I am delighted to share the testimonial below, of one of my clients that was discharged from an NHS diabetes clinic.
I am forty-‐something, male and have type 2 Diabetes which was diagnosed in October 2003. I was taking oral medications only until 2012 when I was put on Insulin.
I started consulting Heba from Bath Nutrition & Wellness Centre over a year ago to help me get a good grip with my nutrition. Before I met her, I had some weight problems, was lethargic and regularly in some sort of depressive moods which also affected the way I related to my family at home. There were certain types of food I either considered as too luxurious and felt guilty to consume more of, or considered too expensive and would not buy regularly. These were mainly animal protein products and soya based products. There were other foods I thought I needed more of to keep my sugar level balanced as they had been confirmed for me by two separate NHS Dieticians as “very appropriate”. These were mainly carbohydrate-‐based products including of course salads, cereals, oats, carrots etc.
Consulting with Heba changed my mindset about these foods and my readiness to spend on them. Not only did she help me deconstruct my thoughts about the foods above, she also drew a parallel between my inner being (my health) and my outer being (my material life). She said, how much do you spend on your clothes, your home etc to look good? And how much do you spend on or care for your health to live good? It was hard to accept her combination of nutritional advice and personal friendly counselling initially. But she soon won my trust. She also assured me that I did not need to take a huge leap but just small steps. So I begun with her help to change my diet, incorporate food supplements, and cut my carbohydrate intake as well as increase my protein-‐based foods. On one occasion, I actually phoned her whilst I was at the grocery shop just so she can guide me through what to buy and take home to cook.
In less than three months during when the consultation, begun, I started to feel a huge difference in my life, health, lifestyle and mindset. I had been referred to, and was attending a diabetes clinic at Southmead hospital for over a year but the specialist decided to discharge me and return me to my local surgery as he had noticed my condition to improve. In a nutshell, I shed the weight that I didn’t need, reduced the quantity of insulin I took by half and simply felt better in my self-‐esteem. Thus, I felt that the contact with Heba was undoubtedly helpful. I have not been able to continue seeing her due to my regular travels abroad but I have continued to be mindful of the foods I eat and in what regularity as advised by her. I would therefore not hesitate in recommending Heba to anyone who is in a similar or remotely closer the situation I was in before meeting Heba. I also feel that had I been referred by the NHS to her or Nutritionists of similar standing to her, rather than to the two separate dieticians I saw under the NHS who simply confirmed that I was doing ok with my day-‐to-‐day diets, I would have seen the improvement even earlier.
AR – May 2014