Laila Charlesworth Nutrition

27/10/2025

New guidance advises that slush ice drinks containing glycerol should not be given to children under 7. Children aged 7 to 9 should be limited to one 350ml serving.

If you operate a cinema, soft play centre, or any business that sells slush drinks, it’s essential to follow the latest safety recommendations.

Help keep your customers safe by staying informed and up to date with the latest guidance.

Read more here: https://www.food.gov.uk/here-to-help

27/10/2025

We need more of this!

The programme in South Yorkshire teaches parents how to feed babies nutritious food.

Read more: https://bbc.in/4oYaU8z

24/10/2025

🛑 I’ve started objecting to illuminated advertising schemes in my local area and here’s why.

As a nutritionist, I see how ultra-processed food ads, visual clutter, and energy-hungry signage shape behaviour and undermine wellbeing. Inspired by , I’m using my professional voice to challenge these planning applications.

If you work in nutrition, public health, education, or sustainability — you can do this too.

👉 Check your council’s planning portal
✍️ Submit a short objection
📚 Use the toolkit at adfreecities.org.uk/planning

Let’s make our environments healthier — not just our diets.

16/10/2025

As a nutritionist, I see the ripple effects of fussy eating across all ages. But the earlier we intervene, the more flexible the palate - and the more joyful the journey.

My new blog explores practical strategies for parents and practitioners, with a gentle nod to ADHD, food insecurity, and generational habits. Let’s raise eaters who feel empowered, curious, and connected to their food.

Click on the link to read it: https://www.lailacharlesworth.co.uk/blog

10/10/2025

Just finished reading the More Than Weight report (2025), commissioned by West Yorkshire ICB and Humber & North Yorkshire Centre for Excellence.

This isn’t just about BMI. It’s about trauma, stigma, survival, and the systems that shape how people are seen, supported, or sidelined.

🔍 Key findings:
- 78% of participants reported at least one mental health or neurodevelopmental condition
- 66% described frequent emotional eating
- Over 70% experienced social isolation
- £6.1 billion: the annual cost of obesity across our region — spanning NHS treatment, lost productivity, social care, and wider economic impact

💬 What lived experience tells us: Obesity is often a consequence — of grief, poverty, neurodivergence, and emotional distress. Focus groups became therapeutic spaces. One participant said:

“This body saved my life.” Another shared: “I ate instead of drinking or doing drugs or slicing my skin.”

🧩 System gaps:
- Only 35% of healthcare professionals feel equipped to deliver effective obesity care
- Carers are unsupported
- Stigma persists — even within healthcare
- Services are inconsistent and hard to navigate

🌱 Strategic opportunities:
- Shift from weight to wellbeing
- Embed trauma-informed care across all tiers
- Integrate mental health into every pathway
- Co-produce services with people who’ve lived it
- Audit physical environments for inclusivity
- Prioritise prevention in areas of greatest need

🌿 As a nutritionist, I offer compassionate, personalised care that goes beyond weight. Whether you're navigating emotional eating or just feeling stuck, I help you build practical, sustainable strategies.

📩 DM me or visit my website — you deserve care that sees the whole person.

09/10/2025

Zak (18) came to me after glandular fever and two rounds of COVID. He's been missing college and feels constantly tired, bloated, and low in mood — with poor sleep, cravings and frequent infections.

His nutrition assessment showed:
🔬 Low digestive enzyme activity
🧠 Elevated detox strain and folate demand
🧬 Low glycine and serine — key for gut lining repair and phase II detoxification

His food diary reflected skipped breakfasts, carb-heavy meals, reactive snacking, and a regular diet fizzy drink habit — often reaching for comfort foods like toast before bed.

I built a phased plan with:
✅ Magnesium glycinate for nervous system support
✅ Activated B-complex and bioavailable folate
✅ D3 + K2 for seasonal immunity and mood
✅ Youth-friendly hydration and protein swaps
✅ Simple digestive strategies — mindful chewing and calmer meal environments
✅ Reducing diet drinks and replacing with gentler hydration options to support gut and mood

Zak’s now trialling a food plan and using a visual tracker to stay engaged. His family are on board, and I’ll be reviewing progress soon.

This case shows how targeted nutrition grounded in biochemistry and delivered with compassion can help young people rebuild energy, mood, and digestive strength.

I’m confident this approach will help Zak feel significantly better — especially if he stays consistent and supported.

