine people, some of who may be non-members but whose professional experience lies in the medical, scientific or educational area of nutritional science.
• BANT practitioners must have met the required standards of training, be fully insured and adhere to the CNHC Code of Conduct, Performance and Ethics and the BANT Professional Practice Handbook.
• BANT has a UK-wide network of area co-ordinators who organise support for local practitioners.