Food for thought as new academy launches

A Manchester-based nutrition practice is expanding with a new training initiative to support professionals working with neurodivergent people.

So Nutrition, founded by award-winning nutritional therapist Sarah Osborne, has launched the So Nutrition Academy to share expertise, case studies and guidance with healthcare professionals across the UK. 

The move marks a key step in the company’s growth, building on years of work supporting people with ADHD and other neurodivergent conditions to manage dietary challenges, with the new academy providing training resources to help professionals better support their clients.

Sarah said: “Our aim is for the So Nutrition Academy to become a trusted resource for nutritionists, coaches and medical professionals, to help them understand the nuances that come with ADHD and enhance their work with neurodivergent patients.”

To coincide with the launch, the practice has published independent research into the eating habits of people with ADHD. 

Surveying 500 UK adults, the study revealed that impulsive eating affects nine in ten people with ADHD, while nearly two thirds admitted to skipping meals on a regular basis. 

Other findings highlighted sensitivities to tastes, textures and smells, as well as difficulties with planning and preparing meals.

Sarah added: “For neurodivergent individuals, impulsive or emotional eating often goes beyond food itself and can relate to brain chemistry and biochemical balance, as well as being a response to emotions such as stress, frustration and feeling overwhelmed.

“Similarly, skipping meals can be attributed to ADHD’s core symptoms of impulsivity, inattention and executive function differences, which all hinder self-regulation and awareness of internal hunger signals.

“When eating turns into an emotional and impulsive response, it becomes easy to feel trapped in a cycle of guilt and frustration. 

“We hope our study will support greater understanding of these challenges, which are closely linked to the way the neurodivergent brain responds to the world.” 

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