Using healthy food as a traditional medicine to overcome illnesses

Equipped with a toolbox of talents and skills, Karina Clappison creates a unique path to fulfilling good health for her clients.

As a natural nutritionist, she teaches how to be healthy and bursting with energy through eating great foods, which are tailored specifically to benefit the individual.

With the slogan "eat your way back to health" she is focused on using ingredients as a traditional medicine to overcome illness.

Karina, who describes herself as a "mentor", teaches practical work with her clients, for example, getting creative, having fun in the kitchen and helping cook interesting meals.

"I like to do a lot of hands-on food stuff with people," says Karina, who has clients all over the world.

As a fully-qualified naturo- pathic nutritionist, Karina specialises in supporting others who are curious about how the body can reverse the root causes of ill health and use food to help support the immune system.

She does this by teaching how to use food, herbs and natural ingredients to promote wellbeing.

Karina also provides specific menus and recipes to deliver the best possible nutrition for the body.

"I love helping people. It's amazing seeing how people transform. That's the biggest reward for me," Karina says.

For most people, wellbeing is a topic which poses a lot of interest – highlighted by the amount of time and money people spend on diets.

Karina addresses how what we eat can influence not just the physical health but also the mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

One of the most important messages Karina enhances is that sometimes an illness or health problem is down to not one thing, but many. Emotional, stress also play a part.

Karina was keen to develop her skills to overcome her own problems using natural methods.

"In the early days I would try one thing, the symptoms would disappear but then they would come back again," Karina, of Beverley, says.

"I wanted to get to the root of the problem."

After training to become a natural nutritionist, Karina also ventured into various other health training – spiritual, meditation, NLP, hypnotherapy and a whole range of different skills and research.

She is now in good health and focused on helping others.

She offers a different combination of useful methods encompassing, treating the "whole person". She focuses on how the body accumulates toxins and also how to detox the body.

"People often want to find a more natural and gentle way to overcome symptoms/illness by using foods," says Karina.

Karina says that sometimes, people are so fed up with their health issues, they just do not know what to do next.

"It can be frustrating and frightening, especially when you no longer feel in control of your health," Karina says.

"When people have a health problem such as headaches, it can be triggered by various stressful situations in their lives."

Revealing that the word "health" in fact means "halo", which means "whole", Karina highlights that health is much more that just one thing.

"A lot of people perceive health as the foods they are eating, alongside getting out and doing exercise but it is really only a fraction of that. There's a lot more to it," Karina, who started her career in 2007, says.

"We have an emotional, mental and spiritual body.

"It is about your lifestyle. If you hate your job, for instance, this may cause a person to be more likely to eat unhealthy foods – it has an impact on your life.

"Emotions are very, very important."

For Karina, part of her work is to help her clients feel "human again".

"Seeing the result is definitely the most fulfilling thing," Karina says.

"Seeing the difference in someone at the end of their programme is fantastic and helping them realise that life doesn't always move in a smooth way – there are always going to be challenges but I can help them overcome those."

As well as her one-to-one work, Karina offers support groups, seminars and creative cooking classes.

On Monday, March 4, at 7pm, Karina is hosting a food demonstration and talk at the Folly Café in Risby, near Walkington.

Details on the event and directions can be found on Karina's website at www.eat yourwaybacktohealth.co.uk