ABOUT LISA
I DIDN’T BECOME A NUTRITIONAL THERAPIST BECAUSE I HAD ALWAYS PLANNED TO WORK IN HEALTH.
I became one because I spent years trying to understand why I felt so unwell when every test said that everything was normal.
Hi, I’m Lisa Picken, a registered nutritional therapist, health coach and certified Metabolic FLAG Fasting Coach.
Long before Hummingbird Nutrition existed, I was exhausted, frustrated and living with symptoms that were affecting everyday life. I knew my body was trying to tell me something, but I couldn’t understand what.
That experience changed the direction of my life and still shapes how I support every person who works with me today.
Registered Nutritional Therapist | ANP & GNC Registered | Certified Metabolic FLAG Fasting Coach | As seen on ITV
MY STORY STARTED LONG BEFORE
MENOPAUSE
I KNEW THERE WAS MORE TO WHAT I WAS EXPERIENCING
Around 20 years ago, I began living with a growing collection of unexplained symptoms.
My ankles would swell. I felt utterly exhausted. I experienced daily headaches and regularly relied on paracetamol just to keep going.
At the time, I was working full time and raising two young children. My symptoms were attributed to being busy and stressed, and one suggestion from my GP was that I should give up work.
But who can realistically do that? More importantly, it still didn’t explain why I felt so unwell.
Then the digestive symptoms began. Bloating, constipation, sudden diarrhoea and pain after eating certain foods became part of everyday life.
Further tests didn’t reveal a clear explanation, and I was diagnosed with IBS. Although I finally had a label for the symptoms, I still didn’t understand why they were happening or what my body needed from me.
I wasn’t looking for someone to tell me that everything was fine. I wanted someone to listen, look at the whole picture and help me make sense of what felt disconnected.
That experience is one of the reasons I listen so carefully when a client tells me, “I know something isn’t right."
THE FIRST ANSWER I FOUND WASN’T THE WHOLE ANSWER
As my health continued to deteriorate, I took a private food-sensitivity test. Nineteen foods and drinks appeared in the red category, including many things I was eating regularly.
I removed every one of them overnight.
Within days, I felt noticeably different and some of my symptoms began to ease. For the first time, I had evidence that food could be influencing how I felt.
But removing so many foods created a different problem.
My diet became severely restricted. Eating away from home felt almost impossible, and I began noticing signs that my body might not be receiving everything it needed.
I realised that feeling better after removing foods wasn’t the same as understanding the whole picture.
That experience changed how I approach functional testing today. A test result should provide useful information, not leave someone frightened of food or following an unnecessarily restricted diet without a clear plan.
Your results must always be interpreted alongside your symptoms, health history, nutrition and lifestyle.
CURIOSITY CHANGED THE DIRECTION OF MY LIFE
What began as a search for answers about my own health became a fascination with how nutrition, digestion, stress and lifestyle can influence the way we feel.
But I didn’t want to rely on internet research or use what had helped me as evidence that it would help everyone else.
I wanted to understand the science properly.
I enrolled at the College of Naturopathic Medicine and spent three years retraining as a nutritional therapist. I later added health-coaching skills to help clients turn recommendations into realistic changes that work within everyday life.
As my work developed, so did my training.
I trained in Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) because sometimes someone appears to be doing everything right, yet they still do not feel well. Exploring mineral levels and their relationships can provide additional information when considered alongside symptoms, health history, nutrition and lifestyle.
I also became a certified Metabolic FLAG Fasting Coach training with Dr Mindy Pelz after seeing how many women were fasting in ways that left them feeling more tired, stressed and frustrated, particularly when struggling with weight changes during perimenopause and menopause.
Fasting should not mean eating as little as possible or pushing through exhaustion. When it is appropriate, it needs to be personalised around a woman’s health, hormone cycles, lifestyle and goals.
Each stage of my training has strengthened the way I look beyond individual symptoms, ask better questions and consider what else may be influencing the wider picture.
That curiosity remains at the heart of my work today.
YOUR BODY ISN’T WORKING AGAINST YOU. IT IS TRYING TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU.
CURIOSITY CHANGED THE DIRECTION OF MY LIFE
What began as a search for answers about my own health became a fascination with how nutrition, digestion, stress and lifestyle can influence the way we feel.
But I didn’t want to rely on internet research or use what had helped me as evidence that it would help everyone else.
I wanted to understand the science properly.
I enrolled at the College of Naturopathic Medicine and spent three years retraining as a nutritional therapist. I later added health-coaching skills to help clients turn recommendations into realistic changes that work within everyday life.
As my work developed, so did my training.
I trained in Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) because sometimes someone appears to be doing everything right, yet they still do not feel well. Exploring mineral levels and their relationships can provide additional information when considered alongside symptoms, health history, nutrition and lifestyle.
