My name is Valia Makropoulou and I am a Nutritional Therapy and Functional Medicine practitioner

My Qualifications

I have a Master of Science in Personalised Nutrition (MSc) from Middlesex University and clinical training in Nutritional Therapy obtained at the Centre for Nutrition Education and Lifestyle Management. In addition, I have completed the Institutes for Functional Medicine comprehensive training programme for healthcare professionals and achieved further qualifications as Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner.

The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) is the pioneering organization for the education, training, and clinical practice of Functional Medicine globally. Its goal is to advance the highest expression of individual health by advocating Functional Medicine as the standard of care.

As a Registered Nutritionist & Nutritional Therapist with the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT), I follow their strict code of conduct to ensure best practice. In addition, I am registered with IFM and a member of the European Lifestyle Medicine Organization (ELMO) and The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM).

My Approach

My approach is derived from functional medicine, meaning I seek to discover the root causes behind a health condition or a set of symptoms, rather than tackling each symptom individually. I work on the basis that every person is unique, from our genetic make‐up to our health, diet and lifestyle histories and as such my clients receive a totally personalized service, tailored specifically to their personal health goals and needs. I am dedicated to evidence‐based nutritional medicine and therefore every recommendation I make is supported by scientific research. Moreover, I believe that sustainable and long‐term health benefits for my clients can only be achieved by spending time with them, listening carefully to their stories, engaging with them in an ongoing partnership and supporting them every step of the way.

My Story

My long academic background includes undergraduate studies in Mechanical Engineering, a Master’s in Economics and Management and a PhD in Finance. After completing my studies, I moved to the Netherlands, where I taught finance at the University of Utrecht for two years. When returning to Athens for personal reasons, right after Greece was hit by the financial crisis, I worked for the Ministry of Finance as an advisor, wishing to be part of Greece’s effort to reignite the engine of economic growth.

It is only after my personal health got challenged – following years of being stressed, making bad food choices and not sleeping well – that I turned to Functional Medicine. Being intrigued by how it transformed my life and passionate for learning new things, I decided to start another long academic path into the science of Nutrition and Functional Medicine.

Starting off with little more than a basic knowledge of life sciences and equipped only with good learning and research skills, my learning journey in Nutritional Therapy and Functional Medicine has been a long one and has required a lot of hard work.

With a Master’s in Personalised Nutrition, clinical training in Nutritional Therapy and further qualifications as Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, I am committed to providing evidence-based and personalized nutritional recommendations.