Nutrition is the food you eat and how the body uses it. We eat food to live, to grow, to keep healthy and well, and for energy to work and play.

Water, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are the basic building blocks of a good diet and together with vitamins and minerals are essential for life.

Our biological machinery needs the right mix and quantity of nutrients to operate effectively. Everyone, throughout life, has a need for the same nutrients, but in varying amounts. The amounts of nutrients needed are influenced by age, sex, size, activity, and the state of health.

Many kinds and combinations of food can lead to a well-balanced diet and no food, by itself, has all the nutrients needed for full growth and health.

Whilst each nutrient has specific uses in the body, most nutrients are best absorbed and used by the body when teamed with other nutrients. Therefore, maintaining a balanced diet is critical to maintaining optimal health.

Sadly, the environment in today's modern world is suffering from a depletion of nutrients in agricultural soils and increasing levels of toxicity and pollution is evident in the air, in the water we drink and in the processing and packaging of consumables. A deficiency in nutrients and increased exposure to toxins puts our immune system and body at risk.

Nutritional and Environmental Medicine specialises in diagnosing and treating nutritional deficiencies and harmful toxicity in the body.

From hair tissue mineral analysis and specific blood tests to looking at lifestyle, diet and stress factors, Desana's practitioners use various methods to diagnose nutritional deficiencies and toxicity.

Desana works closely with Dr Igor Tabrizion of the Nutritional Review Service and author of 'Nutritional Medicine: Fact and Fiction' and his new book 'Another dose of Nutritional Medicine". His books can be purchased from us and you can visit his website under our suggested links.