02/10/2025

Your cholesterol isn’t just a number — it’s a signal. In your 40s, 50s, and 60s, shifts in hormones, stress, sleep, and metabolism can all influence lipid patterns.

In my latest blog, I unpack what’s really driving these changes, what markers to explore beyond the standard test, and how food, movement, and emotional safety can support heart health without fear.

Let’s make cholesterol conversations more nuanced, more supportive, and more personal.

📖 Read the full post: https://www.lailacharlesworth.co.uk/blog

01/10/2025

As a nutritionist, I often say: plant-based isn’t just plants — it’s planning, protein and pleasure!

On World Vegetarian Day, we celebrate the power of plants for our bodies, brains and families. But vegetarianism isn’t one-size-fits-all - it’s a spectrum, and when done well it can support gut health, hormone balance, cardiovascular resilience and emotional wellbeing.

Here’s what I look for when supporting vegetarian clients:

🧠 Nutrient awareness: Iron, B12, choline, omega-3s, and zinc matter — especially for teens, midlife women and anyone navigating fatigue, mood shifts, or hormonal changes.

🍽️ Protein diversity: Lentils, tempeh, eggs (if included), nuts, seeds, dairy — variety builds resilience.

🥣 Food that nourishes: Vegetarian meals should be colourful, satisfying, and stabilising — not just pasta and cheese. Think fibre, fats, herbs, and smart snacks that support blood sugar, digestion, and energy.

💬 Emotional safety around food: Vegetarianism can be empowering, but it can also mask disordered eating or confusion. I always ask: Is this choice nourishing your body and your relationship with food?

Let’s move beyond labels and toward nourishment — practical, joyful, and rooted in real life.

30/09/2025

Feeling run down, inflamed, or stuck in a cycle of symptoms? You’re not alone — and you’re not powerless.

Yorkshire is seeing a sharp rise in long-term health conditions like type II diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and hormonal imbalance — especially among adults juggling work, family, and stress. NHS services are stretched and waiting times for care are growing. But behind the headlines are people who want clarity, energy and real solutions.

As a Nutritionist based in Wakefield, I help you:
🧠 Decode your symptoms and understand what’s driving fatigue, inflammation, or hormonal shifts
🥦 Build a personalised nutrition and lifestyle plan that fits your real life — not a one-size-fits-all protocol
📊 Support safe, evidence-based supplement use by reviewing compatibility, quality, and relevance to your nutrition goals
🔍 Get strategic about prevention, resilience, and long-term wellbeing

Whether you’re managing multiple conditions, preparing for midlife transitions, or simply want to feel better in your own skin — I offer practical, evidence-based support that puts you back in control.

Let’s explore how nutrition can help you feel clearer, stronger, and more resilient - click the link in bio to connect.

29/09/2025

As a nutritionist, I often say: your blood tells a story — let’s listen with curiosity.

On World Heart Day, many of us are reminded to “watch our cholesterol.” And for good reason — elevated levels can be a signal worth exploring. But it’s not the whole story.

Most people who come to see me have already been told their cholesterol is “too high.” What they often haven’t been told is why, what else to look at, and how food, stress, sleep and movement shape the bigger picture.

Cholesterol is essential. It helps build hormones, repair cells, and support brain health. So when levels rise, it’s not always a villain — it’s often a clue.

🧬 Markers I Look For Beyond Cholesterol
- Homocysteine: methylation + vascular inflammation
- hs-CRP: systemic inflammation
- Omega-3 Index: rhythm + anti-inflammatory balance
- Fasting insulin: early metabolic stress
- Triglyceride-to-HDL ratio: insulin resistance insight

These help us move from “normal” to optimal — especially in midlife, or when navigating stress, fatigue or hormonal shifts.

🥣 Food as a Cardiovascular Ally
- Colourful veg, omega-3s, turmeric, garlic
- Protein-rich breakfasts, fibre
- Liver + gut support for cholesterol metabolism
- Emotional nourishment (because stress affects the heart too)

💬 If you’ve been told your cholesterol is high, it’s okay to feel concerned and it’s okay to ask more questions. What’s driving the pattern? What does your body need?

Let’s make heart health personal, practical, and empowering — for every age and every stage.

26/09/2025

✨ Client reflections like this mean everything. We explored an elimination diet together, tailored to her health context and family life — and while she didn’t follow it strictly, she’s feeling lighter, clearer, and more mentally grounded.

It’s not about perfection — it’s about progress, insight, and feeling empowered to make changes that stick. 💫

Grateful to support people in reconnecting with their bodies and finding what works for them.