I also became a certified Metabolic FLAG Fasting Coach training with Dr Mindy Pelz after seeing how many women were fasting in ways that left them feeling more tired, stressed and frustrated, particularly when struggling with weight changes during perimenopause and menopause.
Fasting should not mean eating as little as possible or pushing through exhaustion. When it is appropriate, it needs to be personalised around a woman’s health, hormone cycles, lifestyle and goals.
Each stage of my training has strengthened the way I look beyond individual symptoms, ask better questions and consider what else may be influencing the wider picture.
That curiosity remains at the heart of my work today.
YOUR BODY ISN’T WORKING AGAINST YOU. IT IS TRYING TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU.
MENOPAUSE BECAME PART OF MY STORY TOO
Retraining as a nutritional therapist did not make me immune to the changes of menopause.
My own menopause journey has been without HRT. That is my personal experience, not a judgment on anyone else’s choice.
I am not anti-HRT. I support women who use it, women who do not and women who are still considering their options.
What I have noticed is that many of the women who come to work with me are already using HRT, yet they are still struggling with symptoms that affect how they feel and function.
That does not mean their HRT is not helping. It may mean that hormones are not the only part of the picture.
Sleep, stress, digestion, blood-sugar balance, mineral balance, nutrition and the demands of everyday life can all influence how a woman feels during this stage of life.
Looking beyond hormones does not mean dismissing their importance. It means remaining curious about the wider picture and making sure that other areas of health are not overlooked.
That is why I never expect a woman to arrive already knowing whether her symptoms are caused by menopause, her gut, stress or something else.
We begin with Menopause, Reconsidered.
HOW MY EXPERIENCES SHAPE THE WAY I SUPPORT YOU
I know how frustrating it is to feel that something is not right without understanding why.
That is why working with me is about more than receiving a list of foods to eat or avoid.
YOU WILL BE
LISTENED TO
Your symptoms, concerns and experiences matter. You will have the time to explain what has been happening and how it is affecting your life.
WE LOOK AT THE
WIDER PICTURE
We consider your symptoms alongside your health history, nutrition, digestion, sleep, stress, medications, lifestyle and goals.
YOUR SUPPORT
WILL BE PERSONAL
You will not receive a generic menopause or digestive health plan. Your recommendations will be shaped around your body, your priorities and what is realistic for you.
YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THE REASONING
I explain what we are exploring, why I am making each recommendation and what we are looking for as your body responds.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO ARRIVE WITH THE ANSWERS.
THAT IS WHAT WE EXPLORE TOGETHER.
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING. PERSONAL SUPPORT.
My own health journey led me towards nutritional therapy, but it is my professional training that enables me to support others safely, thoughtfully and individually.
QUALIFICATIONS AND REGISTRATIONS
Nutritional Therapy Diploma, College of Naturopathic Medicine
Health Coach training, Institute for Integrative Nutrition
Registered member of the Association of Naturopathic Practitioners
Registered with the General Naturopathic Council
ADDITIONAL TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
Professional training in reflux and medication-aware PPI support
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis training with the HTMA Academy
Certified Metabolic FLAG Fasting Coach
Experienced corporate wellbeing speaker
Featured on ITV as a nutrition expert
THE WOMAN BEHIND HUMMINGBIRD
Hummingbird Nutrition is an important part of my life, but it is not the whole of it.
I am a postmenopausal woman, a wife, a mam to 2 amazing grown up children, and dog mam to 2 pups who are rarely far away, particularly when a photograph is being taken.
I have followed a plant-based lifestyle for around ten years, but I do not believe that health depends on eating perfectly or following rigid rules.
Real life includes work, family, dog walks, meals out, celebrations and days when things do not go according to plan.
Any changes I recommend need to work within that life, not require you to step away from it.
When I am not working with clients, speaking or studying something new, you will usually find me at home with my husband and the dogs, with a mug of chamomile tea nearby.
I bring the same person to my consultations that you see here: curious, practical, honest and always ready to listen.
READY TO TELL ME YOUR WHOLE STORY?
If you are tired of guessing what your body needs, you do not have to work everything out before contacting me.
Book a free Health Chat and tell me what you have been experiencing, what you would like to change and where you feel stuck.
We can discuss whether I am the right person to support you and what the most appropriate next step may be.
There is no obligation to decide during the call.
Stay curious. Your body has a story to tell.
Join my weekly Hummingbird email for thought-provoking insights about menopause, reflux and metabolic health that help you question what you’ve been told and understand your body differently.
Clinic: Hummingbird Nutrition
Secret Garden, Unit 4
Double Row,
Seaton Delaval,
Whitley Bay,
NE25 0PP
Online and in-person consultations
Email: [email protected]
Site: www.hummingbirdnutrition.co.uk