The art of good food

A NEW LIFE: Anna Collinsmakes the move from art and antiques to nutritional therapist

WHEN ANNA Collins (41) was a child, her mother had a huge interest in nutrition and, some time in the early 1970s, decided to change the family diet radically. "So, out went large portions of meat, hot puddings after dinner and spoonfuls of sugar to give us energy and in came brown bread, brown rice, beans and pulses and lots more fruit and vegetables," says Collins.

"I was a sickly child and my health did improve, although I hated these healthy foods to begin with," adds Collins, who now sees a link between this emphasis on healthy food and her new chosen career in nutritional therapy.

"After secondary school, I looked into studying nutrition but wasn't drawn to dietetics courses. I did a year in science at UCD but changed to do a degree in history of art and literature," she says.

Graduating in 1989, Collins was part of the generation that had few job prospects but the confidence to travel. "I had the notion that I'd work in fine arts so I got on a course in Sothebys in London. There were 60 people doing that course from different parts of the world which gave me an instant social life," she says.

The following year, Collins moved to Italy where she did a course in Italian in Florence and later worked in the Irish college in Rome. "I soaked up as much art as possible. I spent hours every week in museums, churches and looking at Roman remains," she says.

Back in London, she got a job working for an art dealer in the St James's area of London. Researching the origins of paintings to be bought or sold was the interesting part of her job. "The money was terrible. I had holes in my shoes. It was hard to live in London and be so broke," she says.

For the next four years or so, Collins stayed in London working for various art and antiques dealers.

In 1995, she returned to Ireland and went to work for Town and Country Auctioneers in Dublin city centre. "There, I was working in every aspect of the business, organising auctions, dealing with clients, goods and money. It was always busy, often frenetic but great fun."

Some time later, she moved to work in O'Sullivan Antiques on Francis St where, she says, she learnt what she subsequently needed to run her own business as a nutritional therapist.

So when did she decide to change direction in her career?

"I found I was dispensing advice to friends and colleagues about what to eat when they had a cold or were low in energy. I had an archive of recipes from when I was 12 and I've always loved cooking so I began to explore courses in nutritional therapy."

On the recommendation of her GP, she opted for the London-based, three-year part-time nutrition course at the Optimum Nutrition Institute. "I found that course had fantastic clinical practice training. We spent two days a month seeing clients under supervision for two years. This meant that when I opened my own practice last July, it wasn't scary to see clients."

Collins returned to Ireland and sourced two complementary healthcare clinics in Dublin where she could see clients. "I just love my job," she says. "I find it extraordinarily rewarding. What can be more important to you than your health and to help someone feel well energises me."

A few years ago, Collins had her own experience of illness which she believes has deepened her understanding of the emotional dimension of ill health.

"My father became ill in July 2005 and died in August the following year. I got glandular fever within two months of him becoming ill. It was very difficult to function. I ended up with chronic fatigue. I used to feel so tired that when I was walking down the street, I felt like lying down to go to sleep."

Over time, Collins recovered and learned a lot about how to deal with stress in the process. "I would say that 80 per cent of my clients are highly stressed, which impacts on all illnesses. I help them tackle nutritional deficiencies but I will also look at the lifestyle and encourage them to build quiet times into their days."

Collins says she now sees people with a whole range of problems that nutritional therapy can help.

"Almost everybody suffers from conditions related to not eating enough fruit and vegetables. Then, there are men who eat too much meat and women who have low energy levels because they have over-restricted the amount of protein in their diets."

Collins describes herself as a "semi-vegetarian".

"I was a vegetarian for years but I only realised when I studied nutrition that I had low protein intake. Protein is crucial for handling stress."

On the personal side, Collins says that she has changed hugely in the past few years. "I understand people better and see how their nutrition and lifestyle is causing their stress and not necessarily their personality. Also, I don't take it personally when someone takes stress out on me," she says, with a smile.

• For more information, see  www.improveyourhealth.ie