Back to basics

How did an economist with a high flying job in London decide to become a nutritionist instead?

"Travelling to amazing countries, meeting beautiful people and witnessing how magnificent our planet is helped me realise that there is so much more to life," says Abu Dhabi-based Laura Holland. "But it was a specific experience that was a catalyst for a new direction. I call it the Inca trek near-death experience. I have always been healthy, in terms of eating well and going to the gym. My weakness was pushing myself too hard and that really contributed to my severe illness."

Holland went on a nine-month trip around the world, Peru being the last country on her list. "I had just travelled through Bolivia and had taken a four-day trip across the salt flats on the Altiplano. I was at very high altitude and it was freezing cold but it was simply beautiful! Unfortunately I got sick from the food and water. In hindsight, starting the Inca trek only a few days later was not a good idea. As the trek got more difficult and the altitude higher, my body started to run low on energy. At the time, I didn't know that I had a serious parasite infection. Just imagine having dysentery at a 4,000-metre altitude, freezing with the cold and having to trek through mountains after I had just about recovered from a serious bout of illness in Bolivia!

But I was stubborn. I didn't want to give up.

"The last night of the trip I was feeling awful, my body was aching all over and I just couldn't sleep. Our guide reminded us that we were to be up at 3.30am to watch the sunrise at the Sun Gate. That four-hour hike was a blur, but somehow I just kept on walking.

"I remember reaching the Sun Gate and momentarily appreciating the stunning view of Machu Picchu and a few moments of peace. But soon things went downhill. I focused on getting down to Aguas Calientes. I didn't even take the tour around this amazing World Heritage Site. The relief of arriving back in Cusco was immense as I had to get medical care. I flew to Miami on the first plane out.

It took me about six weeks to recover and to get back to full strength after I arrived home." Holland admits that she has always been ambitious and determined. "I don't give up and this aspect of my personality has often been to my detriment. I should listen to my body when it says enough is enough."
Her experience sowed the seeds for a new and natural change. Holland decided to train to become a nutritionist. She earned her clinical nutrition and nutritional therapy diplomas in London.

How has this change of lifestyle helped Holland to live her life up to now? "It's helped to give me energy during those dark nights in Peru.

On a basic level, I'm healthier now, but that has been through learning more about my body and appreciating that through good food choices, I can positively affect my state of physical, mental and emotional health and well-being. There are no limits and anything is possible!"

– Preethi Janice D'Sa, an Abu Dhabi-based freelancer