in Nutrition
The Body Matters’ Nutritionist working with John Lawson
I am delighted to report that I am now working with Leigh-on-Sea’s most imaginative and creative chef, John Lawson. Originally from Leigh-on-Sea, John went off to Australia where he became Executive Head Chef in one of the most prestigious hotels in Melbourne. However, aged just 31, he suffered a seizure in the middle of the night and was subsequently diagnosed with a brain tumour. He had surgery and the tumour was removed, but John was warned that it was likely to grow back.
John suspected that by taking his health into his own hands, he might be able to influence the progression of his illness and at the very least slow down the regrowth of the tumour, so he started educating himself in nutrition. Although he knew all about food and cooking, his training had not included nutrition science and he went on a quest to learn more.
In the meantime, he returned home in 2016, where he soon set about finding premises for his own restaurant and travelled the length and width of Essex to source high quality, fresh, local ingredients for the restaurant, which finally opened in the summer of 2017 and is simply called Food by John Lawson.
There are plenty of restaurants in Leigh-on-Sea, but Food by John Lawson is like no other. Not only is the menu centred around local food, you also don’t get to choose what you’re having. Now, I do appreciate that this might not be for everyone, but personally I find it liberating not having to peruse several pages of a menu and choose – particularly since I’m prone to food envy. And don’t worry: The waiting staff will first ask whether there is anything you don’t like or tolerate. John will certainly accommodate your needs.
On his journey back to health, John focused on digestive health as he was aware of the gut-brain axis and the important role the gut plays in overall health. Admittedly, a healthy gut doesn’t cure all ails, but you’ll struggle to recover from any kind of illness if your intestinal health is compromised, so he was right to start at the ‘root’ of health.
But when John started getting deeper down into the rabbit hole that is nutrition science, he decided that he wanted to learn more – and faster – than he had so far and his busy schedule didn’t leave enough time for reading all of it. So he got in touch with me and we are now having regular meetings to talk about physiology and nutrition, macro- and micronutrients, the benefits of different foods, and of course how best to cook them to preserve the valuable nutrients they contain without having to compromise on flavour. John wants his customers to have the best of both worlds: highly nutritious as well as delicious dishes.
It is a joy to work with John. He already knows so much and we’re just filling the gaps. And – a new experience for me – this client is not asking for recipes. (In fact I’m hoping to sneak a few from him at some point …)
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