Cliona’s Story
Growing up, I was never satisfied with my body.
In the early 2010’s, I was advised to lose 7 pounds to ‘fix’ a medical issue which then lead me - unexpectedly - into a pattern of disordered eating.
I began to over-exercise, obsess about food and my body while tracking all of my macro-nutrients. I stressed about social outings, dieted for holidays and even brought my own food to other people’s houses so that I could control what I ate.
Suddenly, I had developed a a rigid view of what was considered ‘healthy’ while totally neglecting the well-being of my mind. I fixated on shrinking my body.
Eventually 42 pounds lighter, I was lean and slim but more miserable than ever. I experienced depressive episodes, lacked resilience, was chronically under-nourished and severely stressed. Regardless of my body-size, I never felt I was ‘enough’.
And? I still had the original health issue I started dieting for.
Thanks to an amazing friend, I saw the errors of my ways one day and eventually sought support for how disordered my habits around food had become. It took a long time, but with a lot of patience, self-care and compassion, I became friends with my body, mind and spirit again.
My experience inspired me to learn how to support other women struggling with the same issues and through that desire to help, I founded Essence of Nutrition.
The name ‘Essence of Nutrition’ was chosen because I believe that amongst all the nutrition ‘noise’ out there, the simple basics and essence of nutrition has been lost.
Eating well and nourishing your body should be easy and intuitive. When we learn to tune in to and listen to our body’s inner wisdom, we are in a position to make healthy choices more easily.
Hi there,
My name is Clíona Brady and I’m a registered Nutritional Therapist and Intuitive Eating Counselor.
The foundations of our work together is about making nutrition easier for you, not complicating it.
Essence of Nutrition is a supportive and compassionate space that helps you to explore your relationship with food in a safe, non-judgemental setting.
We work on health issues together so that we may achieve a holistic approach to nutrition and lifestyle; mind, body and spirit.
With me, you’ll learn to reduce stress around food and increase your joy for life again. I offer 1:1 support, practical tips, batch cooking recipes and simple nutritional advice that you wish you knew years ago. Rather than providing you with a strict regime, we’ll bring the fun back into food. Everything we do is a collaboration; working together to help you achieve your goals.
I can help you if…
You have health symptoms - such as gut issues, inflammation, chronic disease, hormone issues, low energy, feeling off, high cholesterol, etc. -which interfere with your life and you are willing to work towards relieving them.
You’re seeking advice with supplements, health, food and lifestyle choices.
The stress about ‘what to eat’ takes up much of your mental energy.
Your body image holds you back from doing the things you love or living your life to the fullest.
You want to stop dieting but don’t know how, are scared or you have started but would like some help.
You are willing to work towards loving and respecting your body regardless of how it looks.
You want to break free from diet culture and restriction.
You know that overcoming both health or body issues requires effort and time, but you are willing to commit to the process to enjoy lasting and impactful change.
But I can’t help you if…
You are not willing to move away from strict and restrictive dieting.
You are looking for a quick fix without any effort.
You are currently experiencing an active eating disorder or cancer.
You have intestinal or renal failure or are artificially fed.
My Qualifications
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Qualifications:
BEd in Home Economics, NUIG, 2005
Diploma in Advanced Nutrition for Physical Activity, The CPD certification Group, 2018
MSc in Personalised Nutrition, Middlesex Unniversity in collaboration with CNELM, 2022
Personalised Nutrition Practice Diploma, CNELM, 2024
Applying Intuitive Eating and Non-diet approaches in practice, London Centre of Intuitive Eating, 2024
Member of the Nutritional Therapists of Ireland (NTOI) and British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT)
Trauma Informed Practice, Trauma Informed Practice Ireland, 2024
