27 May 2016 Katherine Caris-Harris, Centre for Nutrition Education & Lifestyle Management (CNELM)

I decide to study nutrition as my children are growing up and I wanted to start working again, but wished to do something I felt passionately about and that would be flexible around my family.  I’ve not always followed a low-toxic diet (having enjoyed far too much alcohol than I should in my time) but have always been aware of what I was eating, probably as a result of being brought up in the middle of nowhere in Northumberland with the benefits of our own kitchen garden enforced on me from an early age.  I had a brief foray into Medicine after school but changed degrees to Economics after a year as my direction in life was unclear.  I worked as an Investment Manager but ‘retired’ when I had children and at this point began to regain my focus on nutrition.  Since the day I found out I was pregnant I have never touched another sip of diet coke (a previous staple!).

I also found my other love which is running and more recently triathlon.  I was a participant in a research project in 2013 that involved lots of Genova testing throughout our training and culminated in completing the Barcelona Ironman!  It was run by an eminent sports nutritionist and physiologist, who offered me lots of advice and, maybe unknown to him, helped me make my final decision to take the plunge into study again.  Something I always said I would never do.  He recommended CNELM to me.

I love endurance sport and people assume this is the path I will follow in my future nutrition career.  Whilst it will be one arm of what I do, I’d also like to work in practice with others, such as physios and osteopaths, perhaps with a focus on women’s health.  Plans are still evolving and I am excited about where the future may take me.