Health coach vs nutritionist — which one do you actually need when the NHS hasn’t helped?

You’ve probably already tried to get answers. The GP. Maybe a referral. Google at 11pm. And you’re still not sure who can actually help.

This post is for that moment — when you’re ready to invest in yourself but not sure which direction to go.

Think of a health coach as the person who looks at the whole picture — not just the symptom in front of them. Rather than prescribing strict plans, a health coach works on behaviour, mindset, and the underlying patterns keeping you stuck.

A health coach helps you understand what’s driving your patterns — food, sleep, stress, energy — and builds the conditions for real, sustainable change. Not another thing to follow perfectly and fail.

A client might come to me saying “I know what I should eat but I can’t stick to it.” That’s not a willpower problem. That’s usually a nervous system problem — and that’s what we work on.

A nutritionist focuses on the science of food and how nutrients affect your body. They can help you navigate intolerances, deficiencies, hormonal imbalance, and gut issues — providing specific dietary guidance especially for those with medical concerns.

If you have IBS, anaemia, or a specific hormonal condition, a nutritionist can analyse your diet and recommend targeted support for your body’s healing.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” — Hippocrates

Health coach

Nutritionist

If you already know what to eat but can’t seem to follow through — a health coach is probably your missing piece. The issue isn’t knowledge. It’s what’s underneath the knowledge that keeps getting in the way. If sugar cravings are part of your pattern, this post explains exactly why that happens — and it’s not what you think.

If you’re dealing with a specific condition that needs dietary intervention, start with a nutritionist — and consider adding a health coach to help you actually implement their advice.

For many women, the sweet spot is both. A nutritionist shows you what your body needs. A health coach builds the conditions to make it happen. If you’re not sure how burned out you actually are, start here.

Most of the women I work with have already tried the conventional route. They’ve seen the GP, maybe a specialist, and still don’t feel right. What I offer isn’t a replacement for medical care — it’s what happens when that care hasn’t been enough.

I work specifically on nervous system regulation and burnout. If your body has been stuck in survival mode — exhausted, wired, craving sugar, can’t sleep — that’s the layer nobody else has looked at. That’s where we start. This post on fight or flight is a good place to understand what’s actually happening in your body.

A free 30-minute conversation is the best place to start. No sales pitch. No diet audit. Just a proper conversation about what’s been going on and what’s possible.

Mariko Broome is a trauma-informed transformational health coach and women’s wellbeing advocate.

Through her workshops, writing, and coaching, she helps women heal burnout, realign with their purpose, and create sustainable calm — one real step at a time.